Desicritics Author: Blokesablogin

The Grand Bailout- Part 2

Blokesablogin — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 19:41:54 EST

The Senate and Congress haggled while Mr. President went public, spurring support for his Stimulus Bill. Mr. Bush's TARP has yet to be accounted for and we have gone ahead and approved yet another colossal spending bill. In Tamil we say- jaan pona enna muzham pona enna- meaning once you lost a foot who cares if you lost a yard? Right now in America we pass bills to pay bills with printed bills! Now here is a wonderful way to teach children homonyms.

What is interesting to me, being in California, is that our state budget also is on the floor of the house. Unlike Mr. President's gentle but firm arm wrestling tactics, using his powerful oratory skills, Mr. Governor is unable to budge the folks in Sacramento with his real muscle power! He threatened them with no pay if they did not approve the state budget by this week and they are still out until this Friday.

Mr. President will give us some money back, and if I went to college, some tax credit. Being a 1.2 income family, we certainly fall within the eligibility of being "middle class", as defined by the President.

Sacramento will take away my check from the President as we will pay 1% more sales tax and a 5% surcharge on personal income tax. DMV fees will double and gas will go up by 12 cents/ gal. The irony cannot be missed. The democrats in DC are lowering taxes while the republicans here are raising them!

While the local drama continues, the national drama has been sealed and delivered for Mr. president to sign. He is thrilled that this Stimulus Bill is ready by Lincoln's B-day, today.

The State should get some relief from DC. The rise in taxes here will wipe out the tax relief check we will get from the President. Oh well, life continues...

Poornamadah Poornamidam - You Can't Give Love Away

Blokesablogin — Sat, 7 Feb 2009 00:58:16 EST

This ancient Sanskrit verse from the Vedas speaks of something complete and when given away, remains complete and the part that is given away also is complete or whole!

As a child when I had learned that verse, I wondered at its mathematical impossibility until I realized love. Be it joy or love, when given or received, there is a sense of completion to it. The very process of loving makes us feel complete and the "object" of our love, complete, too! Like Sri Sri Ravi Shankar reminds us, Love is not an emotion, it is our very nature. So true.

Way back in college, we had to read the book by Umberto Eco, titled, The Name of the Rose. The book deals with the interdiction of laughter in religious life and a monk who researches a manuscript on humor. Today, we have an interesting case of love being denied owing to its crass commercialization.

Too often, the word love conjures up images of carnal pleasures rather than the warming of our hearts owing to the excessive material campaigning via mass media. Red roses, chocolates, cards with cheesy verses and sometimes jewellery, make up the "offerings" of this "Day for lovers".

The story of Kama, the god of desire, in the Bhagavatham is interesting. It is said that Kama aids Parvati in winning Shiva and in the process gets burned himself. On her supplication, Shiva "resurrects" Kama, but making him invisible to human eyes with whom he continues to play his games.

The story is layered with symbols. Firstly, the word associated with kama is NOT LOVE, but desires. Another name for Kama is Manmatha, one who churns one's mind! In a spiritual context, desires cause the churning of one's mind causing the restlessness within that demands actions in the physical plane to fulfill them.

The word Prem alludes to the divine. Premswaroop, love being the self-image of the divine, is one of the attributed names of the divine. In this context, the ideal "Valentine" would be one who is in deep meditation.

Bhakti, is the ultimate experience of this love. Pyaar ko pyaar hi rehne do ise koi naam na do (let love be love, do not give it a name) is the ultimate exultation of this experience. This is borne of wisdom, not of hormones.

I would like to see Valentine's Day celebrated with people keeping a Mouna vrat (vow of silence) and recognizing their very nature of peace, love and beauty. We always have Holi to compensate for in March!

The Grand Bailout

Blokesablogin — Tue, 3 Feb 2009 06:55:03 EST

They say that the US is the capital of capitalism! Given the new numbers of Obama's bailout package, it certainly smacks of nationalization of banks - even if you do not call it that. The Congress has approved it and the Senate is considering it before more money can be printed and passed around.

The bailout tag is set at almost $900 billion. Let us divide this number by the US population. That gives us about $3000 per person (approximately), cash (if at all). But this will not help me pay my mortgage for more than a month, then what do I do for the next month? Let us say, each of my family member, 4 of them, get this, then, I can pay 4 months worth of mortgage and have nothing to eat, if I do not have a job. Already, the consumer debt per capita is an astronomical $38,000 (approximately).

