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A WhatsApp message that made me realise, sixty-six years too late, that I was earning a princely salary!



When I Joined Government Service in 1960, I Didn't Know I Was Rich!

Recently, a friend forwarded me the above image showing what Rs. 10 could buy in 1960. I read it with great interest. Then I did a little mental arithmetic. My starting salary in January 1960 was Rs. 199 per month. Good heavens! If ten rupees had so much purchasing power, I must have been a wealthy young Veterinary Assistant Surgeon without ever realising it!

In my first book, Memoirs of a Veteran Veterinarian, I have mentioned that I would occasionally give my mother Rs. 50 or even Rs. 100. At that time, I thought I was merely helping her. Looking at the figures now, I realise I was making royal donations.

The irony is that I never felt rich. There were no mobile phones, no air-conditioners, no online shopping and no expensive coffee shops tempting us every day. Our needs were simple, our wants were few, and our happiness was abundant.

Looking back, I now realise that I was richer than I ever knew—not only in money, but also in the simple pleasures of life. It only took me sixty-six years and a WhatsApp message to discover it!


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