The lure of money

SEEKING JUSTICE:
CHENNAI: For the third consecutive day on Tuesday, people came in large numbers to the office of the Commissioner of Police in Egmore and lodged criminal complaints against the Gold Quest and its directors.

Additional police personnel were deployed at the entrance of the Commissionerate to regulate the crowd.Thorough examination Commissioner of Police G. Nanchil Kumaran told The Hindu that the police would thoroughly examine all petitions and take stern action against the accused, if they were found to have cheated the public.

So far, they had received about 900 complaints, the Commissioner said.
Last week, the police had sealed the company’s premises near the Chetpet police station.

Agents and some staff of the company who had information about the functioning of the company are being investigated.

When will we ever learn that making money is not easy? One cannot make hard money by quick means and expect it to be legal too.

Don’t we all see this bare truth around us: among our friends, our colleagues, those who work in high or low positions and even in business? Unless of course he gets a lottery.

The recent scam.. or the age old scam is the “Gold Quest” or re-christened Quest International (QI) pyramid style chain business.

Even me and hubby were approached as early as 1998 to take part in this scheme and kept on receiving further invitations’. One of Hubby’s friend and colleague came home and gave a presentation stating the merits of the scheme. The bottom line was making extra bucks during the free time. All one had to do was give around 175 KD (almost 30,000 IRS), whereby one gets either a “unique” wrist watch or a NUMISMATIC gold coin and then lure others to join the scheme. If your “Left” and “Right” prospers so do you! But Hubby was dead against such schemes, reminding me of the various schemes that had left many cheated and few rich. Thankfully I was too busy trying to bring up the little ones to bother about the "left" and "right". I did wonder how this scheme can work since the purchase is made only once and there was no other means of income. People who lose money in scams like Goldquest are encouraged to blame themselves for that. They are told that they did not work hard enough. And they have a disclaimer at their website that beats them all..

And upon reading more about “Gold Quest”, I came to know that this company was already facing ban from Nepal as early as 2003 and in Srilanka, Philipines and Iran in year 2004-7 And there were arrests in Chennai in year 2003 where the company’s Indian head quarters is located. They say Mrs. Chidambaram was appointed as the legal advisor to this company. I think people still refuses to believe that the company is cheating since many high ranking politicians and cine stars are its patron. The company has also ventured into other business using the money collected from millions.

Here in Kuwait many of my ex-colleagues and friends are a part of this scheme. One left his job and started an office in India to continue the business. I am not sure how many of them made money and I am not even sure if they are all aware that this company is cheating. Our neighbour is still busy recruiting fresh candidates from company camps. These unsuspecting candidates must have given all what they saved from their meagre salary. I am sure some have made money on the expense of others.

GoldQuest International – 2000

About Us
• GoldQuest is a company retailing gold products.
• GoldQuest finds its customers through word-of-mouth advertising otherwise known as interactive marketing.
• GoldQuest pays commissions to its customers for introducing other customers, who purchase products from GoldQuest..
• GoldQuest utilizes the strength of the best network structure available today for the distribution of its commissions.

Company Background

GoldQuest International Ltd. was formed by diverse but formidable entities: an investment group from the EU and Asean as well as an Asian team of industry leaders with extensive networking experience called the V-TEAM. This powerful fusion of corporate and networking expertise has laid a strong foundation for the stable existence of the company that is dedicated to building opportunities not just for itself but for all of its customers.

GoldQuest is led by the honorable corporate chairman, Mr. Aulis Juhana Makitalo, who worked for many years with internationally respected agencies such as the United Nations Development Fund and the Asian Development Bank. Assisting him are various international directors whose special fields of expertise propel the company into a new millennium of dynamic expansion and growth.

http://bahrainidrivel.com/?p=195

http://questnet.homebusinesspros.com/


http://www.mouthshut.com/comment/readcomment.php?rid=54567&r=1&com=0

And to top it Dato’ Vijay was invited by the Indian government to speak at Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas.. now we just have to wait for the government to give him a Padma Shri

Gender.. cont

Let me continue my previous post on Gender Equality since KK thinks I have been unfair in my opinion. But before that let me state that I am not an FCP and I do enjoy being a mother, a wife and whatever role this world has bestowed upon the female population. It is just that sometimes it is a thankless job and then where else but my blog can I rumble.

As for the mention of religion, your observation is correct but I was under the impression that at least Hinduism with numerous female Goddesses is not thus. But upon reading about Female Foeticide and exploring further: thanks to links provided by and gathered through my blog friends, every religion including Hinduism does play a role in gender discrimination. Now I have no idea about the Hindu scriptures although I did try to read Bhagawad Gita but couldn’t continue for some reasons. I personally have not taken my religion very seriously and hate to be tied down to religious orders and rituals. I may do so just to appease those whom I care for. But I do hope I will be given a fair chance to work this one out with the Almighty when I meet him (?) personally!

The Indian Homemaker writes thus under Simple Patriarchy or Religion in Unchaahi. I love reading her since she makes every subject interesting.

Our dislike of daughters is deep rooted. It's in our culture. Next time you attend a traditional kua poojana (ceremony on birth of a baby boy); see someone fasting for their son's long life; next time you see a woman being blessed to 'doodho nahao, pooto phalo';..Next time you read/watch in our popular epics, how all powerful women are mothers' of sons (anywhere from one to about a hundred sons); next time you read/hear bhajans of baby hood of our popular male gods ask yourself; when did we ever, EVER want daughters? It's in our roots. Women in India had just one purpose, to give birth to sons! Many of them think they still have just that one use.

Check this article out on Female Foeticide in India

Our society is a complex of thousands of years of religious, cultural and circumstantial history. The freedom and respect for women in the vedic and post vedic periods has been eroded by successive waves of invasion and occupation, when victors treated the women of India as spoils of victory. The reaction was to put women behind ‘purdah’ by creating social norms which took away their freedom, rights and liberties, thus putting them at the mercy of men. Their visibility as intellectuals, artists, leaders and fighters disappeared. Thus, while Hindu men continued with their Devi or Goddess worship, the living devi was buried deep by these very same men.

Then here is a link provided by my blog friend Maddy:

Religion, Literacy, and the Female-to-Male Ratio in India
Vani K. Borooah and Sriya Iyer*

Against this background, the purpose of this paper is to propose a new idea: to show that, far from being independent of each other, the sex ratio and family size by
religion are highly related. At its plainest, girls in India may be least at risk with Muslim parents and most at risk with parents who are caste Hindus.

We can brush all these ideas away but as Maddy commented, gender bias is here to stay for a long time and we can continue analysing the reasons for the same. It could be because of various cultural invasions or religious orders and we cannot blame a particular religion for what is happening within that religion too.

Oh.. it is a very complex subject but we need a change.

The world hates change, yet it is the only thing that has brought progress.

Charles Kettering