G Swaminathan
Indian politicians and social analysts never fail to keep chanting the phrase ‘India is a developing country, poor population needs to be uplifted' on one side and on the other side the philosophers and intellectuals never miss to mention the ‘fact' that ‘India is a highly philosophical country with several philosophers who had reiterated several times the ‘uncertainty of life and wealth' and the need to ‘realize the true happiness in aspiring for the bliss from all these material and physical pleasures.'
That too in recent times the terrible devastation created by the cruelest pandemic, what started as happy moments of quarantine with the family to the point of turning them into isolation, mutual hatred, depression and psychological harassment.
Nevertheless, none can beat Indians for their resilience; they have bounced back with great vigor; the festivities now have been very great harbingers of the occasions. I see the newspapers carrying not less than 50 to 60 pages are flooded with ads for all consumer durables like television, home appliances, groceries, silk sarees and ahem above all gold, platinum, diamonds, expensive wristwatches, and real estate. Every area is flooded with shops doing all sorts of merchandise.
In the visual media television, every five minutes I could see only ads mainly for dress, sarees, home appliances and gold. Probably they are trying their best to make good of their losses.
Are they trying to lure the buyers that still your lives are unpredictable so buy and enjoy the worldly pleasures to the fullest?
Are there so many takers for such offers? That too in a land where supposedly a section of population is still striving hard for a morsel of food?
Search me.
I always failed to understand both Indian psychology as well as philosophy. After all these years, I have now understood one thing clearly. Indians have amazing resilience; it is for one to take it in the positive or negative sense.
May be zest for life or lust for wealth.
