10 paisa/min....

I went to buy vegetables with my mom the other day. I admit that I know the prices of the shares I buy and sell, but I seriously don’t know how much a kilogram of tomato costs. So I come back from the office on a Friday evening and my mom says we are on a shopping spree, who knew she is taking me to the “Sabji mandi”.  On our way we stopped at the nearest petrol pump. Nagpur is known to be the second costliest city in India after Bangalore (Don’t believe me! Google it, it usually has answers to everything except the questions asked by Santa and Banta.), the petrol prices have risen many folds. I remember I used to get a 100 bucks for a weeks petrol expense in 2001, when I first started to drive a two wheeler (2001, is the official year, I started driving a two wheeler way before that, hehehehe!!!!!)

I ask the attendant to refill the petrol tank of my car, I give him 1000 bucks, and I start complaining to my mom, “Samajh nahi ata, khaya kya aur bharaye kya??” My biggest mistake, never give “gyan” to moms. To this my mom replied, “Ab tu badi ho gayi hai, daal, aate ka bhav samajh le, tere liye he acha hoga….” At that point of time I thought why am I even sitting in that car? Anyway I managed to divert the topic and found an easy escape. (That ofcourse I am not going to blog!!!!!!!).

We reached the “sabji mandi” and my mom started to purchase the vegetables. I almost got a heart attack listening to the prices of it. Good lord! I felt guilty eating them twice a day (It’s a little over exaggerated statement, deal with it).Then my mom in her typical tone (which is really soft, yet assertive) said to the green grocer, “bhaiyya hamesha aapke paas se le jaate hai, bhav sahi lagao”. And I imagined my future, someday I shall also be doing this, and in an instance I recollected myself in disgust with an expression like no! I am never doing this, never.

We came back home with two bags filled with vegetables. I went into my room, to take a quick shower to get rid of the smell, of spinach, cauliflower, cabbage, radish etc…. and to my surprise! saw a 10 paisa coin lying on the floor. I smiled, I had seen that coin after ages, I never thought in the wildest of my imaginations that all of a sudden I would discover the 10 paisa coin in my room, the feeling was similar to what Columbus had felt when he discovered America.(Now don’t divert yourself to think how on this earth I know Columbus??). I thought what is it that I can get for 10 paisa these days? After a while I concluded I get my piece of mind at 10p/min, because that’s the calling chargers of “our” mobile service provider plan.