Maximum Retail Price (MRP) – A Myth or Consumer Trap?

(This was written in August 2015 but as usual not published by any media. 

So, presented for  the benefit of larger public )

The other day, I was in a shopping mall to purchase my monthly groceries. Almost every item viz., cooking oil, rice, wheat flour, biscuits, toiletries, etc., was  available on a discount ranging from 5 per cent to 30 percent to the MRP (Maximum Retail Price)  printed on the products.  After finishing my purchases, I returned home.  Next day, I happened to go to the local provision store located just opposite our house to buy a few packets of milk. As I was waiting for my turn to get my milk packets, I saw the owner of the grocery shop selling a packet of refined sunflower oil to a customer who looked pretty rustic , may be a daily wage labourer. He  mentioned to the customer that he was offering a discount of  Rs.15/- and so he need to pay only Rs.110/- as against Rs.125/- MRP printed on the product. The customer seemed  very much satisfied  and moved off with the product purchased.  On seeing this, I was a bit dump-founded.  Only the previous day, I purchased the same product from the shopping mall for a discount of  Rs.40/- and just paid Rs.85/- as against the MRP of Rs.125/-[1].   Whether  the use of  MRP is working against such vulnerable customers who are unable to visit malls to buy only a few items they need  from time to time as they live on daily cash coming in their hands and so forcibly depend on local kirana stores  or provision stores  and pay more than the price paid by  other sections of the society who can afford such visits to the malls, is the question haunting my thoughts ever since this incident.  On a quick talk engaged with the shop owner, I found that the maximum  footfalls in his shop was from such customers who come on cash and carry terms.  So, I became more confused.  Whether MRP is rather helping the kirana stores/ local provision stores to enjoy much higher margin on various products which they earn from   such resource poor customers than the shopping malls which depend on high volume and cross subsidization of various products being bought by a large number  of customers is the second question that crossed my thoughts.  I think I may not be the only guy who had undergone such experiences to share with.

So, I googled to get a bit more on MRP.   Here are some thoughts  presented by experts and committees in the form of recommendations and observations on MRP. 

The MRP is the outcome of   the extant provision of the Standards of Weights and Measures (Packaged Commodities) Rules, 1977 that provides that every package intended for retail sale is required to have certain mandatory declarations, namely i) the name and address of manufacturer/packer/importer, ii) name of the commodity, iii) the net quantity , iv) the month and year of manufacture / packing / import and v) the retail sale price in the form “Maximum Retail Price   Rs.. inclusive of all taxes” and vi) Consumer care cell details.  Perhaps the then policy makers would have mandated printing of  MRP on all packaged products  with a very noble  intention of helping a resource poor consumer who was unable to discover the price of the product he/ she would be buying due to market imperfections and information asymmetry  between the consumer and the seller. To some extent, the aspect of price discovery of a product was addressed by corporate like ITC in India through their innovative business models of e-choupals. But, such measures are limited to a few products in which the company has large business stake. 

In 2007, the Government of India had set up an Expert Committee[2] to review and suggest best method of declaration of retail sale price  on pre-packed commodities.  It  observed that In 1993, representations were made by different consumer organizations to the effect that quite often the maximum retail prices (MRP) declared by manufacturers on packaged goods  were on a higher side and that the provision was used for profiteering instead of protecting the interests of the consumer.  They represented that there was a need to prevent this and that the measure should not provide an opportunity for the wholesalers and retailers to exploit the consumer and make abnormal profits.  It also observed that, ‘as regards international practices,  only Sri Lanka besides India has mandated the declaration of MRP.  The requirement is not found in any other country.    In Pakistan, in respect of a few commodities, the sales tax law requires the manufacturers to print the MRP including the sales tax rate.  Similarly in Malaysia, some of the essential food items are subject to control, but there is no requirement that the MRP should be declared.  In most market economies, the retail price is exhibited by the retailer and that is done more as a competitive market practice rather than as a matter of regulation.  In advanced market economies like Canada, the Competition Bureau has been established to promote competitive markets and excessive profiteering through cartelisation by the producers/sellers invites severe penalties under the Competition Act.’

Among various suggestions made by the Committee, one was declaring what is called a ‘normative price’ in addition to the MRP by the manufacturers of packed products.   Another suggestion was to indicate the ‘First Point Price (FPP)’. The FPP is defined as the first sale price at which the manufacturer/importer sells a commodity.  Both the suggestions were  found to be unfeasible for implementation and so not considered by the Expert Committee.  It analysed the effect of Value Added Tax (VAT) on reducing the rigour of MRP and observed that it  will be an additional indirect check to ensure that the MRP  is not unduly inflated  and  it would help sales tax authorities to undertake a detailed scrutiny of cases where the final retail sale price is vastly different from the MRP. It also looked at the effect of Goods and Services  Tax (GST) which is still under consideration  of the Parliament.  It opined that the issue should get substantially resolved when the GST  replaces the prevailing Central and State domestic trade taxes.  As the tax becomes fully destination based and the invoices are issued, it will be easy to find the price on which the tax is paid and a higher invoice price will attract a higher tax.  At that stage, it may be necessary to review the practice of printing the MRP altogether; instead, the seller will have to print not the maximum but the actual retail price, though the transacted value may even be lower than this when a commodity or a service is sold at a discount.   It concluded that  the competition in the market should ensure  protection to the consumer and   greater consumer awareness about their rights would help in empowering them.

