Path of retreat- only option for poor

Recently I had to admit forcibly that I was living a luxury life when I countered the news ‘Is Rs. 25 all that you need for a day?’ in The Hindu. It says that “an individual income of just Rs. 25 a day constitutes adequate “private expenditure on food, education and health” according to the Planning Commission report for BPL criteria.

First I was shocked how they can vindicate Rs 25 as enough for per day expenses on food, education and health but a little later I realized everything is possible when in this modern era we have a powerful tool called ‘Management’. The time since I crossed the professional life threshold, the word ‘management’ has been more frequently heard whether it’s been because of  my department ‘Project Management’ or my colleagues who are fed up with their job within one year  and mugging themselves for seeking the admission to  top management institutions or B-schools. There are a lot of educational institutions who have ‘management magic mantra’ to guide its students how to manage the things in the best possible way. This is fascinating. And I see students or young professionals craving to chant these ‘mantras’ in ‘management mandirs’.

But recently observed that there is a government body which can be blamed  as the ‘BAAP’ of all B-schools. It is planning commission of India. It has the power to make the people realize that everything is possible. So they did by declaring this Rs 25 figure. Has it some magical theory and formulas which give such an efficient result? Unlike management mantras, perhaps planning commission has some principles, concepts and guidelines which are as far from reality as its recently announced BPL definition from the ground reality of poverty and dearness. This line has come so down that one has no option except to crawl beneath it. If someone takes risk to stand straight under this line he will sure stuck and may get some physical damage. Only ‘Zero’ can rests comfortably under this BPL ceiling because of its value and shape. Void and round. And so has no problem in crawling. I feel that they (planning and commission) have some hidden motto which can be surmised from their manipulated BPL figure as -‘we envisage the ‘impossible’ and give it to the nation as her hard core reality. And her dreams are presumably impossible to achieve.’

 Why I am relating these two in hierarchical order is because planning and management can be considered the two sides of the same coin. One, having the experience of over six decades in the field of planning, can be assumed as having best expertise in the same.  Not over the petty issues but the most important issue of country’s growth which reflects the economy growth of the nation. And the other is expert in theories dealing with how to manage the things to bring to plausible dreams into reality within the viable constraint of money, time and work scope. But here all management mantras fail when it comes to manage one’s life in just Rs 25 in the season of costliness where a cheapest apple costs Rs 20. Now poor has left with only two options. Either starve or retreat to the time of their ancestors-apes and monkeys- a life with freedom, life of all time survival. And as the first option seems unjustifiable in the advanced world of 3G-3D and rather abusive to the vanity of civilized society, so left is the second. Path of retreat can be followed in the name of scientific experiment and one’s own choice and live a historically and scientifically proved all time survival life. And then who needs government’s Ration Card.