We all came from dust, and will revert to dust. We arose and our life is born from ashes and unto these ashes we return. This is not as philosophical as it sounds. This does not mean, “Oh God, life is so short, what the hell can we do?” On the other hand, these very phrases indicate that life is too short and it is our innate duty to live life to the fullest in a safest possible manner.
This ‘ashes to ashes’ are symbolized in Hindu religion by Lord Shiva, who has ash applied all over His body. We also smear ash, either on the neck or on the forehead, to indicate that life is transitory and impermanent. We are not talking of religion or philosophy. We are talking here about insurance. You may ask, how in the name of God is “ashes to ashes, and dust to dust” related to insurance?
In 1912, over 4,000 people from all walks of life boarded a ship with high hopes from life and the future, with dreams and ambitions of life in the USA. Life looked very rosy and very beautiful to them all. But all their hopes were dashed. The unthinkable, thought. The unsinkable sunk. Over 2,500 people were killed in that tragic accident and by no fault of their own. The Titanic sank. There was quietness in the waters of the North Atlantic Ocean once again.
Even today, the remains of Titanic are securely embedded in the depths of the ocean, somewhere few kilometers below. Every part of the Titanic’s salvage in those waters talk about dashed hopes and shattered dreams. We grieve for the departed even today. Would you not feel happy to have a piece of that Titanic in your hands? Through that piece of Titanic will arise our understanding of the dreams and aspirations of those people. As far as we know, no one would mind. Everyone would want it. Why not? Let that piece of Titanic become a part of the wrist watch, a part of the ring, a part of everyday jewelry; for it has the dashed hopes of the then humanity.
Many “Titanics” happen in our day-to-day lives. Accidents happen. Buildings burn, mostly by no fault of ours. Who would want to drive recklessly on the road and die? Having spent millions in making a building, who would want the building to burn to ashes? Who would want a widow to wail for the loss of her husband? Who would want a businessman to desperately search the burnt assets to salvage his losses?
As we said earlier, the unsinkable sinks, the unthinkable is thought, and we grieve. Nowhere in the world are we taught to construct sweet and bitter memories from ashes. In insurance, in the construction of those sweet and bitter memories, we have the entire verifiable record, as it was in the case of the unsinkable Titanic. We have the police reports. We have reports from the fire department. We have doctors’ reports. We have the insurer’s report estimating the loss, and the claim that has been paid. The money, the value of the property, was given — indemnified. Memories are memories; they are short-lived. People say the foolishness of humanity is fast forgotten. We try to deceive ourselves saying: “Oh, we are not fools, come on.” But that is hardly the answer for our not being foolish. We need a memory of that foolishness, of that accident, of that stupidity, so that when we use it as an article of utility, it will continue to remind and warn us about the accidents that have happened; the foolishness of drunk and driving.
Topspot Insurance Brokers Pvt. Ltd. (insurancepe), are the only people in the entire world who were given a patent in the field of Insurance. The patent pertains to manufacturing articles of utility from insurance salvage — manufacturing articles of memories from insurance salvage. It is a contradiction to say articles and memories as memories are not physical, they are psychological. How can we make articles of memories? Yet, we dare to use the phrase – articles of memories. This is where we are placed in the world, ready to manufacture articles of memories from Insurance Salvage.
“Diamonds are forever” refers to the iconic 1947 De Beers marketing slogan that markets diamonds as indestructible, everlasting symbols of love and commitment. And based on this there is a 1971 James Bond movie ‘Diamonds Are Forever’. Similarly, memories too are forever. Hence, we propose to manufacture Articles of Memories from the Insurance Salvage.
Insurance companies have been increasingly behaving like insensitive money-making machines. They forget, and they have long forgotten what they are insuring. They are not insuring just property or life, or the monetary values associated with it. That may be true in the financial world. They say, “We indemnify. We keep the insured approximately in the same financial position as he was before.” That’s it?
I wish to look into the eyes of the boss of the insurance regulator and ask: “That’s it? That is all you are insuring? Or is it something more?” Indemnification is only half truth. The comprehensive truth is: the insurance companies, besides insuring the asset, are also indirectly insuring the emotions, the attachment, and the passion associated with that asset. It is in this sense; every insurance policy becomes a valued policy. The way you cannot value human life, in a similar manner you cannot value my house, because there is something more associated with the assets. Thus, every insurer is not just insuring the asset, but in fact, he is insuring much more!
Here we are with a commercial insurance patent in our hands. This patent alone has the unique power to make the world a safer place, a better place, a place with emotions, attachments, memories, and a safe future life.
Yes. It is ashes to ashes and dust to dust. What should not be forgotten is that the distance between ashes to ashes and dust to dust is a lifetime. This distance of life between ashes to ashes and dust to dust is what is filled through our patent. Imagine picking up car keys which are manufactured from an insurance salvaged article involving four lost lives. Would it not teach us something? Would it not give us the vibes to remain safe both psychologically and emotionally? Would the key chain not cry in its loud silence to declare, “Hey man, better drive slowly; do not become like me – a key chain?”
The flowerpot, which is manufactured from an insurance salvage, wherein the flower blooms most beautiful – stop a moment to think of the lives lost in that asset, from which this flowerpot was manufactured – had those lives been alive, would they not have bloomed more beautifully than the most beautiful flower? Had that building not burned, would it not have become another Taj Mahal, Red Fort, or Charminar?
This is what we are – the unique merchants of Articles of Memories.
Authored by:
Dr K. Rajagopal Reddy
PhD, FII, FCII (UK), FLMI (US), FT
Chartered Insurance Practitioner
Topspot Insurance Broking Pvt. Ltd