I also stumbled upon a Gazette notification No.45 of 2014[3] about a Bill  passed in the Parliament , ‘to provide for printing of cost of production and maximum retail price of consumer goods being sold in the market….’.  Its statement of Objects and Reasons  read  as follows:  

“It is generally seen that the prices of consumer goods sold in the markets are determined arbitrarily by the manufacturers. In this process, the manufacturers gain huge profit as the actual manufacturing cost is very low. The consumers’  interests are compromised and they are compelled to buy goods at much higher prices in comparison to actual manufacturing cost of goods. Thus, consumers are subjected to economic exploitation. For example, potato chips, drinking water, soft drinks, automobiles, medicines, etc. are being sold at a price much higher than their cost price. The manufacturers arbitrarily fix the price and the consumers are compelled to purchase goods at higher costs. If it is made mandatory for the manufacturers to print the actual cost of production of goods along with their maximum retail price it will help to curb the greed of the manufacturers. Such a measure will also help the consumers in making a decision regarding buying the product. It is the duty of the Government to bring a legislation for protecting the interests of consumers. In the wake of economic liberalisation, it has become essential that the consumers are given the right to know the actual manufacturing cost of the goods they are going to purchase. It is also in the public interest to make commodities and goods available at fair prices to consumers. The interests of consumers can be protected against the vice of profiteering by making the goods and commodities available to them at a reasonable price. Hence this Bill”.

But,  it appears that the above Act has not been enforced in any part of the country.  In the recent past,  we  have witnessed exponential growth of online marketing/ trading business popularly known as e-commerce.   Though  e-commerce  is increasing its penetration in the country,  almost all business models  lay their  bait in the form  of discounts on MRP to attract customers in buying the products available for purchase through online platforms.  So, there is need for  developing technology driven price discovery mechanism for meeting the needs of all types of consumers.  Of course, it is time the Government of India also gave  a serious thought to protecting the vulnerable sections  of the consumers from the great myth called MRP.   There is some  hope  in passing of the GST Constitutional Amendment Bill, 2014  by the Parliament and enacting it at the earliest. And if it happens, consumers may stand to gain to a large extent as arbitrary fixation of a price as MRP by manufacturers may not be in their interest as they may end up paying more to the government by way of taxes.   

Till then,  the exploitation of vulnerable consumers would continue and the inequality between the rich and the poor would increase.

Sometime in 1980s, the Readers’ Digest had published this humour. At a supermarket, a  lady  had filled her cart in a hurry and had an uneasy feeling that she did not have enough money to pay for all the goods. In desperation, she emptied the cart on the floor, kneeling down, she began to add up the prices. Just then, a young supervisor strolled over and whispered, ‘it does not matter how much you pray, Sister, we are not reducing the prices.’

WITH exponential growth of online marketing/trading business, undoubtedly, India has emerged as the most sought after market for major foreign electronic goods manufacturers. Most of the goods manufactured by such players are sold on Maximum Retail Price (hereinafter 'MRP') basis. While importing these goods into India, additional customs duty [counter vailing duty] is calculated and paid on the basis of MRP so declared. This article analyses the new practice adopted by the Customs Department wherein these goods are attempted to be assessed on transaction value.

Source: http://www.taxindiaonline.com/RC2/inside2.php3?filename=bnews_detail.php3&newsid=22821#cad

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[1] In major cities like Hyderabad, Bengaluru etc., there is a wholesale outlet called ‘Metro’ which offers higher discount on MRP than the shopping malls like D-Mart, Reliance Fresh, Star Bazaar etc. However, no individual can make purchases from ‘Metro’  as its membership is open only for a  registered organization such as a proprietorship or partnership firm etc.

[2] https://www.google.co.in/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=Maximum+retail+price+rationale+and+government+of+India

[3] Source: http://bombayhighcourt.nic.in/libweb/billcentral/2014/2014.45.pdf

Once Upon A Time.......

Once Upon A Time…..              [1]

‘It is story time. Daddy, I am ready. Are you ready?’ Daniel asked  his father in as polite a tone as he could muster, though he was restless within himself as his father was delaying him from going to bed.

‘John, what are you doing, dear? Understand, Danny has got to go to his school tomorrow. Please attend to him,’ Isabelle called her husband in a hurried tone as she was winding up her kitchen work after the cook left for her home for the night. 

‘Going dear,’ John, quickly closed his laptop and moved towards his son.

Daniel, our little hero was just  nine years and always fond of listening to bed-time stories from his dad. Moving into his son’s room, John addressed him that he was going to narrate to him the story of a boy and a starfish. In his usual style, he started with the conventional idiomatic phrase,  “Once upon a time,  a man and his son were walking along a beach…..”

Daniel smiled and looked at his dad. He used to wonder as to how and who would have started this phrase for telling a story. Though he was familiar to hearing this phrase being used by his teachers also, he always felt curious as though he was hearing it for the first time.

John continued with his narration of the story.

“let us call him… Daniel,  and John looked at his son who was slowly slipping into his sleep. On hearing his name being given to the boy in the story,  Daniel slightly opened his eyes and smiled at him.  

John continued with his narration…. Ya, the father noticed his young son kept picking up one starfish at a time from thousands of starfish that had been washed up on the beach and, he was throwing each one of them back into the water. The man ridiculed his son saying that he was wasting his prime time in engaging in a futile exercise of saving a few starfish while there were thousands of them on that beach washed ashore.  The son replied that he was throwing those washed up starfish back into the ocean, or else they would die on the sand. The father  was not satisfied with the response of his son that he  can’t  possibly make a difference by saving a few of the starfish.  The son looked at his father  and smiled but continued to pick up another starfish, and threw it back into the sea, and replied that he made a huge difference to that one starfish saved now. The father of the boy was speechless and he  joined his son in saving as many starfish as he could do by throwing them back into the sea.”

By then, Daniel, our hero had slept off and moved into his world of dreams.

**** 

In this way, our little hero grew up as a young lad of about twenty years, listening to the stories after stories on variety of themes from his dad. Later,  he started using iPad  and  the kindle packed with stories  from time to time and reading books of genres on goodreads, of course more of e-books.  

*****  

‘Mummy, I see so often much hush-hush talk going on between you and daddy.  You also seem to be worried about events going on in his business. I heard that daddy has purchased new properties in the neighbourhood. The other day, I saw a bank manager talking to him  discreetly and thanking him for helping the bank with huge deposits. I am not pretty comfortable with the goings on in our house and dad’s business,’ Daniel shared his deep concern about his father.

