Definition of a necessity

necessity (def.): anything indispensable; e.g. Food and shelter are necessities of life.

Imagine in OUR "rapidly developing country" where it is being debated whether it is a necessity that our Prime Minister should be afforded his own private plane, supermarkets have to ration the amount of flour that they are selling per consumer! Is it me, or is this yet another sign of things coming to pass?

I spent the weekend in Grande and had the unfortunate task, which incidentally started off as a favour to my mom, of going to the supermarket, any supermarket, to pick up some flour. Took my bro with me, and guess what? All shelves were bare.

When I asked an attendant if they were putting any more out, he replied that the quota for the weekend was already put out and it was finished and what they had in the back would be put out on Tuesday because people are buying by the trolleys!

Well, needless to say, I didn't get any hot roti as I had to buy bread...and it was the last one on the shelf to boot.

On top of all that madness, this little boy and little girl walk into the supermarket faced with the same predicament, so they opted to also buy bread. Me now standing there with the last one in hand...my brother looks at me and shakes his head. Sigh. From the looks of what the kids were wearing, dirty and ragged, the little boy's bare feet, I was able to presume that things weren't so great financially at home for them. And from the panicked look on the little girl's face (she seemed barely older than the boy) I guessed that it would be bad news if she went home empty handed. I paid for the bread then walked over, gave it to them and sent them on their way.

The little boy looked happy but the little girl just looked relieved, and you were able to see a maturity beyond her probably seven or eight years if you looked into her eyes.
It took me an hour to find another shop with bread.

On the drive home, I wondered to myself what was happening in much more rural areas where there was one shop which supplied everyone with necessities. Or is it that what defines a necessity has now changed?

Reshmi

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