July 4. “When will Dost judge the story you and I wrote? I’m dying to know what he’ll say.”

“He was busy the whole day. He’s leaving for one more meeting now. Perhaps tomorrow.”

“How? Tomorrow is Monday and a working day!”

“There’s a bundh tomorrow and all of us will be at home.”

“What are bundhs by the way?”

“Bundhs are usually called by political parties to protest against something they disagree with.”

“What is the disagreement about this time?”

“About price hike in general.”

“It’s true that prices have gone through the roof.”

“Inflation is at its worst. From fuel to food items, housing and just about everything, prices are escalating every few days. I was telling the family a couple of days back how a gas cylinder which cost Rs 40 in the year 1980 costs Rs 350 now, which is almost 100% escalation.”

“How does the poor man survive?”

“That’s the reason why dishonesty and cheating is on the rise. Everybody is out there to make a quick buck. And it’s not only the poor man who has to earn more to feed his family. Dost was telling us that at some seminar being held abroad, India emerged as the most corrupt nation in the world. A participant mentioned at that seminar that, in India, from the time someone lands at the airport, he is taken for a ‘ride’ by the cab driver!”

“He’s actually taken for two rides—the cab ride and the other ride where he is fleeced.”

“You figured it out. Clever boy.”