The Purchase

“What is the price of this cell phone?”

“10,300 rupees Sir”

“Where is the keypad?”

“Its fully touch screen Sir”

“I see, how much memory does it hold?”

“Expandable up to 2 GB, Sir”

“Does it support mp4 video format?”
”No Sir, only 3gp”

“Does it support EDGE? Or 3G?”

“No Sir, only GPRS”

“I see, how about the camera its two Mega Pixels right?”
”Yes sir, and the screen is 2.8” Diagonal – bigger than the normal phones”

“How about the music?”
”The speaker is much better than the earlier version and real player is pre-loaded. It also comes with optional Bluetooth hands free stereo headsets”

“Is this the cheapest touch screen model available? I’ve seen some Chinese models with iphone logos on them, which cost only a quarter of the price!”
”You cannot compare a branded company made set with standard warranty to Chinese or Taiwanese products sir, they may be cheap but will come with their bunch of problems. The battery life is pathetic in those cell phones and there is no online software application development support.  Besides there is absolutely no warranty”
”Good. I knew most of the things beforehand, but you have been frank and knowledgeable on this subject. I should appreciate that. You know, when we buy technical items worth good money, we do a lot of research before coming to the shop. After all it’s my money. I need to be responsible about what I spend it on. Well then, do you accept cards?”

“Thank you for the purchase Sir, but can I take five more minutes of your time Sir?”
”Sure why not, we have some time while the applications are loaded, right?”
”Have you heard of the Scorpene Submarine deal that our Government is doing?”
”I have read it in some corner of the newspaper… some navy related news….. The name of the Submarine is Scorpene is it?”

“Yeah. We have ordered for six numbers from a French company recently”

“OK, good to know that some thing is happening at last…”

“Can you guess the price of a Submarine?”
”Well it should be in crores… 15 Crores?”

“2500 Crores is the cost of each Submarine”

“My Goodness!”

“It was bought in a single bid tender. No other companies were allowed to participate. It is actually a strategic move to strengthen the cooperation with France in Defence. Also the Government decided to diversify arms purchases so as to gain maximum political leverage in key-countries. After all, the French support the Indo-US nuclear deal”

“I See, but are there other Submarines of the same class which we could have considered?”

“Very much. For example, the German Class-214 Submarines are not only cheaper, but they also come with an Integrated Air-Independent Propulsion System based on Fuel Cell technology, which enables them to remain submerged for longer period. Also these Class 214 Submarines are upgrade products of Class-209 Submarines which the Government already has. So, considerable learning time would have been saved and unified policy for spare-part procurement could have been put in place”

 “I am sure the Government should have had some concrete political or strategic reasons behind the purchase….”

“I am not saying that they didn’t. Among other things, the Scorpene Submarines could integrate systems which could launch Russian and American Missiles. Also, the deal included Exocet Missiles, which is a proven weapon. We ask so many questions for buying a 10000 rupee product. As responsible citizens, we should at least be aware of a deal worth 15000 Crores. After all, it’s our tax money which is being invested – Right Sir?”

 

 

Destination Infinity.

www.destinationinfinity.co.nr