‘That is not for me to say, Danny. But, you are also not to bother about the way dad is doing his business. Everything is honky-dory in his business. You just concentrate on your work and try to move to the next level of your life,’ Isabelle tried to reason out his son from his disdainful thoughts of his father.

‘Oh, I am tired of hearing about dad’s business,’ said Daniel, interrupting her. ‘That is all I ever hear about him, if you ask me. If his business means something shrouded in mystery, then I have to make up my mind about my future too,’ Daniel seemed distressed by the events taking place there. 

Just at that moment there was a creak outside in the hallway and Daniel looked up to see the door of dad’s room opening slightly.

He froze, and was unable to move for a moment. It meant that dad was in there and he might have heard everything that Daniel had just shared with his mother. He surveyed the door, wondering whether his dad might come through it and engage him for a serious talking. He felt as if he was about to accost him but stopped himself, not wanting to look like an impetuous boy in front of his parents.

He walked slowly away from there and moved towards his room hoping that his dad will not call him back immediately. It was just a small  room and there were only a few metres  he could walk before he arrived at the window. He tried to see what was out there, and his eyes opened wide because something made him feel very cold. It was his mother Isabelle pressing her arms over his shoulders and he moved into her arms that were tender and warm.’ 

He raised his head gently and looked at his mother and smiled.  He felt  bereft of any love and hope. Still he wanted to speak to her as though there was no other moment available for him.  He shared with her the conversation he had with his friend Raghav, the previous day. Raghav’s father was a heavy alcoholic undergoing treatment in the deaddiction center. Raghav was putting up bravely and not affected by the influence of his father’s alcoholism. He said that he too was in a similar situation in his own home.   She did not respond  and quietly caressed his uncombed hair.  She looked happier that his son will be far better human being than his dad.

*****  

The day was yet to dawn and the bell from the nearby church had rung.  For Isabelle, the day had already begun. The cook also had come. Both of them were busy preparing varieties of tasty food items for the day. It was John’s fiftieth birthday.  The previous day, Daniel had purchased a gift and kept it for his dad.  The pleasant aroma rose from the kitchen that almost pulled Daniel out of his bed who was still feeling groggy.

Just then, there was a  call  on the intercom from the security guard from the main gate.  As no one was around to attend it, he pulled himself out of the bed and picked up the phone. 

‘Good morning, Sir; there are some officers waiting outside the gate and insisting on meeting the bada sahib,’ the security guard seemed nervous while talking.

Daniel looked at the direction of the bedroom where his dad was sleeping. When he was about to respond to the message of the security guard, he heard a voice of a stranger at the other end of the intercom.  He identified himself as an officer from the Income Tax Department who has come with his team of officials as part of the raid operations they have commenced on the properties and business houses of  his dad. They wanted entry to their house immediately. He felt cold and numb. By then, John had come nearer to him and looked at him. It was late and the team of officials from the Income Tax department had already moved in to the house and started explaining their objectives of the raids planned. They directed  John and his family to extend cooperation for smooth operation of their work. In the next eight to nine hours, the officials rummaged the whole house which of course was a pretty big one for three of them to live there.  They could lay hands on a number of documents, a huge cache of jewels and hard currency notes, laptops and hard discs. They estimated the value of the seized wealth at over twenty crore of rupees. The chief among the officials made John and Isabelle sign a number of documents claiming to be part of inventory of items seized from their house. They also informed that simultaneous raids in his office and business premises were going on.

Daniel felt a sense of unease and discomfort in the stomach and he simply watched the proceedings unfolding in front of his eyes.

For a moment, he wanted to go back to his childhood days.  ‘I wish I could turn the clock and bring the wheels of time to a stop. I wish I could become the same old child without any opportunities to know the darker side of this life. But, it is not going to be any more. The sweet memories of his listening to the bed time stories, walking on the beach with his dad and other such moments seemed to be fading away leaving a sense of void in him.’

‘Has my birth  come with a baggage? Apart from the inheritance of positives, have I inherited a huge baggage of negatives? Was it my fault? Why should it happen to me?’

Why should I suffer such misfortune? I thought that I was born in the right family, a family nurtured with a value system that would fetch ten out of ten if a quiz on ethics and moral values are conducted.’ Daniel became grief-stricken.

He pondered the events of those few months so often and so deeply of his father not conducting his business affairs in ethical ways and particularly the raid of their home and business premises conducted  by the Tax Authorities, that day. 

Daniel was unable to reconcile to the very thought that his father was an opportunist mis-utilising power, leveraging and incorrectly using the value system. This wealth regardless of how it was accumulated will be passed on to him and will be inherited by him.  

‘Oh, God! Should I consider myself fortunate to have inherited such huge wealth or unfortunate to have been born to such a father who has broken all tenets of the value system we uphold of, which he preached through hundreds of his stories over the years.’

***** 

It was around eight in the night. The cook  had arranged  the food on the dining table for the supper and waited for the them to come there. The delicious food prepared by Isabelle with all joy and expectation of a celebration for the morning had all gone cold.  An eerie silence ensued.  There was a sense of uneasiness within each one of them as they occupied their seats and commenced their supper.

Daniel broke the silence.

‘Daddy,  you have brought me up with hundreds of bedtime stories. Today, I am going to share with you a story which you may not have found in any books.  It is my own creation, dad. Please lend me your ears and your heart for a while,’ so saying, he commenced his narration.

 “Once upon a time, there was a greedy young man who wanted to become rich through all means. The youth prayed to God to make him wealthier than ever before. God appeared before him and offered him a boon but with a condition that his most valuable wealth will be gone on his fiftieth birthday.  The young man blinded by his greed in accumulating wealth, agreed to that condition and saw his wealth growing multifold in front of his eyes in a few moments. Soon he was happily married and  blessed with a boy. Years rolled and the man had forgotten all about the condition put forth by God. On his fiftieth birthday, God came back and took away his young son who had just grown as a handsome and a virtuous man. This came as a big blow to the man and thus he was humbled by God that  made him realise the most valuable wealth in his life.”

