Old money, new country

India finally has money, but seems to have traded it’s humanity for it

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There’s been a lot of talk about what old money and new money looks like on the Internet of late. As if that’s a thing.

So, I’m going to jump on that bandwagon and give you my two cents. If you’re trying to understand what old or new money looks like - it’s less about what you wear or drive and more about how you act. And if you’re looking for examples of it, look no further than India. It’s the epitome of new money and its pitfalls. Before I explain what I mean, allow me to digress a bit and share a story from my childhood.

One of my strongest memories from childhood is a simple moment in Norway. I was five years old, my Mother and I went on a journey together. The purpose wasn’t exactly to go on a vacation - it was to go be one with my Father who was working on a ship somewhere in the seas of Europe since he was a merchant marine.

First, we drove to Bombay. Then boarded a plane to an European country with a layover in some Arab country, neither of which I can recall the name of. Once we landed in the European country closest to where my Father’s ship was, we had to hop on a chopper and climb down ropes to get on the ship. It was lost on me then, but I had just checked-off multiple modes of transport at the tender age of five.

In the six months I spent on the ship, we docked at many ports but the one that stuck with me was Norway. I remember my Mother and I hitting the city. We shopped, including some toys for myself. Then we went to what I can only describe as a hipster store where my mum traded inscence sticks for some pot pouri.

The next stop was a cafe before getting back to the ship. Somewhere between the store and cafe, we had to cross a busy street. I distinctly remember, cars stopping well in advance to let my Mother and I pass. That’s what old money looks and feels like if you ask me.

I’m 37 years old now and although India has the money and conveniences of a European country that most of us did not know growing up - it seems to have traded it for its humanity. We have fancy cars, but not the decency to let another human pass. We have fancy diners, but not the decency to be kind to the waiting staff. We wear expensive clothes, but never think about the people making our garb.

New money is about showing off. Old money is about making an impact. New money uses, old money wants to be of use. The former is self indulgent, while the latter is focused on serving others.

Of-course this is a natural course of action and I empathise with this obsession with money that my fellow citizens seem to be gripped by. But that doesn’t mean I don’t find myself suffocated by it from time to time. And on those suffocating days, I remind myself of one of my favorite quotes by a statesman -

Ask not what your country can do for you,

ask what you can do for your country.

-JFK

So, I don’t let it vex me that nobody stops when I’m crossing the street. Or when somebody is rude to a waiting staff when I go out to eat.

Or if my friends seem obsessed with cars, gadgets, vacations, and fits.

Instead, I focus on my own actions - to stop and let others pass when I’m driving on the street. To be kind to the workers I interact with. To not let my self-worth be shaped by what I wear, the car I drive, or the neighbourhood where I live.

I like to joke, I’m neither old nor new money - I’m no money and all humanity. I say that because I’ve known phases where I had an abundance and I’ve known destitute phases. And through them all, I have tried to hold on to something beyond the material realm - my humanity. There’s a beautiful word in Urdu for it - insaniyat. Insaniyat is what our amazing country needs as we ascend greater heights. And you can count on this man to exhibit it.