Here is one more story on attitude towards money. A few days ago I attended a function – a sangeet function for a friend’s daughter’s wedding.

Here was a gathering of rich people…some rich and showing off, some rich and not showing off. Met an old friend who introduced me to another old friend (Europe returned – Mumbai is so hot types, but a friend of 22 years + and a nice guy!) and said..’Please look at his slippers…’ Want to guess the price? Because of the build up, I said Rs. 3000. He said, sorry Rs. 62,000. There was no connection. Clearly failure of imagination and the fact that I had not seen the inside of a fashion magazine.

Of course the guy who asked me to look could also have afforded it..but he said ‘Even if somebody had gifted it to me, I would have carried it on my head like Rama’s brother Bharata in Ramayan!

Three days after that my mother called me and said ‘You have to go to….’ a cousin twice removed had died. So along with my a couple of my cousins we reached the hospital. Rs. 16,000 had to be paid to get the body released. The dead person’s brother had about Rs. 300 with himself. He had neither the energy, courage or the money to handle the event. Luckily we had gone there with cash …and did the needful up to the cremation. Personally I think I have attended upwards of 100 cremations…so death does not scare me. I have seen young people, old people, men, women, all kinds of funerals!

I think keeping calm and reasonably evolved allows you to keep your wits – and not allow greed, fear, …and other emotions play havoc with your life!