I feel the middle class is the most disturbed class in India. Let us take, for example, the latest case of the pandemic - Corona, when everything was under lockdown. The rich were not bothered about anything, the poor had the Government to stand by them and provide free rationing and even financial help was given to them. What have I got as a middle-class person? I have no objection to the freebies being given, what I am concerned is that the Government should do something and think about the middle class too. What have I got as a middle-class person?
Anyway, we as middle-class people have our own concerns and have unwritten rules that bind us; I wish to enlist a few of them:
1) Money :
Since birth, we are taught that money is not to be spent, but managed.
2) Education :
Parents will always tell their children “ Padh likh lo aur bade aadmi bano” i.e. education is crucial for climbing success and later making money as an officer. For this, we can go to any extent- borrow money from friends, relatives and take loans from Bank for the higher education of our wards and give them the best of education so that he/she becomes well educated and a big officer in a good organization.
3) Food :
Food is very important for middle-class people. They feel that they earn to eat. “Do roti k liye hi to aadmi kamata hai”. Quality is important and to order comfortably in a nice restaurant is a feeling of richness.
4) House :
We would like to have a house of our own, as a security for old age and our thinking is that we should pay the loan installments rather than paying rent so that we can have a property and a roof over our head which we can call our own. We feel that paying rent is a waste of our money.
5) Repairs :
We prefer to repair damaged items ourselves or look for a local repairer rather than going for repairs in a company showroom as we feel that the latter charge exorbitant rates. In the process, we may have to get the item repaired a number of times, the cost of such repairs may sometimes surpass the cost of a new item.
6) Relationships :
We value our relations and relationships are more important to us than money. According to us, they are a source needed for survival. We wish to live with relations and in old times joint family concept was adopted, so that when one is in trouble others are there to help him emotionally and financially.
7) Weddings :
We will suppress our wishes and desires for the entire life and save money in order that the wedding of our daughter is celebrated with great pomp and show. Sometimes we even borrow money from greedy money lenders with a very high rate of interest and spend our entire life returning the same.
8) Passing on Gifts :
On some occasions like birthdays, weddings, etc. sometimes some excellent gifts are given by the guests. After the party is over the whole family sits surrounding the gifts and sees that the gift which is good is kept aside to be passed on to other people’s occasions. And the height is that even the gift wrappers are kept under the mattress so that they remain straight and can be used for another gift wrap.
9) Cutting of toothpaste :
We waste nothing. Once the toothpaste or for that matter any other tube is finished, it is cut and the material inside is used for a few days more.
10) Soft Drink Bottles & Ice cream containers :
Soft drink bottles when empty are used as water bottles in the fridge and ice cream containers are utilized for storing rations, pulses, rice, and keep biscuits and namkeen.
11) Polythene seat covers of a new car are not removed soon:
While purchasing a new car we do not remove the polythene seat covers of the car for quite some time, otherwise, how would the people know that we have purchased a new car.
12) God save the electrical & electronic gadgets:
These gadgets are retired only when they throw their hands up. They are constantly got repaired unless they die their own death or the repairer requests us to throw them away as he too gets fed up with repairing them again and again. Replacement is the last thing on our minds.
13) Torch or Remotes cells :
We squeeze these cells of their entire power. The torch and remotes are beaten black & blue if they slow down. And the funny part is that they also start functioning for some time before getting a beating again. Replacing such cells is considered a waste of money by us. We even try interchanging them so we can use them for some more time. One can occasionally see a remote being beaten for the cells to energize and start working again.
14) Old clothes :
Why throw old and torn clothes?? Like I said, we never waste anything. These old clothes are used for making shopping bags or used for making ‘pocha’ or mop.
I remember a funny incident where a pyjama used by an elder brother was given to the younger brother to wear. From there it went on to make a shopping bag or ‘thaila’. When the bag was worn out it was used to make a mop. See how we use things!
15) Bargaining is our birthright:
Our shopping is not complete without bargaining, whether it is clothes, furniture, vegetables or fruits or you can say we have the quality to bargain for ‘anything and everything’. At a store where ‘Fixed Price’ board is placed, even God cannot stop us from bargaining and believe it or not we are happy even if we manage to get a few rupees reduced, otherwise we would prefer to move out of the shop and go to another shop, sometimes even leaving behind the item that we had selected for purchase.
16) Anything Free is acceptable:
We are always on the lookout for free things. The manufacturers are also aware of our mentality and come up with schemes like "Buy one Get one Free" and we proudly tell others that I have got one thing free with the other, although the price of the thing is more than the usual price, BUT it is 'free for us'.
It is a great satisfaction and we think we have won a battle if we manage the vegetable vendor to give us some free ‘dhaniya’ and ‘mirchi’ ( coriander and chilies).
17) Electricity Bill:
The best part is when a fat electricity bill arrives. The entire family is on its toes to switch off the lights and fans. Each member of the family blames the other for the wastage of electricity and the fat bill. Father will say “I knew this time we are going to get a huge electricity bill. You people let the lights and fans running even when you are not in the room. It is always my duty to see that I switch them off when you are not in the room”. And saying this he may even switch off the fans and light while the family members are still sitting there.
So dear friends ‘We are Middle-Class people’ and have many such rules and ‘qualities’ but I am proud to say that we form the backbone of the country. Proud to belong to Middle Class.
What about my other middle-class friends? Please comment and send the unwritten rules you have made for yourself.
Pics Courtesy Unsplash
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Funny you mention these. This is how I survive my entire life. Your clothing are beautiful, the material is strong. The things I buy for clothing, I buy from Wal-mart at $3 each. An outfit only cost $6-7. This is it.
ReplyDeleteWe do the same with coffee cans, plastic containers, etc.. We cannot afford any more. My bf have his slippers from when he was only 20. He keep always & glue back together when fall apart. This is survival.