MEMO FROM NARA

Financially most educated people are up in India. They count rupees in lakhs and crores. In fact they earn such amounts every month. They are paid sumptuously and also they spend accordingly. Even though, everything like schooling of children, housing, transport, health service, vehicles etc. are costly. They are necessary for everyone. Food is also costly all other basic needs of human beings are expensive everywhere from small to big cities.

For those who are crossing the age of 60 or 70 years – senior citizens – such a culture of handling lakhs and crores is unbelievable. They grew up in an age when the value of money was not like today. No one thought of lakhs and crores in those days. They handled only hundreds and thousands. The value of things was to the order of hundred or thousand rupees at the most. But today we have five hundred and one thousand currency notes which are easily spent when we go for a little shopping.

We do find ads showing watches and cars costing lakhs of rupees. Electronic goods such as smart phones, tablets, TVs are costing more than fifty to hundred thousand rupees. I am sure such ads are unimaginable for the elders who are in their evening hours of their life. Instead of traveling in trains, today people take flights to go for work or vacation with their family members. They spend huge amounts of money. At the same time, there are people who are called ‘poor’ (aam admi) lives simple and hard life. The ruling parties represent mostly those people and they shed crocodile tears every time. But there are intelligent people among the poor who try to come up in life by joining politics to enjoy the modern-day life. Governments provide employments, health-care, schooling and many other facilities to these ‘poor’ at a subsidised cost.

The ‘poor’ learn from the rich, how to become rich. That is the way of life we lead today. Bridging the gap between the ‘poor’ and the rich is not that easy, but it happens in every country and every time. To those who are old who compare the past with the present, it looks amazing and indigestible at times.

In fact, the world is changing very fast. Is it changing for the better or bad? Some of us who are pessimistic say that it is for bad, whereas those who are optimist say that it is for the better. Change for good often occurs with people who are optimistic with positive thinking and honest. I do think at present we count money in lakhs and crores and in the future certainly it will be in millions and billions as we see in some advanced countries in the world. I don’t think the elders of today will not be there to see that sea change!