purchasing power of rupee

The purchasing power of rupee

 I n1963 the price of petrol per litre was 72 paise (see the photo).

1971 one dosa

was for 50p . A cup of coffee was also costing 50p (see the photo). 

Salaries were also low. The  basic monthly pay of an IAS officer in the first year of  service was Rs.400 in the sixties.

 I purchased my Bajaj scooter in 1972 for Rs.3400.

Early Terelyne shirts  were very expensive and I purchased my first expensive terylene shirt (harvest tones) for Rs.28. 

Balcony cinema ticket was around Rs2.25 in 1960s.

For first class the price was

Re 1.25. Even in May 1975 the cost of a balcony ticket was Rs.3 (see photo).

Going still farther back, a Hercules  imported bicycle  purchased by my father in 1930 cost Rs 28and 8 anna. And in 1947 the popular Bareilly chair (see photo) cost Rs.6 .

And the most interesting thing is  that while ghee was four rupee eight anna per ser (933 gm.) and basmati rice Rs 1 four anna per ser (933gm, my grandfather used to observe that prices had gone very high !

( metric system of weights and measures came into force only in 1957 before that it was rupee/anna/pice and Ser/chhatank).

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