As my trimming process was busy happening some guys walked in, sort of semi formally dressed, he should have been in his early 20′s, but his frame indicated that he was a person who put his body to daily labor and enquired about the price for the hair cutting services. It was INR 50. To which the painful reaction that the boy gave was so heart overwhelming that made all the rest of us in the shop think the kind of financial trouble the guy should be going through. He nodded his head, unable to ask for a reduction and not wanting to walk out either, he could not speak tamil, and was a person who could just speak hindi, maybe gujrati or oriya ,maybe. So i was kind of translating his words and gestures in tandem for my barber. After a point, my barber understood his reaction and readily said in tamil, poor working boys! I will do it for INR 20! in fact he actually said 20 ok?! as though he was willing to just get it done for him.

My barber is a busy guy and this reduction was not something he did out of his desperation for new business but a generous heart to help a worker. No supply – demand crap and all economic jargons! Ask what does not pinch.

This also gave me an insight into what was necessary for all of us to do in the current wake of the global economic recession. Are we willingly reducing our charges for services so that people can lead their normal lives without feeling the pinch!

What have to done to reduce the impact of recession?

The recent spurt in the Indian growth story has been fueled by increase in the Services sector output. Thats about 8% of Indian GDP for the financial year closing (expected Mar 2009). Now what needs to be noted is that 82% of it comes from the Top 20 IT giants in India. Out of which 68% comes from Banking industry worldwide. Thats a no brainer of a cascading!

What is more important to see is that unlike any other industry, the Indian consumerism is very largely fueled by this industry because of the very high free flow of the funds. ‘Now hit the source and the ripples drown you’ thought of the ancient british empire is probably appropriate here. The Insurance sector worth more than $10 billion in India is a direct shadow thriver of the IT industry and so is the realestate.

What is required is not the funding of the same of system to keep the liquidity high for the spending, what is more required is a fundamental change in the economic priorities of our future. What is necessary is the investment to fund basic self reliance industry verticals like Food / Clothing and housing. The more the foreign funds dependence on these sectors the further will the Indian system be attached to the global “all fall down’ syndrome.

The answer I guess lies in the ‘We’ I guess, as rightly put to me! It should be have been I! Cause in that case I have the solution that I can we working towards 100%

But that did put me into an cascading thought process! The previous post in itself was a consequence of that conversation. 5 pound brain and a billion thoughts!

Is composure normal or is it just an needed and accepted social reality?