I think this entire bailout business is very wise on Obama's part. He knows that the US economy can handle such a big bailout over and above the one burped down by Bush, before he left office. But there needs to be a new vision plan.

It may actually be better if America learns to pay its debts, stop all its war spending and learn to build a wise society based on educating its children and caring for its sick and protecting the environment. Enough of this macho game of being a "super power". Even the adoption of the fiat money accentuates this self-aggrandizement of self-worth. Let the feminine shakthi prevail until all this mess is cleaned up. That means getting down to WORK.

For too long, America has learned to "tell" others to work and stopped working themselves. Of course, they got paid by others to tell them how to work!LOL! Now it is time for America to roll up her sleeves and get to work- the way she has done every time she has confronted historical moments. Time for new barn raisings.

However, the time calls for human values of compassion, trust, hard work, sacrifice and service. There needs to be a return to bartering of skills and work. You clean my house for an hour and I will tutor your kid for an hour. Neither has to exchange "money". For a change, this valuable exchange will deflate the ridiculously high "salaries" of some people and certain professions.

(aside) The banks need to stop charging any fees for some transactions as long as you trust them enough to put your money in them. The CEOs and the rest can learn to make do with minimums (and return their gold waste paper baskets). The previous bailout that our friend Bush initiated ensured that the CEOs could redecorate their offices and order private jets with tax money. Oh well.

This can be taken as a great opportunity to clean up the inflated self-worthiness of "great" financial institutions who have gone around the world insisting on "their" way of business and "their" rules that furthered swindling across the globe with political support from those respective countries. Wow! Now the kid has cried, "The emperor has no clothes!"

HOWEVER, if we look at the amount of debt carried by America after WWII, the current debt seems paltry, when compared to its income. Of course, America exploited earth's resources the last time (after WWII) to get up and fly. Tis time around, she cannot afford to not be green. So, we have got to think "outside" the proverbial box.

Having heard stories from my neighbor, who is 82 and had lived through the depression as a child, I know the American spirit is unbeatable and can handle this mess. For an obese nation, eating humble pie for a while may be just the right diet ordered by the doctor for a healthy, wealthy life ahead. And I know she will soar up to the skies once more like her eagle.

Putting My Faith In Hope

Blokesablogin — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 08:56:02 EST

March 20, 2003: It was a black day for many in the world. I could not believe that I lived in the 21st century- somehow the new century had melded in my head as an era of peace on the planet. This war seemed so medieval ushering in the Dark Ages. In a time of dialogue and electronic networking, an actual war with missiles being dropped from thousands of feet overhead on civilians and military alike appeared like shots from the worst nightmare of hell on earth. I could not believe that a "supposed" Super power got scared and believed that it needed to "show" its strength. It was like a PhD going in for a debate with a Kindergartner to prove that he was smarter.

I knew that this country was earning bad karma.

January 20, 2009: It was a day of rejoicing. The wife, adorned in the hopeful color of sunshine, a dark-skinned man took the oath of office witnessed by millions around the world. My eyes teared up when I realized that this country was finally working on changing its karma. Millions of small donors donating small amounts of money had supported a man who could otherwise have never won this office. To me, I felt that all of those who had voted for this person were taking the oath to commit to a tough time ahead, but willing to pull up their sleeves and getting down to work.

I know that despite the nay sayers, this country will reinvent itself and shrug off its poor beginning of this new century and get going on the path to peace.

Poetics aside, while there are several doubters in the desi community about Obama, I can tell you, there is a shift in spirit amongst the Americans. On Martin Luther King's Birthday, millions of Americans pulled up their sleeves and engaged in Social Work. Their President-elect was there, painting a shelter with blue paint. And he hoped that everyone's service did not stop after that day- rather continue throughout the year. Unprecedented number of people had signed up on www.usaservice.org and the people who had signed up this year was more than double the number from last year.

I hope the Mumbai blasts mobilize Indians to choose honest citizens without criminal records into the parliament, come May. It can be done. We have a precedent. Normally, I would try to "show off" how Great India is; this time around, I would like my countrymen and women to learn the power of the common will. Yes, WE CAN! And we will!

Let us not divide our vote. Let us not abstain. Let us get to know some amazing people from different walks of lives- sincere politicians, doctors, police officers, functionaries, social workers, teachers and professors, farmers- people who have stood up and spoken and worked for the well being of the people, who have not bothered to aggrandize material wealth.

