ONE RUPEE CHOCOLATE

              ONE RUPEE CHOCOLATE

 Head or Tails ! I rupee helps to solve the dilemma of Jai and Veeru in Sholay.

Gone are the days when one rupee use to give tons of happiness  10 chocolates of 10 paisa each brings immense happiness and smile to every child. 1 rupee could be saved and spend to buy idli, ice cream, balloons from hawkers, 1rupee inserted in weighing machine to end the curiosity of  weight gain or  a weight loss. Few one rupee coins could let us hear the voice and get messages from our friends in the same city. One rupee increase in petrol prices raises the blood pressure of every motorist. Sensex fall by each one rupee diminishes the value of our Indian currency. A child’s excitement and heart filled with happiness is immeasurable when the small piggy bank is full of coins. One rupee coin dakshina in a pooja thali increases the value of pooja thali. At times One rupee shagun is enough to confirm the deal. One rupee levied on few products serves to bring a positive change for an unprivileged through corporate social responsibility initiative. A beggar on the street also hope’s for 1 rupee from each person. Sometimes the poor vegetable vendor maintains cordiality by excusing us with a humble reply,” next time de dena, baad mein de dena “.

1 paisa added with 99 paisa makes 1 Rupee and 1 rupee added to 99 rupees makes One Hundred Rupee but if 1 rupee is less for 9,00,999 the bank accountant will enter the amount as 9,00,999 and not 10,000,00. The rude bus conductors will insult with repulsive words and hurl you off the bus if one rupee is less. There are no additions to be learnt here but the need to analyze the importance of 1 rupee even today? The difference of opinion will be different for the group who accepts and for the individuals who rejects.

,’’Ohhh for 1 rupee, all that fuss’’. A new adopted practice has developed to convert 1 rupee to a chocolate by all shopkeepers in city and state. When I raised my voice for my 1 rupee balance standing at the billing counter there were reactions and expressions of confusions. Rs 50 was paid for a bill of 24 rupees for 2 tetra milk and paused to collect balance and the bill. The bill illustrated Items -Milk, Quantity -2, Money Paid by Customer- Rs-50 and the Balance Returned-Rs 26. However the actual balance was Rs 25 with a chocolate along with a reason to veil the misact that there are no coins in the market hence biller is unable to return the change. This transaction puzzles me to find if the shop owner wants to check the limit of acceptance of the customer to the unethical practices. The biller denies for a correction in the bill that indicates balance with cash 25 Rupees and chocolate worth rupees one. I neither like chocolates nor have children to offer these chocolate. An action to question the morality of shop owner’s action needs time and patience. We either ignore or accept the practice with an irritation associated with mute voice. The milk packs were returned in search of another shop who honestly returns the change. When all customers’ starts accepting chocolates for 1 rupee change it is obvious that the coins tend to fund the accounts and hidden drawers of the shop owners and deplete its existence in the market.

Have you ever tried to buy any commodity by paying one chocolate (worth 1 Rupees) along with 9 or 99 rupees? If not then try today and gauge the anger and surprise reactions of the shop owner. There have been instances when 7 chocolates were given as balance for 7 Rupees. A corruption also starts with one rupee and later transforming every one rupee from the large funds given for a specific purpose. One customer is given 1 chocolate per minute then 720 chocolates are sold in 12 hours of business per day and 720 rupee/coins are hidden each day. Hence 21,600 one rupee coins per month are concealed and when 20 shops in the locality continue this amounts to 43,800 (one rupee coins) become hidden treasure. There are no provision to file complain with the Consumer Court and neither the police can be expected to patrol at all shops.

It is an unethical business practice. We try to be modest and good but intentionally ignore that each day each customer’s one rupee is transformed to the huge sale of chocolates and we ourselves directly support the 1 rupee corruption and depletion of coins in the market. 1 rupee idly was recently served which is attracting both poor and professionals; One vote makes a difference; One minute delay can let you miss a train.So ''1'' has lot of importance.

One rupee is an attempt to awaken the dormant thought of every one person who has spend one minute or few one minute’s to understand the coin corruption and how each one of us is involved in  this corruption. One action by one individual will awaken 10 others to make a change. One small change will change many 100 many faults from our country.

Rise up to make a change and stop to be mute abider!

By

Bachu. R. Krishna and Smita Nair