The blade companies of Kerala.

The blade companies of Kerala.

No body knows who coined the word. Whoever he may, that man needs to be praised for his ingenuity. Any one who regularly deals with the local financiers in Kerala , will admit whole heartedly that these so called “companies” are far sharper that original blades.

What actually are these blade companies? For a person residing in Kerala this seems to be a blunt question, because Malayalees are so familiar with them. People out side Kerala also are familiar with the term, although in a different meaning! Their blade companies are those which make shaving razors like 7 O Clock or Gillette.

Kerala being the “land of the god” or god’s own country! (our tourism department claims so!) Suicide rate is so high that it is about three times the national average. God naturally call back those who are dearer to him. Hence Keralites get first preference, being inhabitants of god’s own country.

Unemployment, Loss of human bondages, excessive consumerism etc are cited as the reasons for this exorbitantly high suicide rate. Generally the main culprit is not mentioned. There comes the relevance of our blade companies.

They offer money to anybody no security is demanded. Just furnish your signature on the blank stamp paper extended to you.

The money given can be utilized for any purpose, no questions asked, no utility -certificates to be furnished, no documentation fee required. No bureaucracy, No hands to be greased.

The procedure is almost like this. You want quick money (suppose ten thousand bucks). Hate signing documents or pledging gold ornaments. You also hate lengthy proceedings and bribing officials. You approach a blade company (company does not mean a big office or big factory). Most often the so called manager is who runs the business all by himself.

The manager welcomes you with cordiality, ask your whereabouts and enquire about the sum. You say ten thousand. When the blank stamp paper is signed he gives you nine thousand! Don’t ask him “hey I demanded 10,000 bucks”. As you have to assume that you were given 10,000 as demanded, and Rs 1000 towards interest has been recovered in advance.

The amount you have to return after one month is 10,000 itself and no chance of any discount. A clean return of ten percent in one month’s time! That is the blade business, in which almost more than a thirty percent of Kerala’s population is entangled.

If the amount is not re paid to the company, what will happen? Almost every body living in Kerala, knows the consequences. There are a lot of techniques employed by the companies. Their musclemen pay visit to your home and remind of the amount.

The blank stamp paper you signed may be used with fillings of exorbitant amounts. The customer playing smart gets beaten black and blue. Finally have to answer the court summons after getting discharged from the hospital. The torturing continues until either the amount is paid back or the customer commits suicide!

Generally the customers of this business are small time vendors and manual laborers. Most of the poor small vendors end up in soup as the humble returns from their business can never sustain the hefty pay back to be made to these “blade companies”. The manual laborers have to work hard to pay the blade companies, leaving their children starve!

The story has one other side also, a number of amateur artists join the fray as blade company managers. Their unprofessional approach and sympathy for fellow beings lead them in to traps.

There are smart customers on the prowl. They find some beginners in the field. Accept as much money as possible and cheat the amateur blades. When it comes to repayment well organized counter techniques are used to defeat the new blade company managers, Many of the juvenile blade company managers had to commit suicide after losing all their seed capital as well as all their assets.

Generally tragic ends of blade company managers are not properly high lighted by the media, as blade company manager is a “blade” and he playing multiple roles, make good Samaritans a job less lot! More over readers want the death of the villain at the end and of the story nothing less than that.

What the media can do? They are bound to serve dishes as per the client’s order. Here the client is the reader and media a mere bearer!

The general- public cry for the “death of blade mafia” The media cry along with! When the public need urgent cash, they approach the “blademafia” (the media give them no money) to full fill their urgent financial needs. As money is not returned the company tries their ingenious methods to extract it, the clients cry foul. Media as a responsible set up have to cry along with.

Who said the following words?

You ask credit-----I give, You don’t pay------I go mad!.......... You ask credit-----I don’t give, -------------you go mad

--------------------Better you go mad!

The word “mad” can be substituted by another word in Kerala’s context. And that word is..........................as you have guessed, is “suicide”

Author: Sasi Kumar

Source: Naturemagics.com - website on Kerala Tourism

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