Of holy days and cold cupidity
The brazen way in which shopkeepers fleece customers in the Valley during the holy month of Ramadan, speaks loudly of our ethics and the absence of them.
CONSIDER this: across India, people stepping beyond the bounds of religions and regions, eagerly look forward to shopping during the festive season, particularly just before Diwali. There are huge rebates and discounts offered on all items and brands. People usually prefer to shop and save through Diwali offers. And mind you, these offers are not limited to just online shopping; the offline shopping experience is equally attractive during the season with people of all income groups and ages shopping to their hearts’ content and still managing to save money. Families in which weddings are scheduled, choose Diwali for the purchase of jewellery and clothes, thanks to genuine deals and discounts.
Now, picture this: Come to Kashmir during Ramadan and you shall see every kind of black marketing, customer exploitation and skyrocketing prices. And worse, on the occasion of Eid, prices go higher overnight with the citing of the Ramzan moon.
There is always seen an unprecedented hike in prices of essential commodities during this period – particularly vegetables, fruits, chicken, eggs, mutton and dates. During the holy month of Ramzan, shopkeepers go about fleecing customers and there are no checks and balances whatsoever.
Presently, with the advent of Ramzan, the prices of essentials have seen a 40% hike. And this will continue even after Eid. This is how we observe our fasting during the holy month of Ramzan! Dates, a big essential for breaking the fast in the evening, have gone so costly this season that just a few have probably managed to partake of them and break fasts as they are meant to. And this is just one example of the menace of this cold, cold materialism. And then we pretend to be a decent society.
