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| Sunday, 6 January 2002 |
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By the way - On being in the red by Gamarala I woke up one morning recently, bright and early, to be told that I was in the red to the tune of something like Rs. 76,000. You could have knocked me out with a feather because in all my born days I'd never borrowed anything like that sum. In fact I had always believed that I'd fed and clothed myself and my family with the sweat of my brow. The only reasons I kept on my feet was the fact that I was told simultaneously that each of the miserable 18 million or so of us were indebted to the same extent. I am of the firm belief that all our woes are due to the benevolence of our governments. They are too soft hearted to see us unfed or unclothed and they promptly borrow from banks, nations or monetary funds to meet our needs. This, I gather, they call the national debt though the nation was at no stage consulted. Of course, our governments also do what they can locally. The latest I have heard is that by a new system of calculation, the price of diesel oil has been reduced by a rupee a litre. Now I do not drink diesel oil but I do eat bread. So the government raises the flour price by three rupees and that of bread by a rupee of loaf (of indeterminate weight). A nice balancing act but it does not help me any.I have given serious thought to repudiating my debt. But it seems I am not allowed to; Only revolutionary governments can get away with that and they are often rewarded by having their debts wiped off. Strange ways states or institutions have. There is another mystery about governments that I have never been able to understand. I have never ever yet heard of a government of ours which has not gone out (or been thrown out) without leaving an empty Treasury behind. Or, it seems enough foreign exchange to finance imports for more than a couple of weeks or, at most months.But the incoming government gallantly and successfully meets the challenge. I have never gone without imported foods or other necessities (even luxuries at times) in spite of outgoing governments leaving empty coffers or no foreign exchange. (Are they two different things, I wouldn't know). I wouldn't also know how the new governments move in mysterious ways their miracles to perform. Enough for me that miracles are performed. Talking about the national debt, one consolation is that it seems it never has to be repaid or, if it does, it is not we but our children and grandchildren who will. I wish I could help the poor devils by paying at least some part of the debt and make their lot a bit easier. But I do not know how and nobody I have asked knows either. So I suppose I have willy nilly, to let my children and grandchildren to their fate. This, I presume, is what is meant by saying that the sins of the fathers will be visited upon the children. So be it. |
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