How often have we heard the word “Recession” over the last some months? I think if we skipped a breath each time we heard or read this word, we would have long died of breathlessness. Unfortunately, or otherwise, that is not to be so. However, off late, it has become nauseatingly painful to hear this from the mouths of anyone and everyone. An eyesore when you read it in magazines or publications those have nothing to do with economics, neither the world’s nor their own. Columnists who have been writing about who’s doing who in the film world have been forming opinions on this economic phenomenon too. It’s a fashion that has overstayed its welcome. Being Recession-aware or flaunting your latest recession jargon or its brothers like downturn or meltdown to every living or non-living creature or objects you interact with in your daily life has become as important as life itself.
I’m no economist, nor a financial whiz, but know well enough that it hasn’t hit India as much as the other parts of the world, and certainly not hit the people who talk about it. For instance, the other day, I shouted at my milkman for the deteriorating quality of milk I was being subjected to every morning, and he replied with a straight face, “Saab, Ricision Hai” (pronounced like decision). No, I’m not stereotyping milkmen or mocking them either, but this one, who seemed all of 18 and had a cow and a buffalo as assets was really amusing. Just wondering whether he took the “Death of the Bull” a little way too seriously. I don’t even doubt his interest in the financial assessment of the world or his being affected by it, but without a wrinkle of doubt in my head I can say, his economic-skills were as good as my milk-delivering skills. Touché!
Enough said about the milkman! The fever has caught the cross section of the society, while the milkman was at one extreme, my “ultra modern, yet dyslexic” friend happens to be on the other side. While his/her (trying to keep identities anonymous) knowledge about statistics or figures is limited to a “50% off” signboard outside high-end apparel brands, the recession seems to have hit her/him too (changed the order of genders so that you can’t guess…ha!). Yeah, so while we were walking outside a store in a plush mall, the person shoots, “Recession is really bad man, there are so many Sales everywhere, yet I can’t afford to buy any!” Well, seems alright to a person who has been hit by recession by either being in the financial sector, or having suffered a huge loss in the equity markets or thereabouts. But this one comes from a person who possesses enough to buy a whole shop or two at least. He/she possesses 3 luxury cars and had spent “paltry” Rs. 15000 at a restaurant for dinner the night before, and it were a regular affair. Yet again, I do not deny the possibility of him/her having suffered some loss in the meltdown, but come to think of it, how would you justify not having money for buying a Rs. 500 worth Top/Tee-shirt and blow up a fortune at discos and pubs and still whine about “recession”.
Yeah! I know, strange people and stranger their ways. However, Why am I discussing this at this platform? Well, the other day I was speaking to a fellow member about the financial situation of our movement and I was given a (you guessed it right), “bad time, recession!” response. For the fellow mates (irrespective of the clubs you’ll belong to), honestly, we’ve always been ranting and raving about the financial position of our clubs. For the uninitiated, before the recession, there was a great economic boom worldwide, and I’m over a 100% sure, no one in the movement made any hay in the boom time. So, while you couldn’t make the most in the boom, you got no right to whine over the slowdown either. For my jargon lovers, well, the green-shoots are showing up. And for those, like me, who are stuck in the middle of the extremes, I can only hope and pray for a device that denies permission of certain words to enter ones ears and the eyes. The above were just a few cases of the many I come across almost on an hourly basis (No! not trying to flaunt my people skills). But honestly, just one question, please don’t tell me, but tell yourself, “How much do you think have you been actually affected by it?”
P.S – Have written this with due respect to all, who have been seriously affected by it by either losing jobs or enough money to affect their lifestyles. I understand the gravity of the situation and therefore write to help you understand it too. Recession isn’t just a passing fad or the “in” thing mates. However, I also urge you to consume a little more milk than usual for our milkmen’s sake.
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