Across the country, let us identify candidates who will bring glory to the Lok Sabha and in turn India. Let us shrug this apathy that nothing can be done- Obama proved everyone wrong on that score. Let us prove ourselves and the world wrong too. If given the possibility of hope, I think we can all do it. Our grandparents did it- they all gave up their fancy clothes and learned to spin khadi.

We are no less determined than they. The amazing part is, we have greater access to resources like SMS and internet that our grandparents never dreamed of. Rather than Facebook, cell phones may just win the election for some good candidates. To begin with, stop electing Sonia Gandhi and her coterie. It is not healthy for a country to trust the same person when things are just not changing.

If we want different results, we need to attempt a different procedure. The Congress is Passe. It has had its day under the sun. It is time to change our tactic as an electorate and make some clear decisions in May. We need to set aside caste and religion divides. Any politician soliciting votes on caste and religion basis, should be deleted from the ballot. It is time for India to vote in Indians. Let the campaign be about India, about pollution, about poverty, about education, about access to drinking water, about countering terrorism. None of these issues have religious or caste preferences.

Vande Mataram.

BBC Series Review: The Story of India

Blokesablogin — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 05:09:44 EST

Like Slumdog Millionaire, yet another Indophilic British production http://www.pbs.org/thestoryofindia/about/episode_summaries/, this time around, less fiction and more fact on Indian History. While I missed watching the first 2 episodes, I did get around to watching the next 2 exotically titled Spice Routes and Silk Routes and Ages of Gold.

Michael Wood, the narrator and primary tour de force for this series has this infectious enthusiasm about India and the remnants of history that continue to find relevance in the 21st century. At least, that is what I got out of his portrayal of "Indian History" through the eyes of a "foreigner".

If objectivity is the value of having "foreign" accounts to be given greater academic honor than Indian sources, so be it. However, I have never understood why Indian notes on their economic interactions with the Romans or the Greeks never find value in western sources cited in academic circles- a bit one sided, don't you think?

While the British continue to believe that it is their duty to interpret the history of the world, including the only surviving ancient civilization of the world (apart from the Chinese- but they have lost a lot of their "cultural currency" to communism), India continues to muddle along just fine with all the good and bad press. She is a juggernaut. Nothing can stop her. And that is precisely Michael Wood's point.

My perusal of Tamil texts when forced to learn that classical language in school mentioned economic ties with ancient Rome, and a healthy one that was under the title Pandaikaala Tamizhargal (ancient Tamils). Nowhere in any of my NCERT Indian History books did I find any information regarding the economic links between ancient South India and Rome. Michael Wood's serial is perhaps the first one of its kind where sufficient Southern Indian History has been included in telling the story of the sub continent, much of it missing from regular Indian History textbooks. His inclusion of bits from Turkmenistan and Afghanistan makes the telling more congruous.

Of course, it is your classic textbook version of history- none of the challenging of the Aryan Invasion Theory stuff- I was hoping to see some updated version and sadly disappointed. The usual Romila Thappar variety of "Hindu brahmins" destroying the society and causing the rise of Buddhism etc.

All the interviews and visuals are desperate straw clinchers. We need to be well versed in Indian History to fill in the details. After all, telling the story of India that spans over 10,000 years (according to Wood's synopsis of the series) within 6 hours is indeed a Herculean task. Kudos to him for even trying to attempt it.

The excessive shots of the Indian Railways was overmuch in a land filled with History. It was interesting to see how he "put words" into the mouth of his interviewees. Like him interpreting the Karkathars tradition as being responsible for irrigation (after talking about the Grand Anaikat) when they are actually farmers who farmed their land on rainwater alone. One of the serious gaffes he makes is in his interview with the current Maharaja of Thanjavur. He mistakes him to be of the lineage of Raja Raja Chola. Little does he realize that the current lineage is Marathi and has no connection with the Cholas. Oh well.

I suppose, one can get overwhelmed with India if you are not "born" there. For instance, in this shot in Madurai, where Wood is "soaking in" the market place with its colorful array of products, his jaw is almost hanging- as he admits. For the average Indian, it is Ghar ki murgi daal baraabar (taken for granted) attitude.

