My nickname is Mani, and it sounds like Money when said in Tamil, my mother tongue. I was introduced to a five-year-old nephew, who called me Uncle Cash (money of course), Uncle Time (in Tamil Mani is Time), and Uncle Bell (in Tamil, Mani is also a Bell).
My first encounter with Money was when I was a six-year-old, studying year 2. I found a fifty cents coin on a table at home on my way to school. I took it and bought candies – I got 100 pieces and generously gave it to everyone in the class. I became instantly popular among classmates. When I came home, my mother realized it was me who took the fifty cents, and she beat me till her hand ached. Ill gotten money brought me popularity and pain almost instantly! A pretty good lesson for a six-year-old, isn't it?
I do not remember much about having money as a kid, except on Tamil New Year days. My granddad will give us a red five rupee note each, and that was a big deal, especially when savory snack cost five cents.
But, I do remember very well, not having money as I grew. My parents struggled to meet day to day expenses, often pawning jewelry, or borrowing money from granddad. Occasionally they borrowed from neighbors and relatives too. My parents always paid back whatever they borrowed, but the stigma of being poor was not erasable. I, the eldest in the family will have to go to the pawn shops or ask someone to lend us money. I hated it but did it. There was no choice. When a National Bank started pawning, I was about 17; I gradually moved all jewelry from private lenders to the bank. It saved us on interest, and no one in the neighborhood will come to know that we were pawning.
An old Tamil adage says that it is cruel to be poor, worse yet is being poor when young. I think it is largely true. When poor, one feels small in front of peers, and angry at times for being unable to change the situation almost immediately. However, it may also develop a disciplinary attitude to money. In my case, I learned to live with meager means and did not develop a liking for expensive items. I am happy to have a decent car, not aspire for a Mercedes. I am sure this attitude has saved me a lot of money and agony.
In addition to my granddad, a cousin of my dad, a prominent Senator, also helped me generously through my H.Sc. and B.Sc. Every four months or so, I will go and see him. He will write a check for my pocket expenses and will say I should repay him when I start to work. My dues accrued to 7000 Rs. One day I went to tell him that I was going overseas for my graduate studies and I will settle my dues, once I settle down. He laughed and said that it was not necessary, wrote another cheque for 1000 Rs, and told me to do well in my studies. That was the last time I saw him.
The other person, who made me feel rich, was a friend who hired me as a tutor at his Tuition Centre. He paid me for my work, but also generously paid for my meals whenever we went to cafes and bought clothes, whenever he bought for himself. I am grateful to my granddad, the Senator and my friend, for making my life financially comfortable, as I grew up.
I started giving private tuitions when I was 17, and the father who hired me as the tutor to his son gave me 20 Rs as the monthly fee. From then, till now, I am never short of money for my needs. I think of the father with a lot of gratitude. He must have meant well.
When I turned 42, I was free of debts of all sorts. My wife and I had paid for the cars we drove and the house we lived in. From then on, we made money more than what we had to spend on. It was then I realized, whether you have money or not, money is a problem. The surplus income had to be spent judiciously. We did help out a few who needed financial help, but mostly we saved the surplus for our future.
A friend of mine in the financial sector often teased me, asking what money is. There are many definitions. My Father-in-Law told me when he was a student, he had to write an essay on, ‘Money is what it does!'. His teacher, and probably his teacher's teacher and so on, always knew money is what it does.
At 62, I can relate to this definition very well. Money provided popularity and pain; facilitated a comfortable education; paid for our family's needs and wants; allowed us to help a few along the way; and now, it provides us with a sense of financial security, that we will be able to meet our needs once we retire!
My first encounter with Money was when I was a six-year-old, studying year 2. I found a fifty cents coin on a table at home on my way to school. I took it and bought candies – I got 100 pieces and generously gave it to everyone in the class. I became instantly popular among classmates. When I came home, my mother realized it was me who took the fifty cents, and she beat me till her hand ached. Ill gotten money brought me popularity and pain almost instantly! A pretty good lesson for a six-year-old, isn't it?
I do not remember much about having money as a kid, except on Tamil New Year days. My granddad will give us a red five rupee note each, and that was a big deal, especially when savory snack cost five cents.
But, I do remember very well, not having money as I grew. My parents struggled to meet day to day expenses, often pawning jewelry, or borrowing money from granddad. Occasionally they borrowed from neighbors and relatives too. My parents always paid back whatever they borrowed, but the stigma of being poor was not erasable. I, the eldest in the family will have to go to the pawn shops or ask someone to lend us money. I hated it but did it. There was no choice. When a National Bank started pawning, I was about 17; I gradually moved all jewelry from private lenders to the bank. It saved us on interest, and no one in the neighborhood will come to know that we were pawning.
An old Tamil adage says that it is cruel to be poor, worse yet is being poor when young. I think it is largely true. When poor, one feels small in front of peers, and angry at times for being unable to change the situation almost immediately. However, it may also develop a disciplinary attitude to money. In my case, I learned to live with meager means and did not develop a liking for expensive items. I am happy to have a decent car, not aspire for a Mercedes. I am sure this attitude has saved me a lot of money and agony.
In addition to my granddad, a cousin of my dad, a prominent Senator, also helped me generously through my H.Sc. and B.Sc. Every four months or so, I will go and see him. He will write a check for my pocket expenses and will say I should repay him when I start to work. My dues accrued to 7000 Rs. One day I went to tell him that I was going overseas for my graduate studies and I will settle my dues, once I settle down. He laughed and said that it was not necessary, wrote another cheque for 1000 Rs, and told me to do well in my studies. That was the last time I saw him.
The other person, who made me feel rich, was a friend who hired me as a tutor at his Tuition Centre. He paid me for my work, but also generously paid for my meals whenever we went to cafes and bought clothes, whenever he bought for himself. I am grateful to my granddad, the Senator and my friend, for making my life financially comfortable, as I grew up.
I started giving private tuitions when I was 17, and the father who hired me as the tutor to his son gave me 20 Rs as the monthly fee. From then, till now, I am never short of money for my needs. I think of the father with a lot of gratitude. He must have meant well.
When I turned 42, I was free of debts of all sorts. My wife and I had paid for the cars we drove and the house we lived in. From then on, we made money more than what we had to spend on. It was then I realized, whether you have money or not, money is a problem. The surplus income had to be spent judiciously. We did help out a few who needed financial help, but mostly we saved the surplus for our future.
A friend of mine in the financial sector often teased me, asking what money is. There are many definitions. My Father-in-Law told me when he was a student, he had to write an essay on, ‘Money is what it does!'. His teacher, and probably his teacher's teacher and so on, always knew money is what it does.
At 62, I can relate to this definition very well. Money provided popularity and pain; facilitated a comfortable education; paid for our family's needs and wants; allowed us to help a few along the way; and now, it provides us with a sense of financial security, that we will be able to meet our needs once we retire!
