Pinch of the Purse

As I awaited my turn at the dental clinic, I could see before me a simple-looking gentleman, turning the pages of a sophisticated magazine ‘People’, and from the way he was turning the pages, it was quite obvious that he didn’t know how to read English. After a little while, it was his turn, and the dentist did a quick check on his teeth, and told him that one of his teeth needs to be extracted, and the gentleman asked her quite casually how much it would cost, and she replied in a matter of fact tone, rupees twelve hundred. Probably the amount was far beyond his imagination, and he asked her if it could be less, and the young lady dentist retorted that she could not reduce the amount, since the extraction involved a lot of work.

But the man could not take her words as final, and went on arguing with her that the amount was far too much for him to bear, since he was poor. The dentist would not listen to his pleas: ‘If you want to get it done, you are welcome’. She was obviously getting annoyed with him, but looking at the situation, I felt sad for this gentleman. She had prescribed some antibiotics to be taken three days before he wishes the extraction to be done. He had given her hints that he had to first of all collect the money, then only could he visit the clinic. This gentleman might be earning some three thousand rupees per month, and if he has to cough out one third of his livelihood to pull out a tooth is too much for him.

The same is true for most of the people around us, and I most often take it for granted that most people around me cannot afford to avail the sophisticated clinical facilities, and super speciality health care facilities available today. It seldom occurs me to bargain the rates when I feel that I am being charged far more than the just charges; I take it for granted that the charges, especially consultation fees with physicians, are non-negotiable. The fact is there are very few physicians and health care assistants, who decide to demand only a just fees from the patients; human greed knows no bounds, and if the doctors don’t have any shame to demand as much as they want, why can’t I tell them how much I can really pay.

In a cultured society such as ours (was there ever an uncultured society in the world?), to bargain is considered a mean job; gentlemen and ladies of decent origin are not expected to bargain, however high the charges are; it is considered impolite among the affluent, and that is the reason why some of the sophisticated shops and eateries would not mind putting the prices of things ten times more, and would be sure that no one would challenge the price. But to bargain and pay only what is due is the birth right of not only every poor, but also of every individual. It is painful for those who had to sweat out to earn a living, to pour out the fruits of their sweat and blood in the hands of some greedy men and women.

When I accompany some of my friends for shopping or some purchase, I feel it annoying if they do not even make an effort to bargain the prices, at least wherever it is possible. There are many who do not mind paying whatever they are asked, because we have not earned the money, or that someone else had laboured to earn the money. Our purses do not pinch us, and unfortunately most of the people around us have a hole in their pockets, and money does not stay with them. I would like to see my purse always pinching me, because that is how I can truly stand in the company of the millions of other men and women around me, and experience solidarity with them.