Rising prices of essential commodities is no longer a shock for the public.
They have become so accustomed to spiralling prices of late that they are surprised only when they drop once in a while.
“I cannot recollect the last time when I went to buy vegetables and felt the price was reasonable. Even bargaining with road side vendors is out of the equation as they all have the common refrain of price rise to justify the price they charge,” said S. Shyam, a doctor at a private hospital.
Seema Pradeep, a government servant, felt that prices, especially that of vegetables, had been high for quite some time now. “Being an essential ingredient of the diet, one cannot avoid vegetables altogether. So to balance the family budget I replace the costliest of vegetable item with the lowest priced,” she said.
Reghu, another employee, felt that the burden is always passed on to the common man whether it is the rise in petrol price to compensate oil companies or that of vegetables due to the rise in the transportation cost or crop failure. “There's no other way for me to cope with the rising prices of vegetables but to cut down the vegetable quantity the in family menu,” he said.
Jayasree Somarajan, a house wife, has adopted a rather unique way to cope with the rising price of vegetables. “We have replaced one meal a day with fruits as there are multiple benefits. For one, it saves time and cooking gas while also providing sufficient nutrition,” she said.
Unni, a school teacher, said that the pinch of rising prices should wake the public to the need for rejuvenating the agrarian culture. “How many of us will take the pain to do some backyard vegetable farming instead of complaining about the prices. That is why it is important to teach the new generation about the importance of farming,” he said.
