I opened the morning paper and frowned as I read headlines about inflation in India, “This is ridiculous!” I muttered to myself, “as usual the USA is jealous of us, China wants to belittle us and the UK wants to prove we were never worthy of our freedom. Ridiculous!”
“What is dad?” “This inflation business, there’s no inflation, but just because of jealousy from other countries, or maybe because there’s no news, papers make a big hullabaloo about prices going up, scaring everybody, especially voters before election year!”
“There is inflation dad!” said my daughter firmly. “Listen,” I said, “you know I hate..” “..being corrected huh dad?” laughed my daughter as she tried walking out of the room. “But this time bitiya,” “I told her as I followed her, “I’m going to prove my point, let’s go shopping and I’ll show you there’s no inflation in our country! It’s all made up by the press, maybe the foreign press!”
I dragged my rather unwilling little one to the bazaar down the road and stopped in front of a general store, “Come,” I said, “You need to see how your dad’s always right! Now here’s a hundred- rupee note right? I’m going it to give to this here shopkeeper and you’re going to be amazed what it gets us! Here shopkeeper..”
“Dad..” “Ssshhhh,” I said, “Just watch. What shall we buy first?” “Dad..” said my little one again, but I beckoned her to be quiet. “Okay dad five kilos onions!” “Five kg onions!” I told the shopkeeper with a mock serious face. “Ten kilos of tomatoes and a bottle of strawberry jam, the big bottle!”
“Give her what she wants!” I shouted heartily, “and add a bottle of peanut butter for me and some cashew nuts!” “Cashew nuts?” asked my daughter, “They’re expensive!” “Not when there’s no inflation!” I laughed and pointed to a tin of cheese. “That also!”
“I think we’ve got enough dad, and there’s something I need to tell you..” “Sssshhh!” I said, “We’ve got a job to do and all other thoughts should be kept out, now what else does my little girl want?” “Nothing!” said my daughter. “The girl wants nothing, so give her a bar of chocolate,” I told the smiling shopkeeper. “Now just tell me how much it’s all come to and give me back the change will you?”
I laughed out loud as the shopkeeper handed me a hundred- rupee note, “Aha!” I chuckled, “Who’s talking about inflation, now things have even become free, thank you bhai sahib, that was a nice gesture, but I gave you a hundred rupees!”
“Dad,” said my little one, “that’s what I’ve been trying to tell you, you gave him a two thousand rupee note!” We went home, she walking ahead in victory and me crestfallen. “Have the prices gone up?” asked the wife. “Not just prices,” I mumbled, “my eyesight too..!”
