The two facets of the Moon

Ours is a country where we can see various shades of life style. There exists a continuum of life style between absolute Poverty and absolute affluence. But there is no denying fact that the graph of the continuum is skewed towards poverty. [As per the official estimates, 37 % of the population lives under Poverty line. The Tendulkar committee has set the threshold per capita consumption expenditure for defining the poor in rural India at Rs 446 per month and for the poor in urban India at Rs 580 per month]. Please note the per Capita expenditure; 37 % of the people in India have only Rs 500 each(roughly) or even less to fulfill all their requirements in a month (For a normal middle class guy, 500 is just the expenditure on phone) .We can now easily guess the pathetic condition of the poor people within and at the margins of Poverty line.

Whether we will be able to bring prosperity and happiness to this deprived section is a challenging question for our leaders. However, if we go as per the statistics, it seems that India is doing well and heading towards a prosperous future. India is mesmerizing the world with its 9% growth story and enormous potential. But have the fruits of 9% growth reached to each and every family of the nation????? This question haunts me each and every time I read about millions suffering with poverty and striving for even the minimum basic needs of life.

This is a story of two families. One represents the huge chunk of deprived poor mass and other symbolizes the rich class. Jhulan and Phulwa are residents of an unknown village; Kunal and Sona live in a posh area of any metropolitan city.

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Jhulan: Are Muni ki Amma ,Sunti ho !

Phulwa: Ha Boli, Hum sunat hai.

Jhulan: Are taneek kareeb aake Suna !

Phulwa: Li aa gayni, boli ji.

Jhulan: Taneek chai ta pilava. Aaj to hal jotete waqt Hira(ox) ne pareshaan hi kar diya, hal hi nahin khaich raha tha, sasura saitan ho gaya hai.

Phulwa: Usse bech kahe nahin dete, koi doosra lelo.

Jhulan: Are naahi naahi, apna bacha hai, aise kaise bech de usse; Kal uski poochhiya madod ke maarenge do danda to apne aap hi sasure ke sarir me furti aa javegi. Achha taneek chai ta pilava ! kab se bolt hai hum!!

Phulwa: Dudh naahin hai, jo bacha tha woh muni pee gayi.

Jhulan: Achha koi baat nahin, dudh ki chai ko kise aadat hai. Nimbu ki chai banava.Taneek khatti –Taneek Meethi. :)

Phulwa: Taneek Khatti–Taneek Meethiiiiiiiii…….

ohohohohohoho…Hum to bas Khatti hi banayeb. :) :)

Jhulan: Are tu bas banava ta, tu khatti bhi banayabu ta meeth ho jayee, taahar haath me bada meethash ba. :)

Phulwa: :) :) bas bas , chai li.

Jhulan (chuski lete huye): waah waah :)

Phulwa: :) Achha hamara ek baat kahe ka hai?

Jhulan: Ha kaha!

Phulwa: Woh hamra iss diwali me ek naya Mangalsutra chahi. Pehle wala bahut puraan ho gayeel ba.

Jhulan: Tu bhi ta puraan ho gayeel baadu :)

Phulwa (Gusse se aankh dikhati huyee): Tu to bada naya bada; baal safed hoye ke shuru ho gayeel ba, Khud ke dekha.

Jhulan: Achha achha lada mat, phasal achha hoyi tab MFI walon ke loan chukta keyela ke baad dila deb. Chala ab muska da. (MFIs i.e Micro Finance Institutions provide Financial Services like loans, insurance etc. to low income clients)

Phulwa: :) :) :)

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Kunal is the CEO of a Micro Finance Institution-(MFIs provide Financial Services like loans, insurance etc. to low income clients).He has just returned from the office and having a talk with his wife Sona.

Sona: Hi Sweetu, how was your day?

Kunal: It was hectic but fine dear. I had a meeting with senior managers today and we are going to drive in huge profits for the company. I can expect a handsome bonus. :)

Sona: Hmmmmmm, tats cool. :)

Kunal (trying to open his tie): O god, this tie. I will never be able to open its knot. :(

Sona: No problem, you just relax handsome.