‘Dad, I consider myself fortunate in not missing out on the nurturing care of my parents. Of course, you know that  I have only a few friends like Raghav with whom I keep company with apart from the company of  my books.  The good things I have picked up from you, are the morals from the stories you have narrated to me over the years and I have internalised most of them. I am more determined and clear in my thoughts now than any time before.  It is my rational unbiased decision driven not by any emotion but your legacy of wrongful means of creating wealth and driven by my own free thought. So, this will be my last supper in this home, no..no.. it is no more a home for me, and  it is just a house with walls shedding its tears all the time.’

‘I have found my own new world and I am going there. I need nothing from you including your wealth.’

‘Happy Birthday, Dad.’

Without waiting for his response, Daniel left the home and once outside, he was on his own.

***********

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[1] Write India Contest -2 dt 30 Aug 2017

A Distant Thunder - Virtan[1]

My little village, Annur was trying to wake up to the call of cuckoos and crows.  The thick overcast sky of the western ghats at a distance with green belt from the top and the water stream running down the hill looked as though an emerald stone studded platinum ring was being presented by Shiva, the Lord of mountains.

For me, the day has already begun.

Thoughts of completing my seventieth year in a week criss-crossing my mind, I walked in to the hall and called, ‘Sevandhi, bring my kanji (rice gruel)? I will have to go to the coconut plantation quickly.’

Sevandhi was equally quick in her response and she brought a big bowl of kanji and kept it on a stool near my chair. ‘It has been drizzling slowly but steadily. So take your umbrella. Also remember to return for lunch, as you forget the house once you move to the coconut plantation.’

I could not but smile and I sipped my kanji looking at her through the corner of my eye. She looked tired but never showed it off when it came to attending to my needs. Praising her for being my lady, I picked up the umbrella to go to the coconut plantation.

Just then, there was someone from outside my house calling my name, ‘Malaisamy, rains are expected in a week. So watering is not needed for the plantation for one month.’

When we moved in to this small quiet village decades back, it was all a vast piece of land mostly barren with green patch of shallow stumps found here and there. There was no plan to do any specific form of agriculture, though we were keen that we should start with some agricultural activities to sustain our living.  Perhaps, no one starts anything with a big vision. It is almost short and what strikes at the moment.

I claimed an elevated mount near my plantation and tried to survey the entire area. Most of the trees are well grown yielding nuts and fibres seasons after seasons. There are also laggard trees which either yield a few coconuts or none at all.

From there, I moved towards the coconut tree in the north-eastern corner of the longish plantation.  The tree was all but dry from top to bottom. It was one of the first batches of trees planted almost three decades back on the day when our son Virtan was born. I just moved my hand over one side of the tree with all my warmth as though I caressed my son. Why did not Gods name coconut trees as temple trees? Like a banana plantation, every part of a coconut tree is productive and useful.  I am a highly religious man and I asked Sevandhi if we can name this tree Virtan  as  this plantation was also a gift of God in our long journey of this life.

Initially, she was not keen to give her approval to it as she was overpowered by an intense sentiment of her son. But when I persisted, she just smiled and nodded her head in acceptance with a rider that I keep the name as Anvirtan to it.

‘Do you know the difference between these two names?’

‘No, but I do not want the exact name of our son to be given to the tree. That is all.’   

*****

Just then, a farm worker came to the field and asked me to return home as I had an urgent phone call to attend.

Virtan had called me up. I looked for Sevandhi and proceeded towards her. ‘Sevandhi, Virtan has phoned up some time back. What could be the reason? Why has he phoned me all on a sudden?’

His mother is the link for all what he wants from us…no..no… from me.

 ‘Yes, I know he called you. I told him that you would call back once you returned home. Just speak to him,’ Sevandhi responded from the kitchen.

‘Hello, Appa here..….. you called, I suppose.’

‘Ya, how is Amma? I want to move ahead with my business. I need your help. Can you and Amma   come over here and stay with us?’

‘I will have to ask Amma and then get back.’  Of course, Sevandhi was just standing nearby overhearing the conversation and giving silent prompts to me from time to time.

‘Why don’t you call Amma now and ask her consent? I can book your tickets.’  Virtan seemed to be impatient.

‘OK. Just wait, I will call Amma.’ I gave the mobile to her and asked her speak to Virtan.

‘Hey, Virta, how is Trilochana? … Appa says, you wanted to speak to me.’

‘Yes, Amma, I want you both to come and stay with us. I also need help from you and Appa for my business. Can I book your tickets by flight from Coimbatore to Mumbai for tomorrow?’

‘No ….no, don’t do that. We will certainly come. But I will ask Appa to speak to you in the evening about it.’  She ended the call and handed over the mobile to me.

I opened my thoughts to Sevandhi. ‘What does he want? We or our properties and money? We brought him up to be on his own. But every now and then he comes back with one request or the other for funds. It is unacceptable. We should not feed him for his foolhardy business ventures and get ourselves drowned in the quicksand and suffer.’

‘Let us go to Mumbai and listen to him. He is making his efforts to be on his own. If we cannot help our child, whom do you think will come forward and help him?’  Sevandhi was always supportive of him. After all, she is yet another mother blinded by the love for her child.

****

Trilochana called us to join the dinner served on the table.  Virtan took his seat just opposite to me. I wanted to avoid seeing him directly.

‘Appa, I know that I have taken your help on a few occasions before. This time too, I need yours. About two crores of rupees are needed for my new venture. It has potential to grow and we can get our investment returned in about two to three years. But I need the amount immediately.  Otherwise, a great opportunity will be lost and the investment already made dead.’

‘OK, what do you want me to do now? I can spare about ten to twenty lakhs. My suggestion is that you start with a small capital as I did with my coconut plantation. I just started with half an acre and that has grown to over ten acres now.’

‘I am asking for what you have saved for me; that too a part of it only.’

