This post has been published by me as a part of the Blog-a-Ton 9; the ninth edition of the online marathon of Bloggers; where we decide and we write. To be part of the next edition, visit and start following Blog-a-Ton.
I have no clue about how things go about in other countries. But in a country like India, you cannot help yourself from being a fool in one way or another. Every place you visit... almost everyone you meet, you will find people codding others very conveniently. Before you make out, you have become a fool yourself! It will be wrong if I say that I have never been into that trap! Yes.... I have been gulled a lot of times.
It is not about being April fool on 1st of April! It’s about being a fool almost every day! As Mark Twain puts it,
“The first of April is the day we remember what we are the other 364 days of the year."
No doubt, I have always loved fooling my friends on 1st of April. But it is a different game altogether. And most importantly, it is always for fun! But people in India do it for some serious business!
Yes... They dupe people almost every day! Some do it to earn their living... some for the power... some do it for additional business profits...
Have you ever visited stores like Levis, Reebok, etc at the time of discount sale? No matter what percentage discount they offer to you but have you ever bothered to notice that they always jack up their prices before offering discounts? Obviously, The Company would not bear any loss in terms of unsold inventory at the end of the season. So they jack up their prices, put them into sale and then sell them at the same prices as before! From a business point of view, they might be doing it right! But then, what is the whole point of keeping their stuff for discount sales to lure people into the stores! Yes... people can be easily be duped!
Recall the terror attcks in India. Let us take up the recent German bakery, Pune attack! Just after the attack, the PM announced a relief package of Rs. 2 lacs from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund to the next of kin of those killed in the terror attack, and Rs. 1 lacs to those injured. It sounds so good to see that government cares... But the ground reality to this one is that people wait for years for this reimbursement but it never comes! I have no offence against the family members of the affected people. But they are fools if they wait for such reimbursement from the government.
For India, best time to expect anything from government is the time just before elections. You can find all the pending developmental activities picking up pace for some time. But actually, they are the measures to lure people for getting votes. I am sure majority of us vote. But think about it.... Why do you vote? Is it because you actually feel for the government or it because everyone does so? In my opinion, government in a place like India cannot be formed only by the opinion of unbiased people. Political parties entice poor people to vote for them. In return... they even get cash sometimes! So you might be duped by the government itself.
Have you ever seen a tourist travelling through Auto-rickshaws or taxis in India?? They do not know the place and so, the drivers charge almost 5-10 times the fare from them. For a distance of 10 kilometers, when an auto should charge Rs.55 from the traveler, He charges Rs.500. I wonder what will happen to the fares during Commonwealth Games 2010. Tourists become the easiest target for the drivers, shopkeepers, Hotels and even the historical monuments. When an Indian has to pay Rs10 for entering Qutub Minar, a foreigner pays Rs.250. I wonder why?
I have no offences for any company trying to sell their products. Obviously, they need promotion for the product. But some advertisements cross that limit. They build up false notions in the mind of a consumer to build up the sales. Advertisements are meant to depict their product. But sometimes, it misleads consumer and creates the false demand! I have rarely seen advertisements, like Fair & Lovely, Domino pizza, etc; depicting the truth. Yes... Even the big business houses fool people.
I agree that it differs from person to person. A person who has been coaxed by the government may not fall into the trap of discount sales. But then, we are fooled almost every day. As Abraham Lincoln puts it," You can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time."
If you still believe that you are befooled only on April Fool’s Day then think again!
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