From a deflated wallet on an inflated economy

I have been with Raja for a long time now. He told me the other day that he has managed to save close to 10k in the two and half years that he has been working. I will not blame him. Prices are rising. The house he lives costed 6.5k a month six months back. It will be 10K from June. The other houses in the same building cost 12k. The owner has been very magnanimous to him. That is primarily because he does not drink or smoke at home with his friends till 2 am on weekends and wake the neighbours. The other day Jose, Raja and I were at a restaurant. After the two of them drank some coffee, Raja pulled 20 bucks out of me to pay for the coffee. 2 cups of coffee for 18 bucks. Atrocious. And a 2 rupee tip for that sweet milky cocktail? No wonder why he has saved only about 10k.

There was a time when I was fat and big. Varad always made sure I was fed full with 100s. Those were the days when Raja and I left home early in the morning and came back after sunset. Although we entertained ourselves in everyway we could, which included movies, splurging at restaurants, philanthropy among many things, I hardly lost a 100 rupee note. That was ten years back.

The parottas at the evening stalls which used to be 2 rupees a piece is now 4 bucks. What would you call that? Prices are soaring so high that the common man would be able to drink beer only once a week. I used to pay 100 bucks for 2.16 litres of petrol not long ago. Then it became 2.04 litres for the same money; and now 1.89 litres. I remember my dad telling me that Varad used to pay Rs 19.50 for a litre of petrol and 50 ml of oil. Rkay will have to get back to eating full meals as the Subway salads have moved past Rs. 200. This is exactly why Raja stopped buying free food to other people. There will soon be a day when he will stop buying them free beer too.

Of all the undesired things that are happening, the one thing that pains me most is that I no longer get to carry as many crispy 100 rupee notes as I used to. They are replaced by stale, smelly and old 10 rupee notes. However, I am waiting for that day, when 10 rupee notes will become extinct and when the crispy 100 rupee note will become the smallest denomination.