A RUPEE SAVED IS A RUPEE EARNED

A week ago, my son, who studies in Pune, called me up to get in advance four tickets for the popular movie – ‘Iron Man -3’. His 3 friends were from different parts of India and they all wanted to watch the 3-D action flick only on the IMAX giant screen, that too from the top-most row! They had done the telephonic booking; but, as it was the early-morning show and they had to reach an hour before to collect the tickets, my son requested me if I could send someone and get the tickets in hand much in advance.

I sent 19-year old Suraj, who currently does his PD course with us. Not to cause any inconvenience to the young-man, I insisted that he would go and come only by a taxi.  

After some two hours, Suraj returned with the tickets. When he handed me the balance cash, I saw that he had not taken the taxi fare. I tried to place in his hands two hundred-rupee notes. 

“No sir, I have already deducted,” Suraj said.

“How come?” I asked, “You have given me more cash.”

It was then that the young-man explained to me, “Sir, I went by bus and came by bus… I had to spend only Rs. 20/-!”

“Suraj, I told you not to do that,” I said to the young-man, “You went on my work.”

“Yes, sir, I know,” the young-man agreed politely, “but, why waste money on taxi when there is a bus?”

Well, only a fool would argue with that plain logic… The wise would have no choice but to absorb the wisdom of what was being said:

“Why waste money on a taxi, 

when there is a bus?”

 

For Suraj, it was irrelevant as to on whose work he had left home… Whose money he was expected to spend… What was relevant for him was why spend unnecessarily…

One little act had saved Rs. 180/- … A whopping 90% savings!

Obviously, it had made him feel proud of his achievement…

And, it had left me with the feeling, that I had a very important lesson to learn from this young-man…

And, I knew this too: Such mindset would help Suraj immensely in his life… 

Yes, I expressed my feelings before him with a gentle pat on his back.

“A rupee saved is a rupee earned.” The young kids, normally, don’t understand what this old saying says. Nor do they easily understand what it means when their parents yell from the top of their voices: “Honey, money does not grow on trees!”

Incidentally, this morning, our young Suraj had to speak on the topic - ‘What Money Means To Me’!

GERALD D’CUNHA

Pic.: Suman Dhing