‘Saving to me is not what is left after expending the income. Saving to me is the expenditure foregone. That is the basic difference between your generation and my generation. Still, it has merits, Virtan.  So start small which will be within our means and not beyond.’

‘You are attached to your money and property and love them more than your own son.’

It pinched me strongly. But I remained quiet as usual.

Sevandhi egged me, ‘It is for starting a business. And we are going to give our wealth to him anyway. Instead of giving after a few years when he may not need it, why don’t you give now itself and make him move on?’

Knowing my Virtan, who has squandered his resources every time given to him and returned only to ask for more, I do not want to repeat the mistake any more. I was cool but firm in my thoughts that I would not yield to his demands.

Quickly, I made a   back of the envelope calculation and found that I have already given him about one crore and fifty lakh rupees. ‘OK, I will give fifty lakh and you manage the balance amount.’

‘Appa, you are talking like a pawn broker. You just keep your money with you.’ He became furious and stormed out of the dinner hall.

I was uneasy when Virtan went away with all anger writ on his face. There was no ill feeling for me. But I could not take it lightly. I just kept quiet for a while and moved out from there.  

****

‘I want to speak to you for a moment,’ Trilochana signalled Virtan.

‘Did your father become angry with you, and say anything that was unkind? Your father will not help you and you will continue to beg him every now and then.’

‘Oh, dear, no. He is usually calm. I also know that he always gets on my nerves. Nothing is so irritating as calmness.’ 

‘Yes, it shows that he is not so sensitive as you are. It makes a great barrier between two of you.’

‘But how do you say all these about my father?’

‘No, I could listen to the conversation between you and your father.’

‘You must not believe everything that was said, you know, Trilo.’

‘Why should I not believe when both of you were in an animated discussion?’

‘I am afraid you think too strongly, Trilo. But there is a great deal of truth.’

‘Your father is old enough to do wrong to his own and only son. He does not believe in you as you have lost all he gifted to you for your earlier ventures. But you are now old enough to do right and so, he should help you when you need it most. Now, it is between you and your father.’

My thoughts quickly summarised my past. ‘I am a son of a farmer. My parents were in Annur village,  once a large tract of parched dry land. They invested in me and gave me best of education. But I left them behind without interest in farming and moved out in search of my own life. Of course, there was no ill feeling for them- sheer my ignorance and mirage chasing.’

*****

I was awe struck. Now I have nothing more to offer than to feel ashamed of myself. With a lot of love and affection, we brought him up. He was a loving child too. Then when he grew, he started with great expectations from us though we were also willing to walk the talk to the extent possible. In a way, he started judging us from what we were giving him from time to time. Now I find him stung by the greed of making wealth from nowhere. Hardly, he would ever forgive us for our refusal to go with his demands. 

I felt our purpose of visit here was already over. With thoughts of returning home, we retired to our bedroom.  Early next day, I asked Sevandhi to pack our luggage so that we can leave the same day for the village.

****

Looking at my dusted name board ‘Malaisamy’ at the entrance of our home, Sevandhi stepped back awhile, ‘So much dust has gathered within a week since we left home.’

I just smiled, ‘Don’t worry Sevandhi, all can be cleaned up in a day.’

We returned home.

It had rained cats and dogs throughout the day and the previous night too. I was restless. I could not sleep with various thoughts crossing my mind like a flooded plain.  Lying on the bed turning from one side to another, I was waiting for the dawn.

But the day did not start with the Sun rising in the east. Where has it gone and why has it hidden itself from the world? Perhaps, it does not want to witness the nature’s fury that has caused havoc in the farms and fields.

The alarm from the mobile started ringing indicating it is 6.00 in the morning. I got up and looked at Sevandhi who was still sleeping. Her face looked tired and worn down. I thought of waking her up to get my kanji ready, but decided to wait for a while.

It was getting late enough to be worried. I once again stepped into the balcony and looked down. Except for a drenched street dog that was lying down miserably near the gate, there was not a soul to be seen anywhere. Rain water had puddled under the lamp post. A breeze ruffled the mango tree in the courtyard and a few twigs fell down and broke. Thunder rumbled in the distance. Did I hear a soft knock at the door? I turned back....

I could see the servant standing at a distance.

‘Saab, with heavy wind blowing and rains lashing out, a number of coconut trees have fallen in our plantation.’  

Without waiting for another moment, I rushed out towards the farm.  Restlessness was writ on my face with sweat trickling down my cheeks and the spine.  I could see scores of coconut trees that had fallen on the ground uprooted making deep trenches similar to moon’s craters.  Some trees were broken from the middle and hanging loosely. Was it so devastating? Coconut trees are supposed to stay rooted strongly against heavy winds. But it looked as though the fury of rain god has descended with all its force in the areas where our farmland is located.  Glancing from one side to another, I increased my pace of walking. With most of the trees uprooted and stumped, I could feel my heart sinking. Clutching the towel on my shoulders and closing my mouth with it, I moved swiftly inside my farm. Is it madness or the attachment to the coconut trees and the way they were nurtured all these years as part of my family that made me feel sick from inside? I moved my hand over  a few of the trees like I used to caress my son, that have fallen flat one over the other. Such was my attachment, though I was vocal about the need for detachment in life.

I neared the Anvirtan  tree and found it was still standing despite most of its roots plucked out violently by the heavy winds that were blowing throughout the previous day and night. While a number of strong and healthy trees have fallen down, this Anvirtan tree was still holding out but dangerously to its roots. It was windy and the remaining trees were oscillating wildly from one side to the other. I hear noises of some more trees falling on the ground from the nearby plantations.

I was taken aback and my body was trembling.  I felt as though Virtan, my son, was in great distress. Should I have given the amount sought for by him? I should discuss with Sevandhi once back home and arrange to send him the amount quickly.

Wiping the tears that rolled down my eyes, I stopped on my tracks and gazed at the tree from a distance. Then, I started moving slowly towards it with all strange thoughts crowding my mind. I tried to look at it and felt as though it wanted to speak to me.  I moved closer.