There is this cute shot of him chatting up 9 ladies from Ahmedabad who are on their pilgrimage to Mathura. The true "emancipation" of Indian women is exposed there- the women are on their own with no husbands to cramp their style! I remember my grandmother going on such a pilgrimage with her Mahila Mandali way back in the 70s with none of them speaking a word of Hindi!

If you would still like to catch this series, you still can on PBS in the US. It airs Monday night (19th Jan).

Movie Review: Slumdog Millionaire

Blokesablogin — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 00:55:55 EST

I finally watched the film that my friends insisted I watch knowing of my past work in the Chennai slums. They said that it was inspired by a book by the same name. They said that the screenplay chose to add masala, that is love to the quiz show story to make it more palatable. Yesterday, this film swept 5 awards in the Critics Choice Awards. Some are thumping for its success at the Oscars next month.

Setting aside the glitter of media, the film as such gives a wonderful collage of modern India from a completely different perspective. The joke is, you also get to see the Taj (which film on India can be complete without it- that is the one part that betrays firangi involvement in the making of the movie)!

The first question our protagonist does not know the answer to, is the motto of India - Satyameva Jayate. It was very poignant- how could he have had an experience where truth won? Strangely, him winning the quiz show becomes the very experience of that value. It is said that truth can only be experienced, not spoken.

A few years ago, there was a discussion about books for kids in slum schools on some blog. While many suggested Enid Blyton and many other English authors who wrote exclusively for children, I recommended that they get the kids themselves to make their own books, write their own stories and get each other to read them. This thought crossed my mind when a question based on The Three Musketeers was posed in the film. The irony was that in the earlier part of the film, when the kids were young, a teacher in a slum school makes them read from this very book!

India amazes me. She is like the Grand Canyon with millions of years of experience layered over each other and an amalgamated present wherein you can connect with any strata at any time. It takes 5 min to move from a posh call center with the latest 21st century technology to a dark alley recess where crude medieval methods are adopted to blind a child and sing a Soordas bhajan.

Just as the rag pickers ensure complete reuse and recycling, India rarely throws out anything. Be it the colonial remnants of literature, tea and language, the religious leftovers, the age old struggle between exploiter and exploited, everything is there- in the raw to be seen, heard, tasted, touched and smelled- the very first episode is about that- smell!

In spite of the cliches and stereotypes, the entire film holds our attention as the subject is so beloved to us. There is a pragmatic acceptance of life and the simple joys that can still be garnered without lofty middle class expectations of prosperity. Material wealth is just that- by the way. There is no judgement. No right or wrong.

This is a story of Mumbai, a megapolis with the majority of her residents living in shanty towns. Had they chosen a non-muslim name for the protagonist, it would have worked even better- truly showing the secular spirit of Mumbai where only your work matters not your religion, except for political purposes. The urban struggle between the "squatters" and land developers are outside the purview of this film. I missed the dabbawalas.

I hope this film was released in Hindi for the Indian audience. Do not expect poetry but pithy prose. This does not have the lyrical quality of Salaam Bombay. This is more like the knight with his crooked move on a chessboard checkmating the king.

Film Review: Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi

Blokesablogin — Wed, 7 Jan 2009 09:49:24 EST

Earlier reviews kept me from watching this film. However, my innate liking for anything SRK (since Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman) got me watching it. Man, was I shocked to see SRK in such a dorky, nerdy get up? He was so yuck in the first scene where he meets the heroine at her marriage to someone else that I almost walked out! Certainly a big gamble even for someone who could afford to take such a "personable" risk.

The story however won me over. I suppose having experienced an arranged marriage myself, the subtle charm of the film appealed to me. I doubt many of us have buffed up men for husbands. Most are of the Suri variety- sincere blokes working hard, uninspired in an office to bring home a paycheck.

My dad was one and so were so many of my uncles and other friends. They never really professed their love for their wives, but they were most sincere in their regard for their spouses. There were not necessarily "romantic" gestures that included roses or dancing, but it would be remembering a quirky trait like samosas from a certain shop and they getting it for their wives! My husband would be the first one to ask me if I wanted to go see the latest SRK flick as he was introduced to my liking his films when we got married! Thankfully, SRK is aging right along with me! LOL!

The beauty lies in the romantic fantasy of our heroine who finds herself married to such a dork owing to contrived circumstances. She feels her entire life is shattered. All the laughter and joy simply fades away only to slowly spark back to life when confronted with a dance contest. The dance contest turns the story around as it does SRK's appearance- phew, good that I did not walk out!

