The Value of money

It was the 20th of this month and I had just 600 rupees in my hand, to spend for the rest of the month. No, It was not a result of some hi-fi spending spree. I had some investment commintments for which I didn't plan out well last month. I was thinking of various possible ways in which I can survive the rest of the month. Thats when, someone send me one of the best forwards I got in recent times. Its a simple video titled "Value of 500 rupees". A select set of people from almost all strata of the soceity is asked one simple question "If I give you 500 bucks, how will you spend it?" You can see the common answers from the Gen-X crowd-Movies, booze, smoke, party. And then there are the downtrodden, the unprivileged class. A lady tells she'll spend it on education for her children and rest she'll save for future. In the next frame you see a man uttering "You can do nothing with 500 rupees". And then a poor kid says "I can take care of our home's expenses, clothes, food etc". See, how perceptions vary. And see, how we take things for granted. We have even someone saying he'll go for a branded underwear. The video ends with a masterclass statement "The price of someone's haircut=The price of someone else's school fees". It says poverty forces 70% of India's children to drop out of school before the secondary level. Aren't we lucky to be among that 30%. Still, why we crib? why we find fault in everything even after life being so kind to us?



This video inspired me no end and gave me the belief that I could safely survive the remaining 10 days of the month with 600 rupees. I realised how much money I wud've wasted if I had more on my hand. Now as I write this on the 27th of Nov, I have 180 rupees left with me, more than enough for me to survive this month. Who said forwards are a waste of time? I just learned a big lesson in life with the help of one.

PS-Wrote this just before the terrorists went on rampage in Mumbai. Was not in a mood to post this for the last 2 days. And yes, as I received my salary yesterday, I still had 40 rupees left with me.

Now tell me friends, what will you do if you get 500 rupees?

Never postpone this(only this!)

Many of us has this habit of dreaming of a better tomorrow all the time that we forget the fact that the present time is part of 'the better tomorrow' that we dreamt some days or years back. I guess that must've confused you all. Good, a little confusion is a nice way to wake you up on a lazy morning. Well, what I meant was that we always postpone enjoying life thinking that we'll do so after achieving some goals. For eg, in school we think that we'll enjoy after we pass 10th. After 10th, its time for preparation for entrance exams and all that stuff. So enjoyment is postponed to post-entrance. Then Its life in college and we are all thinking of campus recruitment. Life will be rocking once we pass out of college and start working. And, when we start to work, we realise that enjoyment is possible only after retirement. But who knows what awaits us after retirement.

But, am happy that 'enjoying every moment of life' is the only one thing I never ever postponed. And looking back as well as looking ahead, I feel really good about that...

your crusader Praveen