Arthashastra (अर्थशास्त्र)

Mother Preparing Her Daughter For School/Image Credit: Mehmet Turgut Krikgoz By the time a child in our cities begins wobbling proudly on two feet, their parents have already learnt the art of balancing on a financial tightrope. There was a time, not very long ago, when new parents discussed prams with suspension wheels and which diapers didn’t leak at night. Now those same parents huddle over fee circulars the way earlier generations huddled over exam results. In one Bengaluru WhatsApp group, a mother recently typed, “I think we should choose the school first, then choose the stroller to match the fee structure.” People responded with laughing emojis, the kind that hide a sigh underneath. Hope and helplessness sit side by side these days. Because in our metros, a school admission is no longer just a milestone; it is a moment that rearranges the furniture of a family’s life — literally, sometimes. Budgets shift, apartments change, savings plans evaporate like spilled milk, and dreams...