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Photo: M. Periasamy

Feast time Splurging money on good things is almost a passé

Sirisha, an engineering second year student, walks into the store along with her roommate Pavani to buy groceries because they cook for themselves. The things are same but they cost hell now. “Even without chilli powder you get tears,” the girls mutter.

Inflation, the word that sinks governments, gives nightmares to an average housewife, sends a chill down the politicians’ spine, devastates and destroys our R.K. Laxman’s common man, is affecting the youth in myriad ways. Youth as a group are never exposed to the hits of inflation. Parents sacrifice and bear the cross. But now, “even we know a thing or two about the rising cost of almost everything under the sun. The prices continue to soar but the money from home has not increased,” she laments.

In its democratic distribution of pain and hardship, price rise has started eating into youth’s pockets and passions. They have begun to grumble like oldies. Deepak is an engineering graduate who stays in a city away from his home. “Ours is a middle class family finding it hard to keep pace with the shooting up prices.”

The trend has also dampened their urge to splurge, as pockets and wallets are slightly roomy. Ch. Amrita, a call center employee, is a compulsive shopper. “I have finally managed to rein in some of my impulses. One gets progressively poorer by the day as the value of money plummets. You could call it ‘progressive poverty’.”

Realisation dawned on 15-year-old Swarna that her parents have to struggle hard to send her money for fee, book and the indispensable pocket money. “I have begun to feel the pinch and feel extremely bad for my parents,” she says.

Anusha expresses here newfound fears: “With this rude introduction to constantly rising prices, it’s with trepidation I go to market.” Added to this are the costs of children’s school fees, clothes and upkeep.

A combination of reasons and non-reasons has the prices jacked up. “The commodities are stored illegally in vast quantities,” says a U.V Rao, anger streaming through his ears, adding that if the Government could act on this, “it could ease this pain to some extent.”

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