Beating price rise with kindness

By Captain Mahmood Al Mahmood

You know that we are staring at a price rise when people travel from Riffa to Muharraq to buy bags of onion at 10% discount!

My neighbourhood shawarma shop says the price of chicken has risen threefold in the past year.

The Ukraine war has not helped matters, with the price of oil and wheat competing on which can rise faster.

It is not perhaps the best note on which to start the New Year – but it also call  upon us consumers to get resourceful and careful when it comes to trimming our spending and savin g money.

The government also needs to look at calibrating its subsidies so that the vulnerable families – large families with single in - come source, for example – are protected.

Bahrainis are relatively lucky in that they have not yet felt the pinch of hunger because our government has done its best to ensure the essentials are not overpriced.

Inflation has also seen many innovative and kind gestures from individuals and smaller stores.

Just opposite the Yateem Centre, there is a little Indian biryani shop with a glass case facing the road.

Inside it is a bowl of biryani at all times and a placard that says you can take it if you are hungry and cannot afford to pay.

On the other hand, if you are not hungry but want to help, you can leave any money you want in the case as a donation.

Surprisingly, nobody takes advantage of the offer and only the very needy get the biryani.

There is hope for us, after all!