‘Appa, you refused to help me when I needed it most. Then why should there be a relationship between you and me?’  Words spoken a couple of days back by Virtan, my son, echoed now when I looked at  Anvirtan, the tree.

‘I heard Sevandhi calling me from a distance to return home as it was very stormy outside. Holding an umbrella, she was trying to reach me.’

Suddenly lightning blinded my eyes and the thunder reverberated the sky and the Anvirtan tree snapped from above and the top portion of the trunk crashed the temple of my head and pinned  me down to the ground. Then an eerie silence pervaded.

‘Choked at the throat, Sevandhi screamed, Virta…….’

Sevandhi, just slumped to the ground and cried loudly, ‘Oh! No…  I did not want to name the tree and treat it as our son. Look what happened?’

*****

Trilochana looked grim. She held out the mobile phone to Virtan. ‘Your mother wants to speak to you.’

As Virtan picked the phone from her, he felt the coldness of  her hands.

‘Hello, Amma’.  He was also cold in his expressions as he was seething with anger against his parents.

‘Virta, Appa is no more. He was hit by our own Anvirtan coconut tree and got crushed under its heavy blow.’

‘When!?’

‘Just about an hour ago.  Please come immediately.‘  Sevandhi was choking in her throat and  the mobile phone trembling in her hand.

The line snapped from his hand too, ‘Oh, my God, Trilo, Appa is no more.’

‘Have I overplayed my issue with my father? He was rather killed in a freak accident. So how can I be responsible for his death?’  With confusion clouding his thoughts, he put his hands on her shoulders and looked speechless.

 *****

Next week, the coconut plantation was sold and it fetched two crore and ten lakh of rupees, more than what Virtan wanted.  Sevandhi moved to the photo of her husband kept near the puja room and took the bank demand draft from there, gave it to Virtan with her blessing and moved away.

I looked through my new look photo frame and I too blessed him.

---

[1] New unpublished story

இது ஒரு குறிஞ்சி மலரின் உண்மைக் கதை

                               

இது ஒரு குறிஞ்சி மலரின் உண்மைக் கதை           

முதலில், நம் புராணத்தைப் பார்ப்போம்.

‘ஷாஷ்டி தேவி’ என்றும் ‘தேவ சேனா’ என்றும் அழைக்கப் படும் இவர்,  திருமணமான பெண்களால் வணங்கப்படும் கடவுள்களில் மிக முக்கியமான கடவுள்.  இக் கடவுள் திருமணமான பெண்களுக்குக் குழந்தை வரம் கொடுப்பவர்; பிறந்த குழந்தையைக் காப்பாற்றுபவர் என்றும் நம்பிக்கை.  இவர் தங்க மயமான நிறத்துடனும், கைகளில் குழந்தைகளை அணைத்தவாறு பூனை மீது சவாரி செய்தும் காட்சியளிப்பார்.  வருடத்தில் ஆறு முறை இவரை வழிபடும் வகையில் திருவிழாக்கள் நடத்தப்படுகின்றன. (ஒவ்வொரு சந்திர மாதமும், ஆறாவது நாள் இவ்விழா கொண்டாடப் படுவதாகக் கூறப்படுகிறது- The worship of Shashthi is prescribed to occur on the sixth day of each lunar month of the Hindu calendar as well as on the sixth day after a child's birth). மேலும், குழந்தையை இழந்த பெண்கள் ஷாஷ்டிக் கடவுளை ஒவ்வொரு மாதமும் வழிபடுவார்கள் என்றும் நம்பிக்கை.  ஷாஷ்டிக் கடவுள் பூமி கடவுளின் (பூமி மாதா) ஆறாவது அவதாரம் என்றும், அவரை கார்த்திகேயன் கடவுளின் மனைவி என்றும் கூறுவர். [1]

இப்போது ஒரு உண்மைச் சம்பவம்.

ஹரிகிருஷ்ணா, சிவ சக்தி இருவரும் (அண்ணா- தங்கை) அழகான இரட்டைக் குழந்தைகள்.  அவர்களின் அம்மா திருமதி மலர் (உண்மை பெயர்) தன் குடும்பத்தின் பொருளாதாரத்தின் நிர்பந்தத்தால்  ‘அம்மா உணவகம்’ ஒன்றில் வேலை பார்ப்பதுடன் மூன்று வீடுகளில் கூலி வேலை செய்தும் வருகிறார். அவருக்கு புவனேஷ்வர் என்று ஒரு மகனும் உண்டு.  கிட்டதட்ட பத்து வருடங்கள் முன்பு பொங்கல் திருநாள் ஒரு திங்கட்கிழமையன்று வந்தது. அன்று அன்னை மலர்,  தன்  குழந்தைகளுடன் வீட்டில் பொங்கல் பானை வைத்து கரும்பு, வித விதமான பழங்கள் என்று வைத்து சூரிய கடவுளை வணங்கி உண்ட களைப்பு  நீங்க  இளைப்பாறி கொண்டிருந்தனர். மலரின் மைத்துனர் தன் ஸ்கூட்டரில் அங்கு அவர்களைப் பார்த்துச் செல்ல வந்தார். வரும் வழியில், அவர் ஒரு ‘டாஸ்மாக்’ கடையைப் பார்த்து மயங்கி ஒரு கட்டிங்க் (Cutting) போட்டுவிட்டு ஒன்றும் கூறாமல் வந்துள்ளார் என்று மலருக்குத் தெரியவில்லை. சிறிது நேரம் கழித்து, அவருடன் ஸ்கூட்டரில் ஒரு சுற்று சென்று வர ஹரிகிருஷ்ணா விருப்பம் தெரிவிக்க, தன் மைத்துனர் கட்டிங்க் அடித்து வந்ததைப் பற்றி ஒன்றும் அறியாது, தன் மகன் அவருடன் ஸ்கூட்டரில் சென்று வர அனுமதித்தார்.  அவர்கள் வெளியே சென்ற ஒரு அரை மணி நேரத்தில் அடுத்த வீட்டு நண்பர் ஓடி வந்து ஹரிகிருஷ்ணா சென்ற ஸ்கூட்டர் விபத்துக்குள்ளாகி விட்டதாகவும், அவனின் உடல் நிலைமை கவலைக்கிடமாகவும் இருப்பதாகக் கூறிச் சென்றார். மலரும் அவர் விபத்து நடந்த இடத்திற்கு விரைந்தார். அவர் அங்கே கண்டது, ஹரிகிருஷ்ணாவின் உரு குலைந்து இறந்து கிடந்த காட்சியைத்தான்.  மறு நாள் (செவ்வாய் கிழமை) ஹரிகிருஷ்ணாவின் உடலை தகனம் செய்தனர். அன்றிலிருந்து அவர்கள் வாழ்க்கையில் ஒரு பெரிய திருப்பம்.  

