Many of us know of at least one relative or friend who was a victim of an unscrupulous tout, selling land that didn’t belong to him or which is in a legal tangle – sometimes we ourselves have been victims. Very often these land touts come up with forged documents and sell government land to unsuspecting victims. If they find some one gullible enough, they are even ready to sell the Charminar! We hear many instances of people investing their life savings, only to realize that even after getting the land officially registered, the title is contested.

Most economists across the world generally agree that India can grow faster if only certain impediments to prosperity are removed. India’s growth at a reasonable 6-7% per annum, and being the world’s fourth largest economy in purchasing power parity terms testify Indian entrepreneurial energies and ambition of the ordinary citizens. True, China continues its scorching pace of growth, but there is every reason to believe that we have the potential to match China's growth in the coming years.

dir="ltr">This is the first general election in which disclosure of financial details of all candidates, their spouses and dependents is mandatory, as a necessary part of the nomination. However, the media are regaling us with stories of absurd ‘disclosures’ by may candidates, concealing much more than they reveal, and making amusing reading in some cases. Why is this so?

It is not uncommon to see a housewife bargaining with a vegetable vendor over the price of vegetables, or a passenger bargaining with an autorickshaw wallah, or an employer negotiating the salary of the prospective employee. Often a housewife goes back all the way to the vendor to show him the rotten baingan picked up at his vegetable stand! We are all very particular about getting the maximum value for our rupee. There is nothing wrong with that. It is hard earned money and we are not going to fritter it away. Neither are we going to keep quiet if somebody tries to cheat us.