Who wants to be a millionaire?

Mumbai alone must have atleast ten recognised business schools, and each of these schools must be mentoring atleast a 120 student on an average, which means that each year Mumbai alone adds around 1200 MBAs to the country's job market. A similar number would be the number of engineers and doctors passing out each year. Add to this the CAs, lawyers, architects, and artists and you have around 5000-7000 students with a technical degree (other than a BCom/BSc/BA) passing out of various colleges and institutes in Mumbai. And what do all these people have in common? Well most, if not all, would have a dream to do something BIG in life! After-all, we've all been taught to dream and think big since childhood, haven't we? Strangely enough, no one ever bothered asking "how big is big enough?"

In the May of 2006, I was one such dreamer - fresh out of a business school, with a big dream to fulfill - earning a million bucks a year. For a student, who manages to spend only a few thousands a month, a million a year sounded like more than enough to enjoy life. you could buy a car, go for long vacations, buy that expensive camera, fine-dine and what not?? But four years down the line, having earned more than a million a year, one wonders if it is enough? I mean a little more wouldn't hurt right? And oh, parents would be so much happier to boast that you earn more than all your other cousins? But what about the expenses that the salary was supposed to fund? the car? the holidays? the camera? Well, you have to be really lucky to be driving to work in Mumbai - so the car is always found in the garage. And the holiday? oh next year definitely.....just that he next year never comes. The camera? well my phones got one, and what will I do carrying the other 'expensive' one to work - afterall that where I am from sunrise to late night 6 days a week atleast!! Fine dining?? ah, silly, reaching home in time for dinner is such a luxury, who wants to fine dine eh?

The glorified 'rat-race'. Day and night, they are both alike - for I am always sitting under tubelights working on a machine that was discovered to make man's life easier. Sunrise, sunset, monsoon - they are just the different wall papers that I put up. My work is my only interest, hobby and religion. I talk to my wife more on the cell phone then in person. Wont most of us relate these statements? Have we not lost our life to money? How often do we ask ourselves, 'how much more?'!! We are taught in Finance that capital has a cost, money doesnt come for free. Isnt it time we evaluate the cost that we are paying for the money that we earn? We are so busy running after the million that we cant spare enough time to count it!!!

Who wants to be a millionaire? nobody!! Its the billions we are running after, mate!!