Random jottings...

The Economics of Public losses...

The world seems to be war-devastated. Except that there is no real war this time. It is actually the economic crisis that has caused the devastation - largest of the world's banks have collapsed, business houses are weighed heavy under unsurmountable debt load, surviving a job seems to be the single biggest daily ambition of millions, the stock market's bear seems like a snail that has eaten it's own head, and the buyers everywhere have simply vanished. Governments are busy doling out large chunks of public money to the greedy private players who unethically lost money to hopeful investors. The real question today: how will the modern world deal with this devastation? And if it does, how long before the crisis is made history.

Well, I am no economic wizard. My only investments remain in a single savings account ( it rarely has more than the minimum balance) and the paltry sum in the office Provident fund. But as an educated human being it is something that bothers me a lot - appalling as it does, to witness the catastrophe. The vicious circle is foolishly simple - business houses seek people's money promising good returns, sponsor politicians, who in turn, bail them out using public money. In short, whether you put your hard earned money in taxes or put them in banks/stocks, the politicians and the businessmen will always ways to use it. Phew! I wish these guys were less predictable. I think I am fast loosing faith in the moral lessons taught in school. And I am sure, I am not alone.

The eyes of hope...

A few days ago, a boy of about eight tapped on my car window at a traffic signal in Delhi. He wasn't begging. Holding national flag in one hand, his expression however seemed so. Ten rupees he seemed to be saying but the music and the closed window however kept him muted. I looked into his eyes. Somehow those transparent, almost stoned eyes have stayed with me since. I wish I had bought the national flag that day. I have been looking for him since then. There are many others at the signal except him. I hope I didn't deny him last meal, or his last drug shot.

The voice in need...

Have you ever noticed how a person sounds when he needs something from you? Next time someone calls you asking for a favour, try to spot the excessive submissiveness in the voice. Call him later, fake a unknown name, and then ask for a favour. The voice won't sound like his. In the world obsessed with needs, the human beings change dramatically when asking or giving. But we all know this, don't we?