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I purchased one motorcar in 1925, Buick car. Not for personal use, but for using it as a taxi. My one nephew, he was a good driver, so my father, "Why don't you give him? He can do that, we can use it our own car, also taxi"

Expressions researched:
"Buick" |"I purchased one motorcar in 1925, Buick car. Not for personal use, but for using it as a taxi. My one nephew, he was a good driver, so my father" |"In 1925 I purchased one Buick car" |"Why don't you give him? He can do that, we can use it our own car, also taxi"

Conversations and Morning Walks

1976 Conversations and Morning Walks

That is wanted. Happiness in whatever circumstance. Not that because we did not possess a motorcar, therefore unhappy. I purchased one motorcar in 1925, Buick car. Not for personal use, but for using it as a taxi. My one nephew, he was a good driver, so my father, "Why don't you give him? He can do that, we can use it our own car, also taxi." So I took it, Buick car. I think I paid eight thousand rupees.
Room Conversation -- August 2, 1976, New Mayapur (French farm):

Hari-śauri: Seems everything is devolving at a phenomenal rate. Every decade that passes, everything breaks down twice as fast. Just in the last twenty years or thirty years everything has become so much degraded and...

Prabhupāda: No, I have got experience. I am Calcutta-born. What Calcutta was in our childhood days and what is now, I know everything. How we were happy during British days and what is now position, I can speak from my personal experience. We do not belong to the richest class nor to the poor class—middle class. So we have got practical experience. My father's income was not more than 250 rupees. How opulent we were. At least, there was no question of need. We were receiving daily four, five guests, and my father was functioning so many festivals, and he was asking... My father gave in marriage four daughters. There was no difficulty. The income was not more than 250 rupees. Of course, that 250 rupees at least ten times now. But still, there was no needy. Not very opulent, but there was no need. The first necessity is to feed and to clothe. So there was no such scarcity. May not be very luxurious life, but there was no scarcity for food and shelter or cloth. There was no scarcity. Happy. That is wanted. Happiness in whatever circumstance. Not that because we did not possess a motorcar, therefore unhappy. I purchased one motorcar in 1925, Buick car. Not for personal use, but for using it as a taxi. My one nephew, he was a good driver, so my father, "Why don't you give him? He can do that, we can use it our own car, also taxi." So I took it, Buick car. I think I paid eight thousand rupees.

Hari-śauri: Buick?

Prabhupāda: Buick, yes, very strong car. At that time, Ford, Chevrolet and Buick, these cars were very popular in India. Ford for the poorer class and Buick for the first class.

Hari-śauri: Your nephew was a taxi driver.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Nephew was my sister's son. We had to maintain one sister and her family. She became widow. So this is Hindu family obligation. When the daughter is widow, she comes to the father's shelter with all family. The father has to maintain.

Hari-śauri: You wouldn't get that in the West. (laughs) They don't even maintain their own parents.

Prabhupāda: On the whole, during British time, people were happy. That I can... The thing is that Britishers were little afraid that "If the government is not good, it will go against our credit, if we may agitate." So they were careful to see that people are happy. But here nobody's careful. Everyone thinks, "I'm in my own country. Whatever I do, it is all right." They were conscious that "We are foreigners. If the management is not good, then it will go against our credit, and it will be difficult working such a big England empire." So they were little careful. But these rascals are not... Just like the governor, he was friendly, but what is the report? Did he say? Did not behave very nicely?

1977 Conversations and Morning Walks

American cars were selling during British days—Ford, Buick, Chevrolet. These cars were selling. Dodge. In 1925 I purchased one Buick car, eight thousand rupees.
Room Conversation -- January 7, 1977, Bombay:

Jagadīśa: ...and let them set up a small center in their house or purchase one storefront.

Prabhupāda: If one is convinced about this favorably, that is success. It doesn't matter what dress. Let him teach his family and neighborhood. Let them do their own business. It doesn't matter. That is... Let them understand Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa science. That is wanted. Do that program. Make that program. He is coming, Rāmeśvara. Take to it very seriously. (break) I can cycle even now. (laughs) In our childhood... I had car, but my nephew was driving. I never drove. In 1925, I purchased one Buick car.

Trivikrama: Buick? It's a good car.

Prabhupāda: At that time in India it was eight thousand rupees only. Very strong car.

Trivikrama: From America it came?

Prabhupāda: Yes. American cars were selling during British days—Ford, Buick, Chevrolet. These cars were selling. Dodge. (Dr. Patel enters) Aiye. Jaya. In 1925 I purchased one Buick car, eight thousand rupees.

Dr. Patel: That was..., small cars were everywhere seventeen hundred rupees in 1936-37.

Prabhupāda: And Ford car was very cheap.

Dr. Patel: Thirty-two hundred rupees. V8 Ford cars were sold in Bombay market for thirty-two hundred rupees, 3,200. Now you send a car for repairs, the bill will be six thousand, seven thousand rupees.

Prabhupāda: What can be done? Things have gone high, I was calculating the other day—twenty times.

Hari-śauri: Thirty times.

Dr. Patel: More than that.

Hari-śauri: Thirty times.

Prabhupāda: Thirty times, yes. My father's income was from 250 to 300, and we were living very comfortably.

Jagadīśa: A month?

Prabhupāda: Per month.

Dr. Patel: It was more than sufficient, those days.

Prabhupāda: No, no, that three hundred rupees means... What you calculated?

Hari-śauri: Well, at 250 rupees it came to seven and a half thousand rupees now.

Dr. Patel: That's right.

Prabhupāda: Even low as 250 it comes to seven thousand. So who has got seven thousand income now?

Dr. Patel: In my house we spend monthly more than six thousand rupees. I studied for my graduation in the college at fifty rupees a term fee for six months. I'm paying for those small kids going to the family schools seven hundred rupees per month.

Prabhupāda: Our family was taking two kilos and half milk daily, two annas per kilo. Ghee, ghee was selling, first-class ghee, in Calcutta... Just in front of our house there was a grocer shop. We were purchasing in a tin, but if some required, I would go immediately.

Page Title:I purchased one motorcar in 1925, Buick car. Not for personal use, but for using it as a taxi. My one nephew, he was a good driver, so my father, "Why don't you give him? He can do that, we can use it our own car, also taxi"
Compiler:Visnu Murti
Created:12 of Nov, 2013
Totals by Section:BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=0, Con=2, Let=0
No. of Quotes:2