The male Cinderella act reminds you of Cyrano de Bergerac wooing his beloved through his friend with the "pretty" visage. Here, our hero transforms himself, Cinderella style, to dance with his beloved. In a thread I read, how come the wife does not recognize the husband sans moustache? Simple actually, she rarely looks at her husband!

Therein lies the crux of the story- our heroine's dreams become reality in this out of the ordinary experience of dance contests and stage outfits. When this buffed up avatar of her staid husband suggests that she elope with him, she is rudely awakened from her reverie. She realizes that dreams are to be cherished as a "break" from the humdrum but cannot replace reality.

In a modern world that questions the social relevance of marriage, this film certainly looks deeper into the construct of the commitment that marriage is. It may not be of great appeal to those who prefer the freedom of live-ins. The way our heroine assumes her role as housewife- making the lunch box and handling all the cooking and cleaning speaks much of lower middle class India and its inherent value system and certainly will not win feminist votes.

The choice of a B grade town like Amritsar for the setting was inspired. This story can happen in Benaras, in Thanjavur, in Puri, in Ajmer, but not in the metros- they have a very different "ethos" and definitely will be missing the overt spiritual component.

This movie also made me think of marriage from the perspective of a shy male. I once went through this amazing workshop that made us go through ten main archetypes of the feminine that included the princess, the mother, the virgin and the enchantress. In a telling scene, the husband disguised as our macho hero asks what girls really want. And the wife simply answers that it is to know that they are loved like no other. Of course, how could any woman not lose her heart to a man who goes to such lengths to woo and adore her?!

The film forces the male to enact archetypes to identify what works to make his beloved fall in love with him. Being "Indian", the "spiritual" archetype wins hands down (not necessarily a Western archetype!). Had this film been about a hindu, I would not have been surprised to see Hanuman ji as the patron lord to deliver our Ram, his Sita!

While the short timeline of the film forces the love to be expressed quickly, I know that it is an experience that simply keeps welling in a quiet manner. After 15 years of marriage, I can only say there is more love today than a year ago- if something like that can be quantified. Each passing moment gets us to recognize yet another quirk in each other and learning to live with it. Even an earlier "irritable" habit becomes an endearing one later! It sort of defines the person.

The music score by Salim-Sulaiman was typical Punjabi balle-balle style- enthusiastic and danceable. The new girl, Anushka Sharma looks totally Punjabi- a very successful Raveen Tandon look.

Well worth a "dekho" and will not be surprised if the DVD gets gifted around for wedding anniversaries.

Arkansaw/Arkansas

Blokesablogin — Tue, 6 Jan 2009 04:56:24 EST

"Arkansaw? I never knew anyone who went to Arkansaw!", was the most common response I got when I decided to visit my sister and family over the Christmas break. Equipped with a AAA travel book that included 30 pages of information on ALL cities and towns of any point of interest in this tiny state, right in the heart of America, I was quite excited about visiting the state of the Clintons, the only reference to Arkansas before my sister moved there.

While I did not bump into the Clintons as we did not go anywhere near Little Rock, we did get to explore parts of the Ozarks and Oachita "mountains". The state is called the "Natural State" as there is really nothing there but rocks and hills and some vegetation.

For a small state, it has many neighbors and we were able to cover 8 states and their capitals for the academic benefit of my 3rd grader. We flew into Tulsa, Oklahoma and were surprised to find a huge Indian population there that included Indian grocery stores and a decent Hindu temple (where we conducted ceremonies for my one year old nephew).

Parts of Arkansas and Oklahoma make up tracts of the Trail of Tears. Compulsory evictions of Native Americans in the mid 1800s from the East to the region West of the Mississippi led to mass migration of native people thrown out by a bunch of land grabbing whites- of course, the white ensured that it was all legal and "documented" as sales or as fair winnings. Otherwise, there would still be a border dispute like we have in so many parts of the world that were ex colonies of white colonists. We passed by Cherokee nation on our drive to Tulsa, Oklahoma, the land of the natives.

The freeways were "free" of traffic and I promised my 13 year old that I will send him to his aunt's house to learn driving! There was a laid back attitude in the air and for us super-charged (euphemism for super stressed) Californians, it was bizzare not to speed with no one around. American cars outnumbered their Japanese counterpart in these parts. There were mechanic sheds in the countryside that actually advertised that they repaired American and FOREIGN made cars! That sounded so much like a hoarding in some remote township in India!

