Rupee should have been Saved

This is the next generation episode of the story titled  "Two-in-one and One-in-two".  Kodandarama, son of Ramachandra and Sita was growing up under the care of his grandfathers, Dasharatha Rama and Janakirama.  He had invaluable sources at home for imparting lessons in saving and accumulation.  With grandfathers of the caliber of Dasharatha Rama and Janakirama and parents like Ramachandra and Sita, he had every gene for savings and avoiding expenditure itself, let alone wasteful expenditure.  People living in nearby areas were amazed at the level of savings consciousness exhibited by Kodandarama even as a child.   While playing in mud or sand like many kids, he would use minimum quantity of mud or sand and yet derive maximum pleasure.  After he started going to school he would never ask his parents to buy marbles or pencils for him.  He would lure his classmates to play some game or the other with marbles or pencils as wager and win the games to ensure that he always had enough supply of marbles and pencils.

By the time he passed his second year at school at the age of seven and moved to third standard, his classmates were scared of playing with him because of this capacity to win wagers and games.  Even then Kodandarama's remarkable persuasive capacity always triumphed and he would manage to draw his classmates repeatedly into wagers and games.  His exploits reached the Head Master of the school and he decided to teach young Kodandarama a lesson of his life so that his habit of luring classmates to betting would end for ever.  The Head Master took him to his room and had a lengthy session counseling against such a habit.   Young Kodadarama patiently listened to him.  He told the Head Master that he would take the last bet of his life then and there and in case he suffers losses from it, he would quit and would never entertain such a habit thereafter for life.   The Head Master was very happy at his success, looked forward to Kodandarama's failure now and agreed to his condition gladly.  Kodandarama told the Head Master that he would bet five rupees that there was a wound mark on the Head Master's back.  Head Master was surprised at this offer as he knew very well that there was no such mark on his back.  He jumped at the prospect of earning five rupees for no effort and took off his shirt to show his back.  Kodandarama made a cursory inspection, conceded that there was no wound mark and declared that he lost the bet.  He took out a five rupee note from his pocket, kept it on the table and smilingly walked away.  Pleased with his earning but wondering why Kodandarama went smiling, a beaming Head Master was putting on his shirt when another teacher walked in and started laughing.  Head Master was annoyed and asked the teacher why he was laughing.  The teacher told the HM that Kodandarama had bet a rupee each from ten students and five rupees each form two teachers including himself that he would make the HM remove his shirt on that day.  Now that HM had removed his shirt, Kodandarama lost five rupees to HM, but won twenty rupees outside!  The teacher added insult to injury by saying that this would be a good example for the "Profit and Loss" chapter in the arithmetic class for the students.

One day kodandarama's mother gave him a rupee and asked him to bring Ghee (clarified butter) from the shop.  Kodandarama went to the shop and dutifully bought the Ghee.  The shopkeeper put the ghee in a banana leaf bowl (ದೊನ್ನೆ) and handed it to Kodandarama.  He cautioned Kodandarama to be careful as the ghee may spill because the bowl was open at the top.  Kodandarama nodded his understanding the instructions and started his walk back home.  When he was half way home he fell down and all the ghee was spilled.  Kodandarama got up crying and one of his teachers on the street saw this crying boy.  He consoled and comforted Kodandarama.  He told the boy to come home slowly and he would alert his mother and tell her not to scold or beat him for the loss of ghee.  Kodandarama agreed and the teacher walked fast, went and told Kodandarama's mother about the incident.  Instead of fuming at the loss, Sita told the teacher not to worry as her son would not fall for a loss.  Unable to understand the meaning of her comment and cursing himself for indulging in this affair, the teacher went on his way.

Sometime later Kodandarama walked in to the house.  His mother asked him why he fell down.  Kodandarama told her that he saw a ten rupee note lying on the street and wanted to grab it before anyone else saw it.  He also wanted to ensure that his picking up the note should not attract attention of other people on the street.  As a matter of strategy he fell on the note, picked it up and pocketed it, and started crying thereafter to earn sympathy of those nearby.  He handed over the note to his mother.

The mother took the note for safe-keeping and cleaned the traces of mud on the boy's shirt.  She gave him another rupee coin and sent him again to get ghee from the shop.  She reminded him of how fielders take a catch in a cricket match and how they hold the ball pointing upwards even when they dive and slide.  "If only you had dived with the banana leaf bowl pointing skywards, the ghee would have been saved as well.  Another Rupee should have been saved.  Next time you fall, remember thisKodandarama learnt yet another valuable lesson in savings.

Kodandarama is still at school perfecting the art of savings.  If he finds any new method or learns a new lesson in savings, I will definitely let you know. 

Buy ten, Take all free!

Every one has to shop. Even the Yogi on top of Himalayas now requires toothpaste. For some people shopping is a necessary evil and they do not like it.  Some do it as a sacred duty.  Some people like shopping. Some people like to keep on shopping.  They wait for an opportunity to shop.  If there is no opportunity, they create one and if possible, many. For some Music is life. For some others, their work itself is life.  For many people, shopping is life.

All of us have to buy some thing or the other. Each and very day of our life. Shopping begins with the beginnings of life. Yes, but it was two or three decades ago. When a baby was born some decades ago, Hospital staff would give a list of items to be purchased from the Medical shop.  Starting from baby soap and feeding bottle to sanitary napkins. But now it starts even before life begins.  Nowadays "would be parents" are given the list of items to be brought with the expectant mother when she comes to the Hospital with the first signs of pains.  She will be taken inside the hospital  only if the basket or baskets have all the necessary items as per the list. No need to rush to the shop when the baby is born. Have the items ready so that you enjoy watching the baby's face without shopping worries.  Use your credit card to pay and postpone payment worries for some time.  Enjoy your happy moment here and now. It may not last long as the bills will start arriving shortly.  Good philosophy.

