Insists

Change is a thing obviously everyone needed and hence to beat boredom or to be frustrated, a change in environment or activity is must at least. For a Chennaitie or whoever lives in a coastal town/city, the first thing comes to mind of escaping could be the beaches, if there isn’t malls, restaurants and events happening around. A place just to relax, breathe in fresh air or sit ideal watching the waves and things happening around, in random, is an entertainment unplanned.

Last week I went to Elliot’s Beach and in the usual way spent something sitting inside the car parked in front of the promenade.  Though it’s good to see new faces and people from various walks, there are certain things keep disturbing. The average fee collected for cars to park at Elliot’s beach is 5 ₹ and 10 ₹ for vans, but what they insist was 20 ₹, that too without producing a ticket. My dad, who is a regular walker at Elliot’s beach, had come across the board, that mention the exact ticket price which is only five, many times, but what they insist is against the regulation of corporation.

The other day when we parked the car, the person in charge demanded 10 ₹ by placing a ticket valued for just 5 ₹... No matter where the partial amount goes, but how dare they bring it into force without any hesitance or thing to prove their price is fair. I think the amount they collect differs from person to person, and anyone dare to deceive could easily implement their task. Among them I find few genuine people like the one who (understanding - with the number plate - that we are from the local) gave us excuse from paying even the fair amount.

If the parking system was like this, the mobile vendors who do business along the promenade have touched the worst state of ever. Already the beauty of Elliot’s beach has lost its charm to the occupation of number of shops/eateries spread all over the sandy beach. Though I am not dared to explore the eateries to put my health at risk, I always go with the bordering items like peas and peanuts. But this time I was quite surprise to note when I bough peanuts (plain nuts), it was very less than usual and priced doubled i.e. from 10 to 20 ₹. But what really bothered me much was what I heard from my dad who came back the vendor...

He has been insisting 150 ₹ from a foreigner to get slices of spicy mango! ...expressed provoke and anger. Even a whole mango doesn’t cost more than 10 ₹ and however rich in class they doesn’t going to extend more than 50 ₹, but in which way a few slices spread with spice become special for him to insist such amount. Whoever let it be, fairness is oneness and just being fair and came  far away from isn’t we have to be cruel or scare them to never turn back. Let us be smart and generous to consumers whichever country and skin tone they bore.

I don’t understand why there’s so price difference between local/national resident and international visitors. Not only tourist places, but I guess at every level/layer foreigners have to pay more than the amount Indian pays. Let’s keep away the economic boon perhaps involved it in, but what comes with food and restaurants? Why do we need to make big holes in their pockets just because they are foreigners? Food is an essential of life and there shouldn’t be partiality/discrimination at least with the price tag at eateries. I don’t know does it happen with every other country in the world or we Indians alone insist this pattern. But I wish we become a moral example to be fair enough at least with eateries. When we say globalization, I wonder why there’s still differentiation.