Last week before going to Bangalore, I went to have a hair cut. Not that I have a lot of hair but still decided to get a haircut done. I went to a hair cutting saloon which had a decent appearance. I did not have to wait for my turn and was quickly seated on the chair. The hair dresser promptly went about his business of trimming my hair. He used new razors and sterilized all the scissors and metal ‘tools of the trade’. The cape too was a clean piece of white cotton cloth. As usual the hair cutting process was over quickly. I decided to pamper myself and choose to get a head massage done. When the head massage was over I had this soothing feeling and generally feeling happy! I felt even happier when the hair dresser told me that the hair cutting and massage – both cost INR 40! I even gave him a tip of INR 5. The entire experience cost me a total of INR 45 which at an exchange rate of 43 comes to about $1.05. Compare this to $12 + $2 tip = $14 for just the haircut!

I visited our family doctor for the common cold and cough that was bothering me. I walked into his office during his practice hours. I did not have to take any appointment or talk to any nurse – just walk in! He examined me and we chatted a little bit and he wrote me a prescription. His fee and the medicines cost me INR 160 which at an exchange rate of 43 comes to about $3.72! No phone calls, no appointments, no insurance cards, just your doctor when you need him!

These two experiences made me think about standard of living, cost of living and the relation between the two.