The Hindu Business Line : The price of rural living

Primary school debates might present a rosy picture of life in the rural districts as costing virtually next to nothing in contrast to the plight of the urban dweller for whom, even the air (in oxygen parlours, at least) and water (practically everywhere) carry a price tag.

The reality of rural living is somewhat different if the data put out by the Central Statistical Organisation (All India Average Rural Retail Prices, Monthly Abstract of Statistics, June 2006) is anything to go by.

The CSO document says that the morning cup of tea costs a villager on an average Rs 2.21 and if he is a member of the coffee drinking fraternity, a cup would set him back by nearly twice that sum at Rs 4.06. For the one who prefers to brew his own cup, 100 grams of a branded packet of coffee powder would cost him nearly Rs 54 or Rs 53.82, to be exact. Unbranded powder sold in the loose costs a mere one-fourth.

Marketeers may see in the phenomenon, the high premium that savvy rural consumers are willing to pay for the branded variety but cynics amongst us might see in it nothing more than the discount suffered by a blend largely of crushed tamarind seeds and chicory that passes for coffee powder sold in loose in the rural pockets of southern India.

If it is neither coffee nor tea that cheers but toddy freshly tapped from coconut trees, then half a litre of that stuff comes at a price of Rs 7.75. His morning puff of beedis may cost him Rs 3.39 per bundle and a pinch of that wondrous snuff could set him back by at least a quarter of a rupee.

If they are both of not much help in completing the morning ablution, why, there is always the newspaper. For your average village folk, newspapers are an expensive proposition. His daily dose of the printed news would cost him Rs 2.60.

His kerosene oil costs Rs 15.61 per litre and if the rationed variety eludes him then there is always cow dung going at Rs 33.33 for 100 pieces or firewood 40 kg of which could be had for Rs 62.

Power supply, such as it is, costs him Rs 2.05 per unit and an incandescent lamp is available for Rs 10.20. And he doesn't fear power cuts armed as he would be with candles costing Rs 1.64 a piece. But hurricane lanterns come at Rs 87.57 a piece.

Commuting to work? No problem. For your garden-variety villager, a boat ride costs Rs 4.21 and rickshaws can be hired at Rs 7.74 per trip. But journeys by road or rail are much more expensive at Rs 7.91 and Rs 8.81 respectively.

If coming home from a hard day's labour on the fields and life seems dull and dreary, there is always the movie hall for him. The average cinema ticket costs no more than Rs 8.62.

A hair-cut costs Rs 8.90 and for that clean shaven Dev Anand looks, there is an extra Rs 4.57. A pair of shoes (plastic) can cost Rs 52.49.

Want to round off an eventful day with a swig of some choice country liquor (licit, of course), well that too is possible. A 750 ml bottle can be had for Rs 57.87.

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