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Loose ends

D. Murali

WHEN time stares in the face, truths could emerge. With an approaching deadline, the ICAI president, Mr N. D. Gupta, makes a few admissions:

I am struck by how quickly time has flown by. Nine months of my tenure have passed and only three remain.

It is time to take stock and to tie up all the loose ends. You will agree that not all loose ends can be tied up.

Some of the initiatives that we have taken this year will be carried forward during the next, and initiatives taken during the next year will perhaps be carried forward the year after that, and so on.

There are many things that we start, and have to leave in between, because that is the way of the world.

I am but only one participant in a relay race where the only competition that we face is from ourselves, and the only winner is also, ourselves.

We have not been able to make everyone happy.

Normally, incumbent presidents should be happy if their term extended forever and time stood still. For Mr Gupta, however, nine months were perhaps too short to tone up the administration, introduce accountability in his secretariat or turn the ICAI on i ts head. Nobody would have expected him to do anything of significance, such as tying up loose ends, tightening the odd screw or loosening the jammed ones.

The problem more often is that the elected representatives imagine such a load on their heads and begin taking initiatives which remain just that. While it would be fashionable to talk about new measures or bold steps, one has to look under the carpet fo r brushed away things that is, schemes started earlier but not carried forward.

One could be philosophical about having to leave things midway and go but no merit lies in taking refuge behind the ways of the world for starting anything that cannot stand on its own legs.

In a one-man race where the competition is only from oneself anyone could be winner. There is no relay and Mr Guptas successor is sure to come on to the track with his own baton!

That could make the VP, Mr Chandak, happy.