DT
PT
Subscribe To Print Edition About The Tribune Code Of Ethics Download App Advertise with us Classifieds
search-icon-img
search-icon-img

You searched for " wealth inequality "

All
Advertisement
featured-img_1325635

Jammu & Kashmir

Retd PWD engineer booked for amassing wealth beyond means

featured-img_1325483

ThoughtForTheDay

ALBERT Einstein told the world, “Everything is relative”. A clever tweak to this truism popped up on my phone the other day: “For some people who amass power and wealth for their relatives, ‘relative is everything’.” I chuckled at this satirical jab as I recalled an incident. It happened more than a decade ago at an ATM booth located in a fuel station complex on the outskirts of Muscat, the capital of Oman, where I worked for nearly 13 years. As a white-collar professional, I had maintained a self-imposed minimum balance of Rs 50,000 (in equivalent local currency of Omani riyals) in my account, mainly to cater to emergencies like an unforeseen trip to India. However, during one month, I incurred several unplanned expenses. As I entered the ATM booth and withdrew money, I knew that my bank balance had dropped to Rs 30,000, breaching my safety net by Rs 20,000. This realisation made me uneasy as I stepped out of the booth. Just then, a young Indian expat worker in a blue coverall hesitantly approached me. “Saab, I don’t know how to operate these machines. Can you help me?” he asked, holding out his ATM card. “What do you want to do?” I asked. “I want to deposit money into my account,” he said, holding two one-riyal notes amounting to Rs 350. “This machine is for withdrawal. You’ll need a CDM — a cash deposit machine,” I explained. Watching his confused look, I quickly reassured him, “No problem. I’ll help you.” Guiding him to the nearby CDM, I deposited his money. As I handed back his ATM card, he hesitantly looked at me and said, “Saab, I need one more favour.” “What is it?” I asked, my impatience growing. “I want to withdraw five riyals from my account,” he said, his voice faltering. I was perplexed. “Withdraw five riyals — in other words, just Rs 875? Is he up to some prank on me?” I said to myself. “Then why did you deposit two riyals just now?” I asked him. His answer floored me. “The ATM doesn’t allow withdrawals of less than five riyals, and I only have three in my account. That’s why I deposited two riyals, so I can take out my entire five riyals.” Moved by his financial plight, I immediately took him back to the ATM and withdrew his five riyals for him. Driving back home, I felt a surge of conflicting emotions. Just a few minutes ago, I had felt bad for not being able to maintain a minimum balance of Rs 50,000 in my account. Now, after meeting this worker, I understood how blessed I was. Indeed, Einstein was dead right about relativity.
featured-img_1318073

Business

Higher indebtedness and wealth effect have increased inequality: Report
featured-img_1314925

Impact Feature

2025’s Wealth Builders: 4 Tokens Poised to Be the Next Crypto to Explode
featured-img_1311289

Impact Feature

Best 10 Coins to Buy Before 2025 Ends: Game-Changing Cryptos for Long-Term Wealth and Growth
featured-img_1306859

Business

Axis Max Life Insurance Unveils Sustainable Wealth 50 Index Fund
featured-img_1306220

Business

Consumption inequality declining mostly due to direct benefit scheme: SBI Report
featured-img_1300868

Business

Klay Welcomes Ravinder Singh as Managing Director - Wealth Management
Advertisement
featured-img_1300860

Health

Study links social inequality to dementia-related changes in brain
featured-img_1297372

Health

Societal inequality may reduce brain health, finds study
tlbr_img1 Home tlbr_img2 Opinion tlbr_img3 Classifieds tlbr_img4 Videos tlbr_img5 E-Paper