In the last week, we have seen crores being spent on Ganesh Idols, pandals, lights & decorations, band walas, security, truck hire et cetra, et cetra, the question is whether is this expenditure is money well spent or could we make better use of the money?
I had a quick discussion on the above with my friend Narayan and he had a point...
Narayan: Why do we spend so much money on all these things, think about the millions that go without food every night, cant we utilize this money to provide them with a better life?
to that while I completely agree to him, I made the point that...
Parag: Look at this expenditure as provide employment to as many people who are willing to work extra in these few days to make some extra money, so in a way this money spent provides employment to a lot of people, who are either making some extra cash to support a better life or this money will go a long way in feeding their families, wither ways it hard earned. And hence, the money spent, is well spent and is contributing to the lives of people.
Narayan: But this is all temporary, these artisans, decorators, band walas may earn some money for 10 days and then return back to the same life, whats worst is that a few people who look upon this as an additional income don't make the most constructive use of the money, they end up going and spending it on booze, drugs, whoring etc. What if we rather spend all this money on rehabilitating the unemployed, educate the children, train the skilled manpower and make them self sufficient for life.
The above argument just about had to come to an abrupt end here cause of food coming on the table but its something that each of us need to think about, are we doing the right thing? Ganesh Chaturti is just one example, every time we spend on festivities, we need to think back could we have spent this money better? Could we have made a larger difference in the lives of a few had we spent this money any differently?
Even if a few of us, the youth of today, who is far more practical and level headed take a step to change the wya we think, it sure could make a difference.
1 comment:
Festivals cannot be seen just in light of expense or employment. They have a cultural significance, a social place, a psychological benefit, even a tourism angle. Especially a festival like Ganesha brings together people from different communities, builds a positive vibe in citizens and helps people cope with routine by giving them something new to do.
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