Sunday (17/06/2013), 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 was 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 a discussion on this hike amongst 3 or 4 co-commuters got 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 and pampers few like myself and disfavours many like these people and apparently 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!
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