The British Crown Jewels
Quote from today's The Hindu:
‘Mahatma’ pens from Mont Blanc -241 pieces of the white gold pen will be available
Mont Blanc to come out with a limited-series pen on the Father of the Nation. The high-end pen is priced around Rs.14 lakh, according to a watch retailer. The pen comes with a gold wire entwined by hand around the middle, which “evokes the roughly wound yarn on the spindle with which Gandhi spun everyday.”
There is also the ‘Mahatma Gandhi Limited Edition 3000’ pen available, both as a fountain pen and a roller ball. Three thousand piece each will be available worldwide. The pen which is available for about Rs.1.7 lakh (fountain pen) and Rs.1.5 lakh (roller ball) comes with sterling silver mountings on the cap and the cone.
Unquote
I remember a joke. A rich school girl's essay on poverty goes like this:
There was once a poor girl. Everyone at her home was poor- her parents, servants, drivers, nannies, cooks and gardeners!
Mahatma's India in 2009 scoffs at jokes about cattle class and holy cows. But the nation seems to miss this joke! What next? Slumdog diamond necklaces, Garibi Hatao designer wear and finally Bhikari wedding packages in Bangkok!
No wonder we build temples to self-effacing saints with golden thrones and crescents, and throw lavish parties to celebrate the poor!
