Many moons ago, an old milkman (Mr. Iyer) lived with his 3 sons who worked delivering milk produced by the family to many customers who were 15 Kms away. The total milk production was 100 litres per day. From the proceeds the family survived well and had the luxury of good food.

The eldest son Hari Narayan Iyer (known as HNI) was built very strong and was asked to carry 50 litres on his head for 15 Kms daily. As he was well-built like an ox, Hari Narayan Iyer happily obliged in the interest of the larger good of the family.

The second son Mohan Narayan Iyer was normally built and carried 30 litres on his head everyday.

The third and youngest son Lalit Narayan Iyer (father’s pet) had a rather weak constitution but was overall healthy. He was asked to carry the balance 20 litres of milk on his head.

Second and third sons wanted more share from the cooked food in the house and hence they kept the father very sweet. The father in order to reward his second and third sons (and for better distribution of food resources), asked the first son HNI to carry some more load.

The eldest son was also asked to eat a little less food and carry a some more weight as he was built extraordinarily strong anyway. Now the first son was asked to carry 70 litres, second son 20 litres and the youngest only 10.

The father explained to HNI, this is only a small sacrifice for the family and shouldn’t hurt him too much.

As this arrangement suited the no 2 and 3 sons (who loved to shirk work) they pretended to be ill and asked the doting father for more food and less workload.

The father then cut down the food quota/quality of HNI (as he was strong anyway) and asked him to carry some more weight (one last time) in the ‘larger interest’ of the family.The new ratio of carrying milk weight was now worked out at 95:3:2

Hari Narayan Iyer protested saying this arrangement is highly unfair and would kill him eventually. The partial father however was so blind in his love for his other 2 sons that he threatened to throw the eldest son out of the house if he grumbled and didn’t fall in line.

The eldest son HNI fearing starvation,rather than leaving the house,reconciled with his fate and continued with the daily unfair drudgery.The eldest son; however, became weaker and weaker with huge exertion and lack of energy due to lesser and lesser food being allocated to him

The other 2 sons meanwhile pigged out on extra food given to them (stolen from the share of HNI) but with lack of work and exercise became grossly obese and diabetic. Their muscles too atrophied for they hardly worked.

The eldest son HNI couldn’t take it any longer and finally died one day due to utter exertion and malnutrition. The old milkman was now left with 2 obese and useless sons who could barely walk and had lost any ability to carry any burden or weight.

Sadly back then the king did not believe in socialism or distributing poverty equally. Very soon all 3 (the father and his 2 sons) died of abject poverty and hunger as none could work at all.

——- The death of HNI———

Any resemblance to the Indian economic scenario is purely coincidental! https://theprint.in/economy/covid-19-cess-40-tax-for-rich-irs-officers-offer-economy-revival-tips-to-modi-govt/409108/

Re-posting my old thread as it become relevant again.

@curiosweetie @kansaratva @harshmadhusudan @deepakshenoy @MinhazMerchant @gary_agg @tishtriya