Money. The way we perceive its value has changed much over time. A one-rupee coin means nothing. Often, a ten-rupee note is something we take for granted. Many of us do not think twice when a meal costs us a fortune. This got us thinking, and we decided to take a camera and head out. We went around asking people what they thought Rs. 750 could get them – we were surprised by the answers we got!
A guard at the metro station
While we were waiting to take the metro to our next shoot location, we chatted with the guard on duty. We asked him what his views were. He scoffed at us! He said that we were crazy to think that we would get anything of value for that much. He went on to ask us if we followed the news or not. The 50 year old man said that the sinking value of money saddened him and left him feeling helpless.
A student
This young boy measured out his life in terms of the pocket money he received (which was a lot more than Rs. 750!). He went on to describe a whole bunch of things he could buy for that much money – many McDonald meals, clothes at offbeat stores, music, fuel for his bike, etc. He sure knew how to ration out his money, but when we told him that Rs. 750 could feed a child for a whole year, he was taken aback! Whatever else he expected, he didn’t quite expect that!
A housewife
They say that if you need lessons in money management, ask a housewife. She sure knows how to plan a whole family’s life within any given budget. But when we told her to figure out how she’d feed someone on Rs. 750 for a year, even she was stumped!
Each conversation we had gave us a fresh insight into our work. It demonstrated how in our day-to-day lives, we may have taken much for granted. But this Rs. 750 can make a huge difference to a child’s life. We urge you to think twice. Think 750 times. And make a meaningful contribution.
