On the radio, I hear advertisements, urging the consumer to wake up and realise that the Maximum Retail Price is printed on all kinds of products. Consumers are duped by dishonest shopkeepers simply because they do not know that they should look at the MRP. I sometimes feel bad when I listen to these ads. I agree with the motive behind it, yes, but I feel bad because it was a shopkeeper who taught me to look at the MRP. As a child in Bangalore, I often went with my sister across the road to a shop to buy all the little things children always need - pencils, crayons, gum  . . . The shopkeeper knew us, and always greeted us with a genuine smile, which we loved. One day, when we went to buy some stuff, my father gave us a hundred rupee note, which, like all little children, we carried for the whole world to see. "How much?" we asked the shopkeeper-uncle. He saw the note. "Hundred … [Read more...]

I can't stop laughing. I found an age-old diary. It's a 1988 diary, and I seem to have started using it in the early nineties. Only a few pages are used, so I picked it up to use again. As always, one of the first few pages has space provided for personal details. Name, address, phone number, insurance policy number, driving licence number . . .   Little Varsha chose to fill in just three spaces. Name: Varsha Seshan Phone number: 612060 Height: Very short … [Read more...]