Evaluation of Devaluation
Year: 1952
Place: Kolkata
1 American Dollar= 4.97 Indian Rupees
Price of 1kg of fresh hilsa fish was 1 rupee, the price of 2 pieces of samosa was 1paisa, tution fee was 20rupees a month. Though the colleges were co-educational, girls wouldn't even look at guys, talking to a guy was a sin. The packet ghee concept was not even there, neither there was need to put the label of pure ghee to emphasis that the ghee is pure. Letters were the mode of communication for an average Indian. Things were pretty much slow not only in terms of communication and growth but also there was no dynamism. People used to talk for hours when they met, without any hurry to move away from that place because of other priorities in life. There was not any priorities as such except the motto to lead a peaceful happy family life. Eating kachuri with hot jalebis on a sunday breakfast was a luxury and listening to radio about the live commentary of football match and having a vebal fight over who is the better team- East Bengal or MohanBagan seemed to be the favourite passtime of the lot apart from watching a Uttam-Suchitra movie.
We have come a long way.
Year: 2016
Place: Kolkata
1 American Dollar= 67 Indian Rupees
Price of 1kg Hilsa fish is more than 1k. The concept of paisa exists only in telecom sector. and there are so many types of tutions. You name it we have it- home tutors, institutional coaching centres, online tutors- so many choices. Price range? Well starts from 500 and there is no upper limit, all depends as much as you want to spend. If you want quality tutors at your disposal, you have to pay the price. Girls - guys: talking???? Are you kidding me!!! This is the age of pre marital sex, live in relations! So many types of relations you would get- normal dating, time pass dating, serious relation, casual relation, only emotional bond, only physical relation, friends with benefits, extra marital affair- so many. You can choose your partners as per your need and convenience from both online and offline world (though concept of meeting in the offline world and then going around is little backdated and may be too good to be true). Communication??? We all talk throughout the day- online social platform, different types of messaging apps, emails- so many. Now the communication happens faster than the speed of the light. So does everything. Starting from cracking a business deal over a video call or selling a product online or breaking a relation or patching up- everything happens at a faster pace. Even travelling or losing yourself amidst nature. The moment you see a butterfly sitting on a flower, you click it and upload in instagram - your insta click insta share.
Then comes eating. Bengalis are known as a big time foodies. They are no doubt. You will find so many places to eat out, spread across the city. Modes of entertainment have also changed- clubbing, disc are there.
People say things were simpler earlier, simpler as in we used to get pure things at much less cost. People had depth in feelings, they cared more, they had compassion and fellow feelings. Things have become shallow now, they say.
But on the flip side, now things are actually cheaper in true sense of the term(see the devaluation of rupee). Things are more accessible- be it money (because of industrialisation) ,sex (free mixing of both the genders) or food. So this might be the reason why we have stopped valuing things, the only thing we value may be is the time as we do have less of it. But things have improved as in now we have realised what we exactly want and as per our need and choices we have different ranges of products- for example if you go to buy even a bottle of shampoo, you will get an entire list- shampoo for long hair, short hair, dull hair, oily hair, dandruff removal one, protein content one- the endless list.
Things will evolve and change but few things were there and will always be there. Like a true Bengali wherever they go and no matter how much modernisation have happened they will always be foodie, will love to discuss about politics, culture; a lady wearing saree or a guy wearing punjabi will always capture their heart; they will find solace in Rabindra Sangeet; Durga Puja will always be the reason why they would take leave for 10 days amidst their busy schedule and travel half the world to come back to their home in October.
Place: Kolkata
1 American Dollar= 4.97 Indian Rupees
Price of 1kg of fresh hilsa fish was 1 rupee, the price of 2 pieces of samosa was 1paisa, tution fee was 20rupees a month. Though the colleges were co-educational, girls wouldn't even look at guys, talking to a guy was a sin. The packet ghee concept was not even there, neither there was need to put the label of pure ghee to emphasis that the ghee is pure. Letters were the mode of communication for an average Indian. Things were pretty much slow not only in terms of communication and growth but also there was no dynamism. People used to talk for hours when they met, without any hurry to move away from that place because of other priorities in life. There was not any priorities as such except the motto to lead a peaceful happy family life. Eating kachuri with hot jalebis on a sunday breakfast was a luxury and listening to radio about the live commentary of football match and having a vebal fight over who is the better team- East Bengal or MohanBagan seemed to be the favourite passtime of the lot apart from watching a Uttam-Suchitra movie.
We have come a long way.
Year: 2016
Place: Kolkata
1 American Dollar= 67 Indian Rupees
Price of 1kg Hilsa fish is more than 1k. The concept of paisa exists only in telecom sector. and there are so many types of tutions. You name it we have it- home tutors, institutional coaching centres, online tutors- so many choices. Price range? Well starts from 500 and there is no upper limit, all depends as much as you want to spend. If you want quality tutors at your disposal, you have to pay the price. Girls - guys: talking???? Are you kidding me!!! This is the age of pre marital sex, live in relations! So many types of relations you would get- normal dating, time pass dating, serious relation, casual relation, only emotional bond, only physical relation, friends with benefits, extra marital affair- so many. You can choose your partners as per your need and convenience from both online and offline world (though concept of meeting in the offline world and then going around is little backdated and may be too good to be true). Communication??? We all talk throughout the day- online social platform, different types of messaging apps, emails- so many. Now the communication happens faster than the speed of the light. So does everything. Starting from cracking a business deal over a video call or selling a product online or breaking a relation or patching up- everything happens at a faster pace. Even travelling or losing yourself amidst nature. The moment you see a butterfly sitting on a flower, you click it and upload in instagram - your insta click insta share.
Then comes eating. Bengalis are known as a big time foodies. They are no doubt. You will find so many places to eat out, spread across the city. Modes of entertainment have also changed- clubbing, disc are there.
People say things were simpler earlier, simpler as in we used to get pure things at much less cost. People had depth in feelings, they cared more, they had compassion and fellow feelings. Things have become shallow now, they say.
But on the flip side, now things are actually cheaper in true sense of the term(see the devaluation of rupee). Things are more accessible- be it money (because of industrialisation) ,sex (free mixing of both the genders) or food. So this might be the reason why we have stopped valuing things, the only thing we value may be is the time as we do have less of it. But things have improved as in now we have realised what we exactly want and as per our need and choices we have different ranges of products- for example if you go to buy even a bottle of shampoo, you will get an entire list- shampoo for long hair, short hair, dull hair, oily hair, dandruff removal one, protein content one- the endless list.
Things will evolve and change but few things were there and will always be there. Like a true Bengali wherever they go and no matter how much modernisation have happened they will always be foodie, will love to discuss about politics, culture; a lady wearing saree or a guy wearing punjabi will always capture their heart; they will find solace in Rabindra Sangeet; Durga Puja will always be the reason why they would take leave for 10 days amidst their busy schedule and travel half the world to come back to their home in October.
I guess the question we need to discuss here is how to ransom a man's soul? (Read 'human soul')... answer will be - the core component that make up soul are our life's experience and social or familial inheritance - What I am trying to say here is the definition of soul I believe in, is eternal , hence the ransom would be tending towards infinity. Due to this I am still unable to warp my head around this concept of human devaluation...
ReplyDelete'bout the article it was as good as expected and some more… Keep up the good work.
A good read indeed!
ReplyDelete