Kedi Haralu
Festive seasons are always synonymous with fireworks and for the Indians, it is a show of wealth and stature, while for us it is a time to uselessly blow up our easy earned money. Dimapur being an economic hub has various avenues to make a quick buck, plus the question of selling banned items bring in extra income, especially those dealing in fire works. I have seen numerous shops in the town where firecrackers are randomly being sold, plus the small paan Ghunti’s are cashing in on this business, for the question of permit or explosive license does not arise. The new years night was something which I will never forget, for the fire works started at around 9 and 10 p.m. and climaxed as the bell rung 12 a.m. the fireworks show has improved a great deal, for I remember in our days we had the small chilly bombs, and of course the good ole Tyre to burn the night through. Come morning, we were beyond recognition due to our color, which was the sooth emanated from the burning Tyres. But we didn’t care less, but the most difficulty ordeal was to sit through a sermon which had been said every year, with the slow monotonous tone. Staying awake till the end of the service was an accomplishment in its own rights.
Why I take up this issue is the price of firecrackers today. I had mistakenly entered a shop that was selling firecrackers as a side income. What shocked me was the price of the firecrackers, There was not a single loud cracker below Rs 299/- and that too the cheapest ones or rejected commodities. Being a realistic person, I automatically started to do my math work. For a 1000/- Rs, one could get just a few blasts, but to have a fireworks display for the whole hour, atleast Rs 10, 000/- to Rs 20, 000/- (sometimes more, if it is rich mans’ budget) at the least would be spent. Now, you have each and every household spending their hard earned or easy earned annual profit for just a few minutes thrill? I have nothing against hem or their activities, if this money was properly utilized, just imagine how much it will help the poor and have nots and the under privileged? It is so pointless that I had to comment on this, for we need to be more frugal and wise while spending our money, for anything spent (on such items) the profits are surely going to other states and thus not improving our economy at all.
This stupidity I too suffered from, till I started a family, then I realized many things, one important thing being “how and where to spend” our hard earned money. I always take the Nepali woodcutters as an example – they are willing to slog for a few months, chopping wood in the jungle, sleeping and eating there and when the time for their Dhaushüre (Durga Puja) comes, they are off to party with the daily wages earned for the past few years. All they have is a sack and a pair of trousers and a shirt, thus one would think that they would atleast buy new threads or have a feast with their family and buy new goodies for their children or wife, but this is never the case. They gather around a gambling table drinking the best alcohol they can afford and gamble to their hearts content. Finally it dawns on them that they have lost the last penny and their wallets are empty. So back they come, with their sack to go back to the jungle for another few months to earn something so that they can do the same thing next year. How foolish and idiotic can one get? This is exactly what most of us are with our money, which is why we are always in debt. I have learned the hard way, and due to this, w\every penny I earn now, go to pay off my debts and thus cannot spare much for my family. I know this will not last forever and one day all my debts will be cleared, but I could have saved myself a great deal of effort and tension if I had only been warned by someone earlier, this is the exact reason I am writing about this, so that those reading this article can get something out of this experience.
In conclusion, spending irresponsibly is a foolish habit, which we all suffer from, but it is good for parents to educate their children on the vanity of spending in such worthless items. The child may not understand when corrected, but would surely be thankful to their parents later, when they grow out of this phase. I do not blame my family for being generous and meeting all my demands, but now with my own Child being a spendthrift, I realize how much I must have hurt my parents. This is why I always make it a point to let my child realize the value the worth of money and how hard it is to earn a living. I am so glad that the Lord Almighty has enabled me to make my child understand at such a young age, for when I was in a similar age, I spent so much that I always had a pack of followers who would survive though my pocket money. The dangerous thing is if a Child is in a habit of spending randomly, he or she tends to steal from their parents, which can become a habit and later a profession. So we need to make them realize at this young age, “for one never succeeds in teaching new tricks to old dogs.”
