Sheer Luxury

Many moons ago, somewhere in the mid-1990s, when remnants of the Berlin wall and the graffiti on it were still visible around Brandenburg Gate, a group of journalists from India were invited to tour unified Germany by its Federal government, this writer among them. 

We came back with long reports about the reconstruction, the wonder of the German mitten stand(small and medium enterprises) that were showcased to us as the backbone of the economy. 

We also toured the headquarters of and interviewed top brass of the formidable German multinationals, that had a presence in India as elsewhere around the world.
 

Through it all, we saw the grit and determination of the German people and the never-say-die spirit that enables this central European nation to rise from the dust through wars and economic downturns. 

We also realised that the interpreters and even chauffeurs assigned to us by the governments of the states we visited did more than one job to keep their home fires burning. 

In 21st Century India, in which middle-income homes need to own two vehicles and a host of gadgets to maintain peer-pressure determined lifestyles, not only do most members of a family work, some do two jobs too. Home-makers do day trading on the bourses or offer aerobic lessons. Luxury for them is a day without care, soaking in the autumn sun on a lawn chair as it passes by.