Everybody is willing to talk about birth. Nobody likes to talk of death.  But unfortunately, laws of nature stipulates that every birth has a matching death. Like double entry book keeping.  Only the time interval taken to match the two is different for different persons.  And shopping is linked to death as well.  Though shopping begins before life begins, shopping ends after life ends. In that respect, shopping is bigger than life itself. Somebody kicks the bucket, as the saying goes.  Life ends.  But there is shopping required after the death also. There is a very old joke about an Accountant of a company. His Managing Director had the habit of charging all expenses to the company's accounts. His hair cut charges would go as maintenance and upkeep charges. Like that. Not just him, many people do it but may not admit it. This accountant knew how to account for all those personal expenses by giving an appropriate "Accounting Head" in the books of accounts. Managing Director's mother died. Many expenses were incurred. The accountant kept a perfect account of the expenses. Only even his well trained (!) head could not find an appropriate head of account. He was constrained to ask his MD himself for a solution. MD was in deep thought for a moment. Accountant thought that the MD was thinking of his revered mother. But MD was actually thinking of a solution to the problem. He finally advised the Accountant to debit the amounts spent to "Packing and Forwarding" expenses. Very appropriately. The last advertisement I saw on TV was about an old man shopping happily for a coffin for own use. He was shown as having died very happily after selecting a beautiful box.  Died happily at the thought of lying happily for ever in that beautiful coffin.

The only type of cloth available when I was a young boy was "Controlled cloth".  There was even a shop by name "Control Cloth Show Room", near Minerva circle in Bangalore. Now neither Minerva theater is there nor the shop.  Finlay Mill one line border dhotis were the best then. Now You get all shades of Dhotis, in rainbow colours. shopping has evolved over the years. but faster than evolution of man himself.  Shopping is an art as well as science now. We often see some youngsters coming up with beautiful items. And they bought them at very cheap rates. They have an uncanny eye for the tasteful item and at bargain prices. They have mastered the art of shopping scientifically. From the "Corner Shop" we have moved over to "Air Conditioned Shopping Malls'', where one can shop till falling down with fatigue, only to buy a refreshing drink and resume shopping. 

"Innovation and Marketing are the watch words of businesses" said the Marketing Guru, Peter Drucker.  Marketing has now reached fantastic levels.  Levels never reached before. And still soaring.  "Buy two, take one free" is a old adage.  "Buy two, take two free" has no takers. It should be at least "Buy one, take two free".  "Buy and Save" boards beckon us. When you buy, you only spend, I used to think. Not any longer. When I see people buying some things I ask then what use they have for the item.  It may be useful some day, they reply.  Make hay while the Sun shines. Keep it for the rainy day.  Even if the rainy day never comes.

 

Marketing agencies and manufacturers have many schemes.  Discount sales. Clearance sales. Winter sales. Summer sales.  Product launch sales. Inaugural sales. Winding up sales. But discount coupon sales takes the cake. How about "Buy ten, take all free"?.  Is it possible?, one may ask.  I myself used to ask.   Until yesterday.  Not today. 

There is a TV programme on a channel called TLC. Title of the program is "Extreme Couponing".  We are familiar with the reduction of bill against coupons. But this takes the cake. Coupons are available in newspapers. They are available on on-line sites. People collect them. Collect them by collecting newspapers. Collect them by visiting on-line web sites.  Visiting door to door and collecting coupons and news papers.  Even searching in garbage cans. By taking family members and friends for assistance. Then arranging the coupons as per various classifications.  Visiting the shops and malls the moment they open for the business. Carefully selecting the items as per availability of coupons.  From tooth brush to fruit juice. From cleaning material to body lotions. From paper napkins to toilet papers.  Finally when the cash register breaks down, having a re-billing. Amounts of bill to be paid in hundreds of dollars for several cart load of items. Then coupons are taken out. When they are all accounted for, final amount to paid is one or two dollars or only few cents. In one case it was even NIL.  In one case it was two dollars and forty cents, but the buyer got a five dollar voucher!  Which means take all free and I further give you two dollars and sixty cents. Buy so many things, give coupons and then take everything free! Then arrange these items at home in shelves, garages, rooms and everywhere. There are people who have collected toilet paper to last for decades. Fruit juices to last for five years.  By paying nothing.

But things are not simple. These people spend hours and hours for collecting coupons, cutting them, arranging them, calculating the amounts, making lists, going to the shops or malls, choosing items, getting them billed, carry them home, arrange them and protect them.  Hats off to them. Many of them support other members of the family and help others in need as well. Informal Coupon exchanges for exchanging coupons also exist.  Hard work truly but when you see the quantity of items procured, it is rewarding indeed.

Once, when I was in service, Big boss wanted all Managers and staff members to come and work on a Sunday, to complete audit of the annual Balance Sheet. As usual, the task of conveying the unpleasant message was given to me.  I told everyone. Some of them asked whether there is any escape from coming on a holiday.  I told them indeed there was one. What is it, every one asked.  I told them that they need not go home that day to avoid coming on the next morning.  I had used humour at the wrong time and place.  Next morning only Big Boss and me were there in the office.  Both Big Boss and Auditors were unhappy. When the Boss asked the others on Monday, every body said they thought I was joking.  Needless to say every one escaped as I was known for making things appear funny.  That day I ended up as the funny object.

I am not joking now.  Buy ten or more, and take all free.  If you do not believe me, you can see the program yourself!