Sour truths about inflation

Inflation is not just pinching the common man, it bothers finance ministry mandarins for professional and personal reasons. One senior official in the ministry recalled how rising prices have deprived him of a favourite Bengali condiment, Gondhoraj lebu, the aromatic lime variety found in West Bengal and not easily available in Delhi. He ruefully said when he asked his mother the reason she had stopped providing a piece with his meals, she retorted that it was no longer affordable because the price had gone up from Rs 5 to Rs 12 a piece.