Friday, May 21, 2010

Our 'chillar' vs Foreign ka 'chillar'

Chillar aka loose change has acquired gigantic social implications in a very short time in India. You can easily berate somebody for not paying up for random treats and occasional trips by calling him a chillar. Not to forget, the very fact of being called a chillar makes you both frustrated and momentarily generous at the same time.

This blog is however, not about some random philosophical gibberish. I have had enough of philo this semester in a bogus HSS course. It is about how we perceive loose change in India and how it is becoming a rarity in these times. Move away from the metros, and you'll be hard-pressed to find people willing to accept change for buying stuff at a local store. Don't agree? Try paying for your next packet of Maggi at home with one rupee coins. Of course, there is a greater probability that you might not find that amount of change. You see, as the economy blossomed, India soon forgave its change and moved to denominations of 500s and 1000s. As a result, what was once adequate to buy you a samosa at the local sweatshop will now be turned down even by beggars. I seriously can't remember the last time I saw a 50p coin in circulation, leave alone its poorer brother, the 25p!

Take an auto, and the driver will make pitiful faces when asked for the remainder one rupee he owes you. Go to a stationary shop, and he'll ask you for change for the odd refill you might buy after a span of 6-8 months. It is as if the Holy powers of currency descended from heaven and banished all forms of metal currency lower than 5 bucks to obscurity hell. The uglier part of this is that you are being unfairly robbed of your right to pay in change or obtain change in turn. Giving a beggar near Siddhivinayak a one rupee coin shouldn't warrant ugly glances from an upmarket gentleman who made him richer by Rs 5. There is nothing wrong in keeping change people, our economy was in fatc for a very long time under the shadow of these smaller cousins of the rupee, with a movie ticket costing 80p (as my father tells me). Compare this to any developed country, and you'll find people willing to accept and pay up in change. In fact, the amount of coins I brought back from my last trip to the states made my parents and relatives wonder if these were still in circulation or not (they were quite a few). Maybe it says something about the mentality of the developed world, and maybe we should strive to share some of it.

Till then,

My dear one rupee coin, I have cherished you since my childhood. But now I have a fancier golden 5 rupee coin in my hands, and you might as well have to go into my piggybank for good!

Friday, January 29, 2010

Have power, will take a bribe!

The defence minister A.K. Antony has finally taken some desperately needed corrective measures in the Sukna land scam, which has once again put the great institution of Indian defence force to shame.While preliminary investigation by sources in the army have all but indicted Lt. Gen. A. Prakash as the accused in this highly controversial scam, the larger question remains: Did he do it alone or was teh entire higher command in the loop on this?

Let's face it, the selling of land adjacent to a critical military establishment in West Bengal which had earlier being declared to be of valuable defence interest has raised an eyebrow of quite a few who are a part of the larger social revolution dedicated to ensuring accountability from the higher-ups in our bureaucracy. While most of the criminal cases against army officers pertain to a human rights violation, this is one of those rare cases where the interest of the nation has been put aside for personal and commercial gains. Further investigation will definitely unearth the illegal transactions which took place between Lt. gen. Prakash and his family friend, Mr. Agarwal. The defence ministry should press for exemplary punishment to Prakash and the co-accused if it wants the retain the integrity of our Army as an institution of honor and loyalty.

Gen. Kapoor has nowhere to hide now, since being advised by the defence minister to over-turn his decision is a blot of favoritism that will stay in his records forever. He should've taken stern action as soon as the matter came up to him, but personal equations played a big role in softening his stand against the accused Lt. gen. Prakash. This calls for proactive measures on the part of the defence ministry to set up legal bodies where citizens can challenge such decisions as the one taken by Gen. Kapoor. It is necessary that the defence forces should be kept out of the purview of civillian law to ensure hassle-free functioning, but it cannot come at the cost of compromise with the respect that the defence forces command in general public. Corruption has raised its ugly head in the prestigious institution, and it should be killed right now if the government wants to maintain its dignity!