Simple words are powerful. I realized this in the most uncanny yet a very unforgetableway. It so happened that this friend of mine and I were deliberating on the concerns of the Indian Economy.
She believed that the Indian Economy was doing excellently well. I, however, refused to agree with her. Both of us then put forth our arguments. Her argument was that since there was so much activity on the Indian stock exchange, India was doing well, that the glitz of Gurgaon was a tell tale sign of India's coming of age and that cheap airline tickets proved that India was taking off.
I brought to her notice that the activity on the stock exchange was inconsummerate with what was happening to the fundamentals of the economy, that the glitz of Gurgaon was due to captive gensets and not real power generation and that the low cost airliners were reeling under heavy loses. She refused to see the point. I seconded my arguments by giving her all the developments that were happening on the poverty and develpoment fronts. I told her that inequality was on the rise, malnutrition levels were higher than in Africa, rate of decline of poverty had slowed significanlty, the ICOR had increased realtive to the 1980's. After much effort and pain I managed to convince her, or atlesat that is what I thought, that India was not doing so well.
She was begining to see the point and I thought that I had won. Just then two simple words stole away my well deserved victory. She said " You know Anand, India has all these problems that you have just pointed out and I agree that the scenario is not as rosy BUT STILL....
I was defeated by the ill famed BUT STILL argument. Come to think of it, 'but still' may sound very harmless but when used in the right context and at the opportune moment they serve to be deadlier than any nuclear weapon. I found this out in a way I would like to forget but the impact of those words was such that even today those words ring in my ear every waking and somnolent hour.