தன் அன்பு மகனின் நினைவாக ஒவ்வொரு செவ்வாய் கிழமையன்றும், மலர் தன் இறந்த மகனின் ஆத்மாவை சாந்தி படுத்தும் என்ற நம்பிக்கையுடன் ஷஷ்டி கடவுளை வேண்டி, உணவு உட்கொள்ளாமல் நோன்பு கடைபிடித்து வருகிறார்.  

நம்மில் எத்தனையோ மனிதர்கள் ஒவ்வொரு மாதமும் அம்மாவாசையன்று முன்னோர்களை நினைவு கூறும் வகையில் தர்ப்பணம் செய்து வருகிறோம். இதுவன்றி, மஹாளய பட்சம் சமயத்திலும் (ஓவ்வொரு வருடமும் ஆவணி மாதம் பௌர்ணமிக்கு அடுத்த நாள் பிரதமை முதல் அமாவாசை முடிய பதினைந்து நாட்கள் முன்னோர்களை வணங்குதல்) தர்ப்பணம் செய்து வருகிறோம்.

இங்கே ஒரு தாய் தனக்குத் தெரிந்த வழியில் (வேத புத்தகங்களைப் படித்தோ, ஒரு வேத விற்பன்னரின் அறிவுறை இன்றியோ) இந்த செவ்வாய் கிழமை உண்ணா நோன்பை கடைப்பிடித்து வருகிறார். வேத புத்தகங்கள் உண்மை சம்பவங்களின் அடிப்படையில் எழுதப் பட்டுள்ளாதாக வேத விற்பன்னர்கள் கூறுகின்றனர். ஆனால், இந்த 21ஆம் நூற்றாண்டில் கடவுள் நம்பிக்கை பற்றி கடினமாக விமர்சனம் செய்து வரும் கால கட்டத்தில், இந்த மலர் என்ற தாய் தனக்குத் தெரிந்த வழியில் ஒரு புது வேத மந்திரமாக இறந்த குழந்தை நினைவாக ஒவ்வொரு செவ்வாய் கிழமையும் உணவு உண்ணா நோன்பை கடை பிடித்து வருகிறார். இவர் எழுதும் வேதம் புதிது. இவர் போன்ற மனிதர்களைப் பற்றி அறிவதில்தான் எத்தனை மன நிறைவு கிடைக்கிறது. இவர் போன்ற மனிதர்களைப் பார்ப்பதும் அரிதுதான்.  இவர்,  பன்னிரண்டு வருடங்களுக்கு ஒரு முறை மலரும் ஒரு ‘குறிஞ்சி மலர்’ தான்.

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[1] (Hindu Mythology, Vedic and Puranic); https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shashthi; http://hindumythologybynarin.blogspot.in/2014/06/shasti-devi-story-of-goddess-deva-sena.html)

Empty (the) Stomach!!!

With our increased frequency of reading and forwarding messages through WhatsApp, we get a sense of feeling that we have become more health conscious and demi-doctors to take care of ourselves. Of course, it is another matter of concern that  our visits to doctors have  not come down. Rather, it has become more frequent than ever before. 

Today, when I opened the WhatsApp on my mobile, one of the first messages received was a video in which a doctor was very persuasively sensitising the audience about the goodness of taking one litre of water on an empty stomach as the first thing in the morning that will help neutralising alkalinity in our stomach.

A few days back, a forward  was received on the virtues of taking a fruit that would serve as a detoxicant if taken on an  empty stomach every morning. 

 

One message reportedly from a guru  exhorted the goodness of ginger-honey drink as a blood purifier if taken every morning on an empty stomach.

I am a diabetic with creatinine above the permissible level. My loving sister googled (another demi-doctor on hand) and shared a message in the WhatsApp. It advised taking a  concoction made of  barley, wheat, black jeera (kalonji)  water every morning on an empty stomach as a cure for diabetes and reduction of creatinine level. Of course,  there was improvement in my creatinine level. I am not however, sure if the reduction was on account of the concoction or my reduced consumption of  protein rich food as advised by my diabetologist.   

One of our children  was suffering from dry cough and all our efforts to get at the root of the problem failed. As a god sent,  one WhatsApp message popped up in my mobile, recommending ‘Tulsi Arc Water’ every morning on an empty stomach as a  cure for it. She was very religiously taking the TAW every morning and  found considerable improvement in her dry cough. She was not sure if it was the placebo effect or the TAW effect taken every morning on an empty stomach.

Recently, one of our relatives was diagnosed with cancer. Soon, a rush of forwards and messages poured in his WhatsApp account.  A few messages are worth mentioning. One recommended taking a concoction of wheat sprouts, garlic and apple cider every morning and of course on an empty stomach for a sure cure of cancer. Another one counselled drinking  asparagus juice every morning on an empty stomach. Another strongly recommended drink was green tea to be taken every morning on an empty stomach.

My wife was diagnosed with hypothyroidism. The doctor prescribed a tablet to be taken every morning on an empty stomach. Having been forced by me to maintain good health, thanks to WhatsApp-cum- demi-doctor’s advice,  she is in a dilemma as to which of the drinks she should take first in the morning.

