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| Sunday, 22 August 2004 |
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Features |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
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Cost of living sky-rocketing... Not luxuries, even essentials beyond reach by Lakmal Welabada
The recent price increase in gas and petrol has sent the already volatile cost of living sky rocketing to beyond budgetable proportions for many. The kitchen often deemed the heart of a home, is one of the main areas where effects of the spiralling cost of living is most felt. Food items once considered 'essentials' suddenly become luxuries, and frequent items in the shopping list get deleted. Often, it is the women who are forced to juggle this limited income to meet the increasing cost of every consumable item and service, be it an auto ride or a packet of milk. Often they have to cut corners to make each meet, and often do without. The Sunday Observer talks to a cross section of women to find out what they have to say about the rising cost of living. Ramiah Annaletchumi (38) and her husband earn their living by selling packeted lunch and short eats to office workers. The pavement opposite the Lake House is one of their favourite haunts.
"We have been supplying short eats to pastry shops for the past two years, and have been in the lunch packet business for the past three to four months. We have two children, the four-year-old is with us and goes to pre-school. And the eight-year-old is staying with my father at Hunnasgiriya as we cannot afford to feed both children. But we miss the eldest a lot. So we go to Hunnasgiriya every weekend to see him and my father. My son eagerly waits to see us on Saturdays. Along with the fuel prices, bus fares will also increase. I'm not sure how long we can continue our weekend visits to Hunnasgiriya," she says.
Stating her views about the rising cost of living, Annaletchumi further says that they need two domestic gas cylinders per week. "The price of gas is going up. I don't know how we are going to manage. We have to pay Rs. 3,500 per month for an eight-year-loan we have taken. Poor business people like us get sandwiched everyday by everything," she laments. Rushika Jeevani (30) sells lottery tickets to make a living, She has a six month old baby boy. "My eldest child is twelve years and the second one is nine years. Both of them are going to school," she says. "We live in Modera. I have started giving formula to my baby. A tin of Lactogen, which costs about Rs. 165 finishes within three days. Recently our house broke down and we had to get a loan to repair it. Today we have to pay that loan as well. The money lenders come to our doorstep and threaten us for not returning their money and the interest. My husband works as a sanitary labourer for a private company. His salary is not enough even to run the family. That's why I decided to sell lottery tickets. We get one rupee from each ticket. I can collect about Rs. 200 if I sell tickets from 9.00 am to 8.30 pm.," she sighs.
Rushika says that sometimes people are rude to her and ask 'Aey me lamayava vikunagena kanne?' "They think I'm purposely carrying my baby to get their attention for me to sell the tickets. My married sisters who are also equally poor are also living around our place. They also have infants. So I have no way of leaving my baby at home. I don't have any other solution. My husband and I both love our children. We have no intention of 'selling' them," she says. Rushika further says that the increased gas prices does not affect them as they mainly use kerosene oil, and hopes the government will not put the 'poors' oil' up as well. Shriya Dhanaratne (52), tax officer at the Income Tax Department says the rising price of gas is not an issue for her as she uses firewood for the daily needs at her home. "I live in Attanagalla. My husband is a pensioner. We have two children who are still studying. The bus fare and train fare will definitely affect us as we use public transport daily," she says. Jayani Kasturiarachchi works at Bank of Ceylon. "I drive my own car to work. The rising fuel prices have affected everything. The threewheel charges have also gone up. Even a normal lunch packet costs fairly a big amount now. Though being an unmarried banker I find it difficult to cope with the rising cost of living. I wonder how married people with children are facing the situation," she wonders. Jayani questions of how well off families spend thousands and thousands of rupees, at fancy hotels and restaurants just for a single meal.
Fathima Mohomad (50) is also a working woman and a mother of a teenage son. "Salaries have not gone up accordingly with the rising cost of living. We live in a rented house. Not merely gas, but also the electricity, water bill and other taxes are also going up. We generally use public transport, but we own a car. My husband is seriously thinking whether we should sell off our vehicle as we can't afford to have it with our other needs. We have to forego some of the luxuries we took for granted earlier," she says. Fathima further says that entertaining visitors at home is also becoming a problem now. "Unless it's an unavoidable circumstance, we have to find an excuse. If we are inviting someone for lunch or dinner, we should cut down all unnecessary luxury-show-off and restrict it to a simple meal," she suggests. Lasitha Abeyratne (32), a housewife says that, "I feel the cost of petrol and gas are going to equal the price of gold. Very soon we have to sell all our gold for petrol and gas," she laughs. Piyaseeli Hettiarachchi (29) is a road sweeper who earns Rs. 210 per day. "I'm a widow and a mother of two small children. We use kerosene oil, so gas prices do not affect us. But, 'living' is a problem to all the poor people like us with the rising cost of living. Prices of rice, vegetables, sugar, medicine, school books and stationery and all the other things are also going up equally with the rising fuel prices," she laments. Niranjali Rajaratne (21) and Nirmali Bandara (23), undergraduates in the computer field say they have stopped travelling by car as they cannot meet with the rising petrol cost. "Since the petrol price went up, we have noticed that the buses have been getting more and more crowded," they say. Kumari de Silva (22), an undergraduate at a local university says, "We must appreciate the government for providing jobs for 30,000 graduates who have been cursing in agony for all these years. Now there is a ray of hope among graduates to secure suitable jobs in future. But what I suggest is that the government should maintain a certain standard policy in public transport fares," she says. |
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