Yes, there was a time in the 50s when you could get half a kilo of chicken for a rupee. Now, nobody cares about returning the change if it’s a rupee or two. Has the ‘one rupee’ really become meaningless in today’s India?
Here are twenty things you can still buy for a rupee, and no, this is not an exhaustive list.
1. Candies and Toffees
Dairy milk eclairs, mango bite, coffee bite… the list is huge.
2. Machine ka Thanda Paani
For one more rupee, you can even ask for salt and lemon.
3. Two Single Postcards
You might think they’re obsolete these days but some people in rural India still use them.
4. Matchbox
Whether you need to light a cigarette or use them after you’ve done your stinky deed in a loo, matchboxes are ever so handy.
5. Plastic cup/glass
Best thing with a bottle of Old Monk and Coke.
6. Mouth-fresheners like Chutki and Pass-Pass
The symbol of our desi swag.
7. Chewing gum
Remember the cricket cards you got if you bought two?
8. Shampoo sachet
Go full on damke-damke !
9. Kites
There are really expensive ones too but the lower limit is somewhere around the one rupee mark.
10. A local SMS
Yes, it’s become obsolete to many due to apps like WhatsApp, but it’s still a lifesaver when you’ve run through your data plan.
11. An eraser
Or call it “rubber” if you don’t mind being laughed at in phoren countries.
12. Candle
We’ve all grown up with power-cuts. We know how important candles are. Pro tip – pair a white saree with it and scare the shit out of people.
13. Hajmola/Hingoli
A must-have if you want to survive a full course Indian meal.
14. A Paracetamol tablet
Whether you have a headache or fever, one of these tablets can make you feel much better. Also, if you ever get punched in the face, pop one in immediately to prevent swelling. (From personal experience)
15. Freeze-pop or Ek rupaye ki Pepsi
If you don’t know what this is, your childhood was incomplete.
16. Hair-pins and safety pins
Yes, they come in sets but in emergencies most shopkeepers are nice enough to give out a handful for a rupee.
17. Nails
The last time I checked, you get six regular sized nails for a rupee in most hardware stores.
18. Photocopy
Even cheaper if you get bulk copies.
19. Subsidized Idli
Thanks to our Amma .
20. A cleaner India
Men, hide your temptation the next time you see a clean wall. Walk into a Sulabh Sauchalaya instead.