I have grown up in Bangalore..like any other ordinary, middle class man, whose traits are largely conservative, patriotic, pragmatic & progressive. We the middle class of India by & large are overtly concerned about our society, our value systems & the nation at large.
What disturbs me off late is the growing trend of 'Materialism' and 'Tokenism' in the present social circles. Sadly, this cancer has started to affect the middle class of India too, who are considered the real face of this great nation.
To be clear in what I intend to convey- just take an evening walk in a park or by the beach side or in a street, where you find several people of all classes- the poor & the average & rich move around. For a few moments, do focus on 'group discussions' of at least 4-5 groups, without being snoopy.
You will find that most or all the people in these groups invariably are involved in 'MONEY TALK'. The most popular things that are around the lips of people are about wealth accumulation, real estate, shares & stocks, gold, business, trading or elderly people boasting about their offsprings settling down in the USA, politics & women.
In Bangalore, real estate & property accumulation has virtually eclipsed 8 out of 10 Bangaloreans. Sad but true!
As a boy, I used to find our crowds & groups in social circles during those days, talking about books, theater, science, debating on epics, discussing religious thoughts, organizing bhajans, music, dance philanthropy ... all that seemed to have gradually vanished. Definitely, our social values have taken a severe beating.
Money & wealth have occupied the center stage of us Indians & our morning starts by chanting the mantra of money. This increasing ugly trend of 'materialism' is definitely going to lead us into dangerous circumstances. I find a similar pattern across the country & I increasingly notice this when I travel by bus, trains or by aircraft...people are embracing the same traits everywhere & intensly.
So what could be the cause of such 'greed talk' if I am allowed to use the term? The first blame that I would like to offer would be on our greedy politicians, who loot the nation shamelessly. Nowdays, I dont get the feel of reading a newspaper unless I see a new scam every day. Its become a way of life, a habit. Perhaps, we are embracing this scam ideology- the trend of Fast money (like fast food).
Added to this, our society has turned ultra commercial & materialistic. We deal with people only with monetary motives & ambitions. Yes, there a a few good samaritans in the land who donate a part of their earnings to the needy, who still practise good value systems, who follow religious traditions & worship, who do not go behind money relentlessly... I guess that's why India is still surviving.
My worry is - What footprints are we leaving for our future generations. Are we telling them through our actions that 'money trail' is the ultimate objective in life.
Now, coming back to the groups in the parks that I referred to previously, you may closely observe & notice that the smiles that they sport on their faces are indeed 'artificial'. Manufactured smiles do not necessarily mean happiness. In their lust to accumulate more & more money, people lose their happiness. It's very easy to decipher an artificial smile & an artificial motive- isnt it?
That leads to my question which I always think about- How much money is enough money? Is money above happiness?
Yes we all need enough money, more so in this era of corrupt & inefficiient politicians 'mis'ruling our nation. But then we fail to realise that money is like sweet... it feels bitter when you possess too much. It finally poisons one's life.
I hope that a few readers agree with me.
Thanks for reading.