People were content and not crazy about making MORE money. I met an artist who made stuff out of crystals (spatik) that are easily mined in the southwestern region of Arkansas. We even visited an open pit diamond mine- the only one of its kind in the world where you can get knee deep into fine clay with bits of gravel that just might turn up an odd diamond here and there- and take it home with you. I got a fine piece of Barite with a few chunks of crystal and 2 beautiful pieces of Jasper. If you enjoy getting slushy in fine clay and do not mind the occasional slide and fall into a quagmire, this is a must-see.

My sister who has taken up quilting since moving there, introduced me to the world of quilting. I spent many hours chopping up good material into small squares and rectangles and triangles. She sewed on her machine. Yet another American industry introduction.

Northern Arkansas has a network of underground caverns and aquifers that take you to an entirely different world, paataal. The cenotes of the Yucatan are very similar to these underground lakes. The artistry of nature that takes million years to grow a few feet of stalactites and stalagmites makes you feel so irrelevant on this planet. Of course, human mining of onyx from these mountains has destroyed many delicate formations and aquifers.

The spas in Hot Springs, relics from the past- closely related to the hot spring experiences of European spa traditions was a relaxing experience in a tub of hot mineral water. Thank you sis, for a warm treat.

Apart from Walmart, the largest employer in the area, there are not too many big businesses to keep everyone happily employed. However, there are crystal mines and whetstone mines that keep Arkansas economy honed.

Churches outnumbered residences, I think! I realized that I had officially entered a southern state, Virginia not withstanding. Small villages with less than 1000 people were the norm. The rural back roads hid many a junk pile in the thickets. Many a shack looked like their simple counterparts in India, but they all had a car parked in front!

For a big city girl, the rural experience was wonderful and relaxing. Of course spending time with my sister and her family could use a blog all of its own. But for public consumption, the city mouse visiting her country sister was an enlightening experience.

Swiss Bank Accounts

Blokesablogin — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 09:57:02 EST

This small article in the Washington Post brings yet another angle to the economic crisis that the US is facing. Hopefully, part of the money salvaged from these accounts can reduce the bailout money put up by taxpayers.

According to Transparency International, an anti-corruption agency, the estimated value of Indian individuals' worth of "funds" stashed away in Swiss Banks are to the tune of over $ Trillion. It is not surprising that the poor and rich divide has increased in the past few decades.

Reading these articles makes me wonder what anyone can DO with these "ill gotten" wealth? We all have an expiration date invisibly stamped on us. So, we cannot carry any material wealth along with us. The Reliance story is one of many that shows how money, left behind, creates schisms amongst the most cordial of relations.

Why, then, the insecurity of wanting to stash funds away for whatever purpose? Like the story of Tolstoy reminds us, at the end of the day, all we need is 6 feet of land (not even that if you are cremated!).

I sincerely hope that people who have these mysterious accounts put that money in circulation. If auction houses like Christie's existence are to be validated, many of these account holders use grand sums to buy art and such that have very little value in the "real" world and are "dead" investments. A vacation, on the other hand, would help support the tourism business including travel, stay, food and other activities.

Sometimes, when I see the pro-rich agendas of law and policies, I wonder if it is not a bad idea to ensure the demise of the poor by starving them or working them to death and the few remaining rich can have the earth to themselves- It sounds like a good plan. A perfect epilogue to the small-scale genocides we are reading about world-wide. And someone like me will not be there to write such a blog either!

Home Economics

Blokesablogin — Wed, 1 Oct 2008 09:34:54 EDT

When I grew up in the tight, socialistic 70's in India, I understood the value of a Rupee. Rs.1 got my cycle tyre puncture fixed. One masala dosa was Rs.1. One sheet of fool's cap paper for my mid term test was 5 paisa. A milk ice-cream was 15 paisa. One Kg of rice was Rs.2 in the ration shop. A handloom cotton sari was Rs.15. Gold was Rs.150 a sovereign. Father's salary was worth one sovereign of gold.

We got new clothes once a year for Diwali. If grandma or an aunt gifted us with a length of cloth, we got new clothes for Pongal or our Birthday. Hand me downs was a common and honored thing to do within the family. We went to aunt's house to watch TV, once a week. Aavin flavored milk was a salary day treat to us kids. The softy ice cream was a whole rupee! The vegetable vendor gave free coriander, curry leaves and green chillies when we bought Rs. 5 worth of vegetables!