The list is endless.  In the present day living,   most of us may be suffering from more than one illness or disease. It is an everyday challenge  to start the day as a variety of drinks are waiting to be taken as the first thing in the morning.

I recall my childhood days when my mother used to force me  to drink a spoonful of  castor oil mixed with milk on an empty stomach once in  every three months. It was considered a detoxicant and it surely emptied the stomach.  In order to follow various recommendations, suggestions on wellness, humans should be blessed with the features of ruminants so that we can have multiple chambers of our stomach.

As I was reading another forward on health in my WhatsApp, my grandson  started  humming the rhyme ‘….stomach aching, stomach aching just now, call the doctor…..’. I just laughed.

Just then, my wife called  the housemaid to the kitchen to collect her breakfast. The housemaid politely declined to take it saying, ‘Amma, today is Ekadasi and so I am on fast for the whole day.’ Her faith in going on empty stomach for a day in a month  is the  best wellness tip that should be  posted in the WhatsApp and read by one and all.

Importance of Parishéchanam

Parishéchanam Mantras are:

To begin with an invocation mantra is chanted, that is Gayathri Mantra with appropriate rituals.

Then, with uttering every mantra mentioned below,  a small portion of food is consumed:

i.                    Prāṇaya Swaha

ii.                   Apānaya Swaha

iii.                 Vyānaya Swaha

iv.                 Udānaya Swaha

v.                   Samānaya Swaha

vi.                 Brahmāneya Swaha

Finally, ending the process with a few more of rituals [sathyam thvarthéna parishinchámi (during the day) ;  rutham thvá sathyéna  parishinchámi  (during the night)].

‘Parishéchanam’  means ‘moistening’ or ‘sprinkling with water’ or ‘encircling or going round 

the food sprinkling water’.  It is considered  an oblation to the Supreme God before 

commencing eating any food. It is not ‘Pariseshanam’  which means ‘special balance of 

something'. The word ‘sesha’ here means balance. So, the difference between these two 

should be understood.

(http://www.ramanuja.org/sv/bhakti/archives/mar2000/0149.html)

The men  of Brahmin community are supposed to perform this ritual every time they 

commence eating their food. A number of them would know the rationale behind 

performing this ritual. A number of them may be doing this ritual without knowing 

its underlying rationale. A number of Brahmins do not perform either as they may 

not have faith in performing such rituals or they may not know the mantras and 

forgotton them all together. 

A number of rituals in any community has some rationale behind them. Here is an attempt 

to understand the rationale of ‘Parishéchanam’, particularly  the importance of the 

above six mantras. 

When we understand the meaning of a term and contextualise it then it will enhance our 
appreciation of doing it. Hope this would  help our understanding of their importance too.

Here, I am taking you to the Upaniśad days and more particularly to Praśna Upaniśad. The Praśna Upaniśad is found in the Atharva Veda. As all we know, the word Praśna means ‘question’. As the word implies, the teachings in this Upaniśad are based on a series of questions. We always have questions in our minds, especially about our identity. We all say ‘I’, but who is this ‘I’? The Indian idea is that you should know yourself first.  So, this Praśna Upaniśad is in the form of question and answer sessions between Shri Pippalāda, the teacher and six of his students and each one of them asking one question.

The question No.2 seeks to know about various sense organs of the body, which of them are revealing and which one is the most important. Shri Pippalāda, the teacher  explains that (according to Great Saint Sankara’s interpretation) this body is composed of five elements viz., ākāśa, space; vāyu, air; agni, fire; apa, water; and pŗthivī, earth. Then, from these elements, we get our organs of action (karmendriyas) and organs of perception (jňānendriyas). The organs of actions are : vāk , the organ of speech; pāni, the hands, pāda, the feet; pāyu, the organ of evacuation; and upastha, the organ of procreation. And the organs of perception are: śrotra or karṇa, the ear; tvak, the organ of touch; cakșuḥ, the eye; jihvā, the tongue; and ghrāṇa or nāsikā, the nose. Besides, there is Prāṇa, the life-force and so it is the principal organ. All organs of the body except Prāṇa boastfully claimed that they made the body strong and upheld it. In response, Prāṇa told these organs not to be boastful about their powers. So, Prāṇa warned them not to be in a state of delusion (Mā moham āpadyatha)  and said that ‘I alone sustain this body by dividing myself into five parts. And these are, Prāṇa, Apāna, Vyāna, Udāna, and Samāna.

Prāṇa is responsible for inhaling and exhaling;

Apāna  is responsible for elimination of food;

Vyāna pervades the nerves of the body;

Udāna maintains the heat in the body;

Samāna helps disgest and assimilate food;

(Brahmaney …is an oblation to Brahma who is believed to be living within each one of us).

Through these five functions, Prāṇa controls all our physical movements and makes our 

physical activities possible. These are interdependent and not independent. 

The other organs were not impressed by this explanation. Then Pippalāda, the teacher gives the example of a queen bee and the worker bees in a beehive.   Just like when a queen bee leaves the beehive all the worker bees also leave and when the queen bee returns to the hive, the worker bees too return to the hive, when the Prāṇa tried to leave the body and all other organs could not stay any further and so they too followed it and  when Prāṇa  returned,  so also all other organs returned to the body. After this experience all other organs accepted the supremacy of Prāṇa.

So, as we take every grain of food, we are made to remember the importance of  critical functions of these organs of our body and their interdependence  and we thank each one of them for keeping us fit and healthy. It is a sort of thanksgiving to each of these organs of the body every time we take our food so that we become humble in our way of living.   

Of course, my weird thought is as to why should this wonderful ritual be performed by only a select men of brahmins (those who have completed the thread ceremony in a formal way). It is necessary for everyone of us to be humble and be thankful to various organs of our body for keeping us healthy. Then why should it not be observed by all men and women? I do not have an answer. But I found that this ritual when performed with full understanding of its rationale would make us realise that interdependence is of greater value than independence.