The brand-new arcade that opened right in front of my house has transformed our once-quiet stretch into what can only be described as a full-blown gold festival. The paint is still fresh, glass still sparkling, and before we could even figure out where the dustbins are, jewellery shop after jewellery shop have appeared. Every few days a new board goes up — shinier than the last — promising purity, tradition, modern designs, it seems, access to our entire life savings. From my window, it looks less like a neighbourhood market and more like the venue for a wedding exhibition.
This sparkle explosion raises a simple question: we keep hearing that prices have gone through the roof. Gold rates are up. Making charges are up. School fees, electricity bills, and even vegetables — all up. If everything costs more, has our ability to buy also magically increased? Or are we just becoming experts at looking through glass and saying, “We’ll come later”?
Jewellery, after all, is not exactly a daily-need item. No one has ever rushed out yelling, “We’re out of bangles — let me grab some before groceries!” A necklace cannot fix a leaking tap, a diamond ring cannot replace atta, and a bracelet has never cured a cough. Yet the number of jewellery stores suggests we are all secretly living glamorous lives that require constant access to gold within walking distance. Meanwhile, a proper supermarket, hardware shop, or medical store would probably see more footfall — because atta finishes, bulbs fuse, and coughs don’t wait for Akshaya Tritiya.
Of course, there is logic behind this glittering growth. Gold in our culture is never just ornament. It is emotion, security, status, and an emergency fund.In uncertain times, people trust gold more than financial advice. Shop owners know this well — they don’t just sell jewellery; they sell comfort.
Still, from a neighbourhood point of view, the imbalance is hard to miss. A good market is where glamour and utility walk hand in hand. A little sparkle is lovely; a lot of sparkle with nowhere to buy basic things is slightly dramatic. Right now, our arcade seems fully prepared for wedding season but mildly unprepared for everyday life. We can compare necklace designs across five stores, but if someone needs batteries, we may have to borrow them from the TV remote.
So while we discuss how expensive everything has become, the new arcade quietly tells another story — not just about rising rates, but rising aspirations. Maybe our needs haven’t increased as fast as our wants. Until a supermarket joins the party, we live in the only place where you can’t easily buy coriander — but you can definitely buy a gold set to wear while looking for it.
Maybe I will walk there soon, buying what is sold. AMEN !!
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