BUSINESS : AN ANETHEMA FOR CHRISTIANS by Marshall Sequeira - A freelance writer (Edit 2 July Aug 2007)

Most Christians have an aversion for business and it is not hard to trace the origin of this 'phobia'. As good Christians, we are guided by the biblical teachings that we have come into this world to 'serve' and not to be served. No wonder, by chance or choice, most of us land up with 9 to 5 jobs serving those businessmen and industrialists who, with their sheer vision and foresight, established enough enterprises for all of us to serve. The BPOs have contributed their mite. On a more serious note, we Christians, unfortunately lack the business acumen to be successful in running it and making it profitable. Very few Christian businessmen have been successful and those very successful ones have shown that given the will and determination it is not entirely difficult. Others have given up midway. Some of the constraints that come to mind why we Christians are apprehensive when it comes to business are:

• Inability to take risks we tend to forget the age old maxim higher the risks, greater the reward. Unfortunately we like to play safe and look for gains even before investing. As a fun-loving community obsessed with the 3 Ds [Dress, Drink and Dance] we prefer the cushy life with fixed salary, fixed timings and evenings free for dating and partying, something which is a mirage for true businessmen. They reserve the weekend for this.
• Inability to generate requisite funds for business. Safety of the family [in terms of roti, kapda and makan] always remains a priority with 'a bird in hand is worth two in a bush' mentality. Unlike other communities, other family members do not come forward with any financial help. We do not encourage the joint family system and this perhaps is one of the key factors
• responsible for our failure on the business front. Jealously is very much prevalent when someone succeeds. Before a business can be successful, it faces enormous teething troubles and we lack the patience and the mental strength to face such situations. Similarly, after successful establishment of the business, there is, what is called the 'gestation period' a period of consolidation after which one can hope to see the fruits of labour, i.e. the profits. Failure to
• face this spell, however long it may take, makes most aspirants nervous and more often than not, they give up.
• Facing bureaucratic hurdles is one of the essential qualities required to start a business in this country. Multiplicity of authorities, harassment from petty officials, and demand for bribes unnerve us. Every businessman has to face the municipal authorities, the sales tax authorities, the income tax officials and the excise staff. These are the realities of business and not accepting that truth will resemble the ostrich approach. We have that 'holier than thou' attitude and this
• does not help matters. If you do the business without breaking the rules, it should not be difficult to overcome these road blocks. We lack negotiating skills to convince others and to get the work done.
• When it comes to dealing with workers, staff and even the vendors, one must have that entrepreneurial skill to be tough when required and be accommodative if the situation
• warrants. Perhaps the 'be generous' approach and 'offer your other cheek' concept do not help to develop the right attitude required for business.

Communities like the Bania and the Marwaris have shown that with hard work and willingness to put in long hours, one can be successful. They say business is in their blood. True! It comes naturally to them. Though most small businessmen are hardly educated, they know the numbers well so also the rules and regulations [including loop holes which they exploit to their advantage]. Had it not been for the likes of Ambanis, Modi's, Singhanias, Tatas, Birlas, etc, we would have been stuck with farming. We curse these people for prospering through evasion of taxes, excise duties, custom duties, etc. Yet we work for them and earn our daily bread. Let us remember that “A man is not honest just because he has had no chance to cheat”. It is easy to cast aspersions with sweeping statements. We take pride in saying that we salaried people pay our taxes but do we really have an option? Communities like the Banias, have come up with sheer hard work. You can see a Bania shop open at 7.00 in the morning and remain open [without a break] till 9.00 at night. They help one another, guide others who want to start a business and even extend financial assistance. The surplus funds rotate within the community. This is unparalleled. Can we learn something from this? We, as a Community, are generally educated and some of the people have proved to be good successful businessmen. It may be a good idea if such businessmen in each Parish offer their expertise to help those aspiring young men who have dreams but lack direction and guidance. WE NEED TO WALK THE TALK.