DO WE VALUE LIFE?

WHAT IS THE VALUE OF LIFE?

My Virginia based NRI friend asked me a question that was bothering him no end. His question was:

WHAT IS THE VALUE OF LIFE?

Why is it that a US retail Chain acquires a Barbie Doll at about a Dollar and then sells it to people like him for over 30 dollars or more? ‘Where is the justice in this humungous margin?” he asked plaintively.

I could see his point but had to painfully bring home to him the iron laws of economics as they function in a capitalist system.

My answer was as follows: As long as someone was willing to pay $ 30 or more the retailer will charge that much .So in effect it is buyers like him who feel that $ 30 was worth it. Or why else would he shell out such a handsome amount?

That set him thinking.

Something like this is in play these days in India.

During my over ten years’ stay at Mumbai we had used the services of a cook, a Gujerati lady .Often she would come pounding into my room and announce-with her arms akimbo—that there were absolutely no vegetables in the home and how could she be expected to cook a meal? Almost always I used to smile and lead the lady gently to the frig and show the substantial stock of brinjals, ladies finger, gobis, simla mirchis etc .On every occasion her response would be

‘But there are no potatoes and onions!”

This explains why there is such a hue and cry over onion prices in many parts of India even as Tamilnadu and some other states are not unduly worried[There are other issues which may worry Tamil people to the amusement of people elsewhere]

As long as some of us consider no meal to be complete without onions, traders will try to extract the best price thanks to the iron laws of demand and supply. These days there is supposedly a supply a shortage of onions due to a variety of factors and as long as demand does not abate retailers will have a field day.

This does not have to be this way and government intervention can have some impact but ultimately the demand supply gap plays a critical role. If every family decides not to buy onions for say a month—what do you think will happen?

I dare to suggest that there is a demand supply gap for many other goods and services and we are too politically correct to talk about these.

One such gap was referred to by Ramesh Jairam the Minister for Enviroment and Forests. He was talking about a letter to the PM by some of the most respected business magnates in India .This letter referred to the ‘Governance deficit’ meaning corruption in India. Obviously these magnates were upset at the huge amount of bribes they and others had to pay to cut though the red tape in government. Ramesh raised a point. There will be a supply of ‘ corruption’ only if there is a ‘ demand’ .In other words a neta or babu demands a bribe because somebody is willing to pay a bribe. When the ‘Demand’ for corruption stops maybe the supply will stop too. He ought to know—after all it has been said about the illegal trade in wild life products that if the demand stops the supply will stop too.

There is in Chennai a true story of exemplary honesty in the construction sector which is among the most corrupt in India The Alacrity Foundation was one of the rarest of rare ones that NEVER paid a bribe .Their projects were delayed—for which they compensated the potential owners-but they stood steadfast and never paid a bribe to expedite clearances. . In this case there was no demand for corruption .Tragically this company was cheated by its own lawyers and had to file for bankruptcy.

Another politically incorrect statement based on a phenomena I have repeatedly come across.

I happened to stand at a shopping centre in a remote part of Orissa over 20 years ago .This was a township surrounding a public sector project. A school bus stopped by to let small children out. Three kids got out and walked towards the back of the bus and one kid walked in front of the big bus .Even as I was enjoying this happy scene of chubby kids, the driver started his bus and speeded up and in the process ran over and killed the kid .I dropped to the floor in shock.

This scene was repeated in a suburb in Chennai last year and maybe this is happening in many other places in India.

Is there a demand -supply gap in ‘life’ in India too?I have had the occasion to travel in the streets of USA in the company of IAS officers. Indeed many of our netas and babus undertake at our cost ‘study tours’ to the finest countries in the world .If only they had looked around and seen how much value is placed on ‘life’ they could have seen how this tragedy can be averted. There is a simple low tech solution to avert such tragedies. I leave it to the readers to send to me their simple solutions. IF WE VALUE LIFE, SOLUTIONS TO MANY ISSUES CAN BE FOUND.

K.R.RAVI

WWW.KRRAVI.COM