The Great Indian Gluttony

Mayawati builds 130 elephants at a cost of Rs. 52 crores in Lucknow. There is a proverb in The Bible about Gluttony. Proverb 23:2 says, "And put a knife to thy throat, if thou be a man given to appetite." I am pretty sure that Sushri Mayawati has heard of this proverb, but I am even more confident that she took it literally. She thought, "Why do I care? I am a 'wo'man!" :D

India is a funny country. People have an infinite capacity to eat. Eat money. Khaao jitnaa khaa sakte ho! The appetite seems only to be increasing each time the sun rises.

What I wonder is what is the cause of such a huge appetite? Easy availability of Hajmola? :O The Hajmola, I think, is the huge mechanism in place to ensure easy digestion of whatever is "eaten". The mechanism is actually very simple. It consists of just ensuring that the channel through which the "food" comes is "well-fed". Naturally, someone has to go hungry, given that there is just limited food. Who goes hungry? The Aam Aadmi, which again is ironic, considering "Aam" is "Mango" in the lingua pura. :P

By now, either you are cursing me, for drawing such ridiculous parallels, or you are cursing me for such (pathetic?) jokes. (Yes I know, either way, you are cursing me.) Still, think about it, what is it that causes it, and what can be done to change it. I can understand if an illiterate man with a criminal background rises to be a minister and "eats". I can understand if a poorly paid clerk makes a few extra bucks to improve his lifestyle. But I fail to understand when educated people, who dont have anything less than a good lifestyle, want to have a share of the pie (american?). That pains me. Yes, well-educated, well-earning people. I agree, not all, but many. Bureaucracy, Judiciary, Civil Services, education, health care, and even media, all seem to be hungry even when their stomach is full.

The Great Indian Gluttony...