The Banker Who Claims To Be Sherlock

It was one of the most bizarre public assertions by a corporate bigwig, that I have ever come across.  Speaking to CNBC, Aditya Puri, Managing Director of HDFC Bank, one of India’s biggest banks, made the outlandish claim that he was a “modern version” of “Sherlock”.  Assuming he was referring to Arthur Conan Doyle’s fictional detective, the reasons that he presented, had no relevance whatsoever to his claim.  In his words:

I am here only to protect the interest of my depositors, as well as offer fair and competitive pricing, and people who do not behave in a proper way, I am here to kick them.

Could it be then, that he meant ‘Shylock’ instead of ‘Sherlock’?  That would definitely be a more apt comparison, and would tie-in somewhat better with the reasons given.  It’s just that a banker would need to have a very questionable mindset to take pride in that.

Regardless, what I also found bewildering was his stated intention to “kick” those who misbehave.  That’s not something that you expect to hear in a business interview.  In fact, further ahead in the interview, he reiterated this point, startlingly, using the second person pronoun.

If you behave badly with me, I’ll kick you.

Here’s a link to a clip of his dubious pronouncements. 

I couldn’t help but notice his slurred enunciation of the word ‘kick’, the first time around.  I was also struck by how his gaze momentarily shifted after he said it the second time.   Maybe he saw someone off-camera who was visibly appalled, as I was, by what he had just said.