Then came Asiad '82 and the craze of the color TV. No one wanted to play hopscotch or jump rope anymore. Everyone was glued to the TV and the colorful pictures within. Then came Eureka vacuum cleaner with its salesman. I doubt anyone who bought that stuff ever used it! I remember my mother buying it and had to pay it off over 10 months but never used it even once, except on the day the maid chose to take the day off or was ill to work. My brother and I found the actual sweeping with a broom and mopping with a mop a lot easier and faster. And neither depended on electricity! LOL! Life was never the same anymore.

Refrigerators, Sumeet Mixies, idli grinders became the staple consumer goods in every South Indian middle class household. Soon, our home became cluttered with stuff- cots for us kids (we used to sleep on the floor on mats), a sofa set, a dining set! Until then, we had small "modas" and ate sitting on the floor.

Coming to America in the early nineties was not all that much of a cultural shock as India had already set her course in consumer spending with liberating the economy. Initial credit card holders had no clue how to pay it off! They thought they were given free money! When they realized that they had to pay heavy interest, they "disappeared"! Those early days of credit were quite funny.

My frugal heart kept spending to a minimum in an otherwise consumer-spending America. Even then, I faithfully kept a "pocket account book" detailing every cent I spent, just as my grandfather who was an accountant had taught us over a hot summer break. My husband laughed when I asked him how much money we had in the bank. He said, there is more than enough and not to worry about it. But I had to ensure that I never overspent. After about 6 months of keeping accounts, I realized that he was right. My household expenses were a tiny fraction of his salary. Most of his salary went directly to pay the rent, the car insurance, phone bill, feed his 401 K and the rest into savings.

We could put 20% down on our home. Even kids did not really affect our budget. Again, hand-me-down clothes and cribs made life easy. Garage sales were great places to buy good furniture for a fraction of their cost. Public schools ensured free education.

When Mr. Bush sent us hefty checks in the mail last May, I asked my husband why they sent checks when they had a huge debt as it made no sense to me. Of course, we put it toward paying off some mortgage while several others went shopping (as it was intended for). That ill-thought out effort cost the government $100 billion not too many months ago. Today, Congress refused to "give" $700 billion to the effort of saving banks.

We have a saying in Tamizh that says that you cannot measure a cubit with nothing in your hand. That is precisely what these "great" investors have been happily doing: investing in "nothing"- the ultimate play in Maya theory!

We have people who chose to buy homes they could ill afford. We had banks who were more than willing to "loan" these folks money to buy these overpriced homes even if their monthly payment was not affordable to them, because we, in the US have what is called "interest only" loans: you pay only the interest each month, never mind the principle! In other words, you are building no equity in the house. And if your introductory interest rate went up, you could not pay the interest even. Ha!

Then, to make matters worse, these chaps who had these mortgage papers, bundled them up and "sold" them to another entity, an investment group, who had MBAs and their ilk, who "played" with other people's money (maybe the home owner himself/ herself!) and ensured they got paid astranomical sums for doing such a "risky" thing like taking the responsibility of other people's money! They did not really check to see if the mortgage papers that were in their hands were indeed worth the paper they were printed on. Ha!

Suddenly, one day, everyone wakes up and sees that the child on the street cried out that the emperor was naked! Ha!

There is doom and gloom everywhere and no one seems to know how it is going to affect everyone. One thing is for certain: Our days of eating out are done for, for now. Forget the occasional flick. Anyways, we don't do Starbucks. So nothing to "cut" there.

People are crying that there will be greater unemployment. People cannot afford to buy homes. And we start over.

If Americans quit buying a lot of junk that they do not need and stop overcharging their credit cards, there is hope still. Knowing the underlying puritanical streak, still evident in the genetic makeup of this land, if it finds expression in the coming months, much of this dizzy, lingering effects of the Reagan era, can be brought back to ground reality.

In my non scientific estimation, middle class Americans waste about 30% of their income (imagined and real) on unwanted things. They over eat, over buy, over stock, over spend, over indulge that results in much ailment which leads to huge medical insurance payments. If they just cut that out, they will be able to "afford" more. Learning to live within their means is a lesson everyone can learn, starting with the Americans who have the world's largest consumer debt.

I hope the young in India who have a huge disposable income on their hands as their education, food and stay have been taken care of by their parents, learn the value of saving and not frittering away their income on superfluous things.