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The Word bizarre means something strange or weird or very difficult to explain. Could the operators of this mega fraud have given the name Bizarre deliberately so that they could laugh at the many thousands of victims for their folly of jumping on to the bandwagons of money chain? The mindset of the Malayali is something that eludes comprehension.

To be sure this is not going to be the last of the queer acts of scoundrels, who have been bidding for the most opportune time to hit at the weakest point of a human being - that is greed. The urge to make a quick buck! Most people here long to become millionaires overnight. And they seem to be willing to fall headlong into these traps.

The money chains are quite obvious traps. No man of reason can conceive the idea of a magic wand doubling the money you invest just in three years - that too after taking away a considerably big amount from it as commission to the agents, who succeed in enticing the customers into it. That those few agents who are at the uppermost rung of the money chain gain the most, and those thousands at the lower most rung lose everything is the proven fact.

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The wily agents with their glib tongue subdue their greedy prey by showing the luxury cars and the fabulous wealth the first category agents have amassed in a few months. They are so friendly and persuasive that you will be tempted to attend a motivation class which will be addressed by a so-called master trainer who will show you the secrets of how to become rich. The wizard in an immaculate business suit on the stage uses every skill in oratory through planned applause from a section of the audience. And at the end of the three to four hour session some of the greedy will come out with the new gained confidence of hooking at least two preys from among their kith and kin.

That the CEO and other executives of the chain business present themselves invariably in expensive suits is the success of their business. I think we have a traditional weakness of feeling inferior to those who wear suit. These poor souls seem to be unaware of the fact that people of the West wear pants, shirt, tie and coat in order to protect themselves from the bitter cold there. Many know not that this dress code is a burden considering the climate of Kerala.

The first of these chains appeared in the horizon of Kerala in the form of Teak Plantation two decades ago. Then came 'Manchiyam' and the 'The Goat that gives Gold'. They devastated thousands of families, and the perpetrators vanished with the loot. The next avtar was in the form of chit companies. 'Maha Sudarsanam' and 'Himalaya', to name a few, too caused havoc here. But the frauds this time were not as lucky as their predecessors, as they could not escape the long arm of the law. Some languish in jail now.

A chain reaction has set off in the chain business recently. And loud screams against the majors like 'Tycoon', 'Nano Excel', and 'Bizzare' rent the air of Kerala. The initial hullabaloo and arrests are likely to die down soon. Time will erase the grief and follies from the mind of our people, and this cycle of the 'Bizzare Saga' is likely to continue till sanity prevails.