When
you think of Gold and Indians, the first image that probably pops up in your
head is that of Bappi Lahiri. Well, remove that memory now and try to think
that image never came into your head.
A
couple of weeks back, I went out shopping with my mother who wanted to buy
something for her friend who was retiring. And what did she choose to buy?
Silver. I couldn’t quite understand the Indian obsession with buying/gifting
Gold and Silver and an argument ensued in the shop, about the sensibilities
behind buying something that you very rarely use anyways.
And
here’s the conversation that followed.
Me : Why
are you buying this piece of silver?
Mom : It is a silver lamp da. They’ll find it
useful. They can light it every day in their house.
Me : Oh
really? How many Silver Lamps have we been gifted?
Mom : That’s there da. Quite a few I guess.
Me : And
where are they? I haven’t ever seen them at home?
Mom : Illa
da. It’s not really safe these days. They are all safely locked up in the
bank locker.
Me : Wow.
And you expect your friend not to do the same with this one you are buying
them?
Mom : <Nearly agitated> See, don’t hurt my
sentiments.
Me :
Now this is a sentimental buy and not a
useful one? What will you do with the Silver stuff that we were gifted? Don’t
they all blacken in the locker?
Mom :
Well, some of them do. These shops have exchange offers no. We come back and
get it exchanged for something new at a minimal cost.
**Salesman in the
Gold Shop gives a vigorous nod and talks about how high a price they give in
their exchange schemes**
Me : Wow.
So someone gives you a gift in the expectation that you use it. You put it in
the locker to keep it safe, and then when it blackens, you exchange it in these
shops that give you an Extra-ordinary price! And buy something that you gift to
someone else, who probably will do the same. I see only one beneficiary in this
whole process. This sales guy and his shop!
**And the sales guy
gives me a wry smile to indicate I am a mad guy to be arguing against the Holy
Indian Sentiment of buying Gold & Silver**
The argument in the shop ended but I kept
probing my mom and dad, and a few others on why people buy gold! And here are
some of the arguments I got.
“Gold
is mandatory for a girl’s marriage. So, I have started buying up now. What if
the Gold Price increases later?”
What
if the guy turns out to be good and doesn’t want gold. What if Gold is no
longer the in-thing then, and people want platinum or diamonds or whatever. What
if the rate of gold hits a rut by then and you end up getting it a lot cheaper
then. And more importantly why the hell is Gold mandatory for a girl’s
marriage. If at all you want to shower your love on her, give her and her
husband something that they’ll actually use no? Not something that they’ll keep
safely in the locker and use when their kid reaches marriage-able age!
“Gold
is a form of showing love.”
What
do people do with the silver and gold articles that you gift them. Put them in
a locker and keep them safe, and then pass it on to their kids. What do they
do. Wait till they start getting bad, come back to the jewel shops, return them
and buy something new and put it back in the locker hoping for some fine day
when they can do a Bappi da impression or buy something else to gift someone
else!
“Having
gold is auspicious. That too buying Gold on Akshaya Tritiya means wealth will
flow throughout the year in our house”
And
then you laugh at today’s generations who ‘celebrate’
Mothers Day, Fathers Day and XYZ Day. Are you sure this isn’t one of those more
elaborate ancient versions of the ‘Archies-Hallmark Holidays’ like Rose Day,
Teddy bear day and whatever crap? Isn’t this whole brouhaha around Akshaya
Tritiya like those ones around the Special Discount seasons when sales get low.
Because there aren’t enough marriages happening in that time, and gold sales
may plummet?
“Gold
is a form of savings/investment.”
Well,
if your intention is to save money or investment, then do some actual
investment no. Why not actually save or invest by putting the money in a bank
or in a mutual fund/stock market or in the worst case one of those Fixed
Deposit schemes run by Nationalised Banks and Post Offices? Or if you want to
invest by buying something, buy something that you might actually use and is of
value to you no.
And
last but certainly the worst! “When you wear gold to marriage, you show you
are doing good. That your family is treating you well”
So,
if you wear gold when you go to a marriage, you display that things are going
well. That you are well off. And want to flaunt your excesses through dazzling
gold jewels. Why live for the society or to create a perception that you are
well off, and can buy gold.
And
today the Indian gold obsession has manifested itself in multiple forms. EMI
schemes to save up gold by the time your daughter is of ‘marriageable’ age! Buy
gold at today’s rates in the future. Gold SIPs. Gold this, Gold that and Gold
what not!
And
question all these with your parents or elders, they will say ‘You won’t understand now’. Next stage ’As if you not buying it as a single person
is going to change the society’.
And the final bombshell: ‘Won’t you ask for gold when you get married’
Well, why the hell would
I!
2 comments:
Hi Shrinivas,
Well written. Like to comment on your last point to strengthen your argument of course.
For the last couple of years i have seen that even for marriages people chose not to wear gold as it is risky but wear imitations of them.
So practically there is no place where the consumption happens, it is bought and saved.
Even our films do not spare us lesser mortals :The perennial Losers: The Indian Husband.
Talk of Selling gold (which by the way is considered as ASSETS of WIFE: Everything in life is shared but not the YELLOW METAL)and you are reminded of the crime of being ill equipped and incompetent in your role of being a HUSBAND to safeguard the ASSETS Of WIFE:-the Yellow Metal.
Below is an excerpt from one of the typical Hindi Films:-
Hus:- I am jobless. I am incompetent. I can't take care of you.
Wife:- No Dear, It is just bad time. It will pass. You are my Hero. You will find some way out. I am with you. Why worry.
Hus:- Really!! Wow!! I agree this bad time will pass and i have found a way out. Why not sell your gold jewelries and let us be entrepreneurs.
Wife:- Bloody incompetent Fool!!!Did i marry to see this day?Why did you marry me if you can't take care of me.You dimwit, black heart demon.In reality you are a failure you can;t do anything in your life. You are BIG ZERO.
So Moral of the Story:-
Wanna Divorce, Ask your wife to sell her gold. :) :) :)
Liked this post of yours very much. Come out of writer's block soon and give us some more enjoyable reads.
excellent piece of information, I had come to know about your website from my friend kishore, pune,i have read atleast 8 posts of yours by now, and let me tell you, your site gives the best and the most interesting information. This is just the kind of information that i had been looking for, i'm already your rss reader now and i would regularly watch out for the new posts, once again hats off to you! Thanx a lot once again, Regards, akshaya tritiya 2014
Post a Comment