Comparing Indian business

[Francois Quiviger]

On Sat, 26 Aug 1995, Lars Martin Fosse wrote:

> 
> ...This tallies quite nicely with information I received in 1985, when a
> riksha-wallah in Agra told me they made about 30-40 rupees a day. A
driver > told me he earned 400 Rs a month. The interesting question is,
however: How > much do 40 rupees buy - locally?  Does anybody have an idea
about how this > translates into food, heating, shelter etc.? > > Best
regards, > > Lars Martin Fosse > > 

Well, in Calcutta, last December, 40 rupees could buy you at least four
street stalls meals. After all in most Indian towns a samosa cost between
one and 2 rupees and a long taxi ride is about 10 rs (Indian price...). So
obviously the problem is far less the amount, in dollars, earned by
individuals, than the amount of things they can buy with it. 

				Francois Quiviger
 


> From THRASHER at MAIL.LOC.GOV 29 1995 Aug EST 10:40:10
Date: 29 Aug 1995 10:40:10 EST
Reply-To: THRASHER <THRASHER at MAIL.LOC.GOV>
From: ALLEN W THRASHER <THRASHER at MAIL.LOC.GOV>
Subject: RE: IS HONEY FOUND IN ARKA

          A  look at  the Deccan College dictionary s.v. akka shows several 
          citations of  the  word,  all  in  the  gnomic verse quoted.  The 
          variant  arke  is  quoted  by  the commentators in several.  "The 
          corner of  a  house" (g.rhasamiipe) is  given  as  the  gloss  of 
          Tattvamiimaa.msaa  on  Saa.mkhyatattvakaumudii.  Commentaries  on 
          the  other gloss  "arke samiipe" without a  clear mention of  the 
          plant. 
           
          Calotropis gigantea  is  a  very  large milkweed growing  to  the 
          height of  a person.  It  is poisonous and  is used  in medicine, 
          tantrism, and toxicology.  I  see  it  all  over waste grounds in 
          peninsular India.  It  is  a  sort  of ratty plant, with branches 
          spreading in  a  random  looking unattractive way,  with slightly 
          greyish leaves  and lavender flowers.  I  always have thought  it 
          looks sinister and would do  so even if  one didn't know  of  its 
          toxic qualities. The nearest North American equivalent is  Jimson 
          weed, though that  grows straight up  and several feet taller and 
          is attractive enough to be planted occasionally as an ornamental. 
          Arka is too small and weak to  for  a honeycomb to have  security 
          either from a branch breaking off or  to put it  out  of reach of 
          predators  or  accidental collisions.  I  suspect  the  point  of 
          mentioning it in the proverb is that it is  a plant that can grow 
          anywhere, springing up wherever no other use is made of the land. 
          You see it on railway embankments and in smashaanas. 
           
          A  glance  at  the  Arya  Vaidya Sala's "Indian medicinal plants" 
          (Madras: Orient Longman,  1993,  p.  309-313  says "Distribution: 
          Throughout India in dry waste places."  
           
          The St. Petersburg Lexicon does not give any meaning of arka that 
          would correspond to "neighborhood" or "corner of  the house."  It 
          does not list akka. 
           
          Allen Thrasher 
          Library of Congress