Sona comes close to Kunal, and pulls him towards herself as close as if she can feel his breath. Then she lovingly puts her palm on his chest, gives him a gentle kiss and opens the knot easily.

Kunal: Wow ….what a romantic way to open the knot. Wait I will tie it again :)

Sona: :) :)

Kunal: You seem to be in great mood.

Sona (winks): Well, I am in a better mood than what you are feeling right now. You wanna feel it.

Kunal wants to enjoy this moment but his past experiences say that it’s a kind of trap. She is making a strategic move with her smile, her eyes and gestures. She is soon going to put some demand.

Kunal (Smiling): No No baby. Let’s have Dinner.

Sona: (Laughing and coming closer) Ok Ok, I know you have sensed it well. Darling, I visited Skoda showroom yesterday and I liked the latest version of Skoda Superb very much, crimson red colored, my favorite. :)

Kunal (Silently): O Jesus, why did I disclose the profit and bonus thing to her? I should have kept it to myself.

Sona: Jaanu, Mrs.Arora has already booked one for her.

Kunal: Jaanu ye, Jaanu woh, Jaan hi lelo Jaanu ki. :(

Sona (angrily): Ok leave it; it was my fault that I expected it from you. I realize that the biggest mistake of my life is marrying you.

Kunal: Ok Ok, please stop your trademark comments; I will see.

Kunal (Silently): What a huge price for opening the knot of a tie.

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Micro Finance Institutions were recently( October 2010) in news for charging exorbitant interest rates (as high as 24-30%) on small loans, and using muscle power, harsh measures for recovery of the loans. Their executives were making handsome bonus to an extent that the big banks who were lending to these MFIs for further sub-lending to low income group were surprised at their profits.

But situation was not the same on farmer side. The malpractices followed by these MFIs have proved to be fatal for few and overburdensome for even more. MFIs have been blamed for many suicides in India. Aggressive Lending by Micro Finance Companies in Andhra Pradesh is said to have resulted over 80 deaths. (80 is the official estimate, please mind it).

Farmers who are unable to repay the loans (due to agricultural failure, failure of small business or if they have used the loan for non productive purposes like marriage and education etc.) are under acute stress and depression. And unable to sustain this stress they take the unfortunate path of suicide.

Apart from this there are many who in adverse conditions have to sell their only assets like livestock, jewelry etc to repay the loan and finally they end up in abject poverty which is no better than committing suicide. The fate of Jhulan followed the same unfortunate line. Due to deficient rain and crop failure, he could not generate enough resources and has to sell his son like ox-Hira and her wife’s jewelry to repay the loan.

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With his head down, Jhulan is sitting under the tree where his beloved ox Hira used to sit. He has in his hand the rope with which he used tie his Hira to the tree. He has lost few but his only valuables to repay the loan. He has lost his crop due to deficient rain and he is not able to think anything as if his mind has stuck in some sort of darkness. He is under acute depression and he looks like as if some devil has taken all energy out his body and all happiness from his life. He has no hope for the future and he could not see his family begging on the streets.

Gradually he raises his head and looks here and there, and finding appropriate silence, he smiles gently as if something has clicked his mind, which will relieve him of his pain and agony.

He ties the rope around his neck and climbs the tree, ties the other end with one of the branches and sits there. With his eyes closed he is all set to enter other world in search of relief. But suddenly his wife and children's face come to his mind, all anxiously waiting for him. He hurriedly unties himself as if he is back to his senses and climbs down the tree. He runs to his wife and children and hugs his wife.

Jhulan felt the empty neck of Phulwa and could not stop tears flowing down his chicks. But I guess Phulwa got her gift.

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Kunal made a nice bonus as the company performed extremely well and he gifted the keys of the same luxury car-Skoda Superb to Sona on a candle night dinner.

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It feels that India is like a shining moon with its other side yet to see the light of the day.