Greed is a bottomless pit which exhausts the person in an endless
effort to satisfy the need without ever reaching satisfaction
Erich Fromm, German social psychologist and author
In ancient India, temples and places of pilgrimage were connected through well-worn paths. Along these paths, there were inns that served food, drinks and beds for overnight sleeping. These beds were of standard size. If any tall pilgrim could not stretch his legs fully, the legs were cut to suit the length of the bed and the next morning, they were re-attached.
If you are shocked or wonder how it was done, I should mention a wonderful healing plant called the Sanjivini Boti which is mentioned in the Ramayana. In the war with an Asura (demon) of Lanka who had abducted Sita, Lakshman was seriously injured and on the verge of death. The local doctor said that he could be saved with a wonder healing plant from the Himalayas. Hanuman was sent to bring this plant. He flew to the mountain but could not identify the wonder plant and flew back with a part of the mountain which contained various plants including Sanjivini Boti and Lakshman was healed.
Going back to the inns noted above, the legs of tall pilgrims were treated with Sanjivini and all went well. But it gave an adage about stretching the legs to suit the bed or bedsheet.
There are some parents who try to reach out to schools that they cannot afford to keep up with those who are rich and famous above their class. Then they cringe about schools charging exorbitant fees of various kinds.
Now, the Delhi High Court has put some sense to control on the greed of parents to reach beyond their economic means. In a judgment delivered on December 9, 2020 it dismissed a public suit seeking directions to the Delhi government to take action against private schools which allegedly overcharged fees and denied online classes to students during the COVID-19 pandemic. The divisional bench of Justice DN Patel and Justice Prateek Jalan, while dismissing the plea, showed displeasure with the petitioner and imposed a cost of Rs 20,000.
