We live In a country where politicians are willing to sell the promise of Khadi Gold, a kind of 24-carat gold sold to Aam Aadmi at 10% of normal gold prices stating that our sarkari scientists have used Vedic sciences and Gobar gas to mine gold from Hiranyagarbha or mother earth that is extraordinarily pure and cheap.
We live in a country that saw airlines auction off tickets in the middle of the night so people were able to fly from Delhi to Bangalore for the price of the autorikshaw fare from Jayanagar to old Bangalore airport. We honour those entrepreneurs who ushered in loss-making unsafe airlines that they later sold off to liquor barons who can dream in only one colour, red.
We live in a country quite comfortable seeing (extremely rich) civil aviation ministers solving economic equations involving loss-making airlines, unprecedented airport taxes and 25% rises in fuel costs so people can fly cheap; scamster ministers who when in power secreted away mobile spectrum licences to benefit dubious businessmen, and who later fault, sitting in Tihar jail, auditors for raising the bogey of notional losses to the government of Rs 1,760,000,000,000.-
We live in a country where Aam Aadmi wants to fly CHEAP. So he can save money for his daughter's dowry. Or his wife's gold. And then we watch fly-by-night financiers offer (on TV and in newspaper ads) incredible cash loans against your GOLD!
We live in a country where huge debates in all media clamour that gas prices should be subsidized, cheap airfares be mandatory, and airlines should go bankrupt and die. After all, we are a free market economy built on subsidy and gold!
Remember we worship Rama. He flew first class on a chartered golden heavenly aircraft from Lanka to Ayodhya FREE!
