Sunday, after a long time, I chanced upon travelling in a
BTS bus. Holiday with an overcast weather boded well for a pleasant experience
and indeed it was. While on the bus, I gathered that there was a bus fare hike active
from previous midnight. It is about 1 rupee for a short trip and 2 rupees for
long distance. I was unsure of these figures though. What drew my attention was
: what started as discussion about this hike amongst 3 or 4 co-commuters became heated up and led to near protesting. They
were very boisterous. Hike apparently had hit them hard, one of them even wanted
to join a protest rally if there was one.. But, for me, I was so …smug. I found
the whole noise and acrimony embarrassingly amusing and I was (ashamedly) cold
to their sentiments. One rupee hike wouldn’t dent anything for me. These people
looked regular commuters and certainly not from abject poverty class! Well, so
evident for me was impact of ”2-edged
sword” of capitalism . It favours/ pampers few like myself and disfavours many like
these people and here in India, is
driving a wedge widening gulf between the” haves “and “have-nots” .How
long before, at least the “sufferable
disparity “arrives?? Will I live to see
the day?? I doubt it!
