Limbs askew, gaping mouth; the victim is clearly dead. Equally clear: it’s not natural causes. This is murder. Violent, deliberate, gory homicide. The victim’s identity has been established pretty easily: it is Th e World Economy, which, only a short while ago, was stepping high, wide and handsome.
Crime Scene Investigation carefully examines the area. A book, still half-open, lies in the victim’s left (the irony!) hand. The investigator pries it loose from the corpse’s stiffened fingers. It is Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand. Rand? Capitalism’s cheerleader? Th e author who championed a laissez-faire fix for a dystopic world? Could this have something to do with why the Economy’s life-blood was all over the sidewalk?
(This story appears in the 05 June, 2009 issue of Forbes India. To visit our Archives, click here.)