There’s a silent anxiety hanging over Indian households — not from politics, not from headlines — but from the checkout counter.
From Prayagraj to Pune, conversations are shifting. It’s no longer about aspirations, it’s about adaptation. “We’ve started skipping fruits,” says Sunita, a school teacher in Rae Bareli. “Even milk is being rationed at home. It’s not poverty — it’s pressure.” a resident to Sampadak Express
- “Even milk is being rationed at home. It’s not poverty — it’s pressure.”
And it’s not just her. Across urban middle-class India, the month now begins with mental math and ends with missed meals.
According to recent data, inflation clocked in at 6.8% last month. But these are just numbers. The reality feels much heavier. Cooking oil, dal, vegetables — the items that don’t make breaking news — have quietly surged. Every household knows it. Few talk about it. Even fewer know what to do about it.
Government voices assure us that steps are being taken — subsidies are announced, RBI tweaks rates — but on the ground, people aren’t feeling relief. What they feel is fatigue.
There’s something uniquely unfair about inflation in India. It punishes the honest. The salaried. The fixed-income families. The ones who file taxes and follow rules. The ones who are too poor to escape it and too proud to ask for help.
This isn’t just an economic issue — it’s a social one. Because when a country’s middle class starts cutting corners, skipping protein, delaying healthcare or cancelling school tuition, it’s a warning sign.
It’s time we ask harder questions. Why are fuel and food so vulnerable to global shocks? Why is there no buffer for the common man? And most of all — when the rupee loses value, why is it always the consumer who pays the price?
Inflation is more than a statistic. It’s a quiet thief — stealing comfort, dignity, and choice from those who ask for very little.
At Sampadak Express, we believe journalism must speak not just for the powerful, but for the pressured. And today, that pressure is building in the kitchens, wallets, and lives of ordinary Indians.
