The video of Rajas' question to RBI
governor Raghuram Rajan has got over 7 lakh hits on YouTube.
MUMBAI: Five days ago, Rajas
Mehendale stepped out to buy vegetables when the grocer asked him, "Are
you the boy in the video?" On the streets of Dombivli, this cherubic SSC
student has become a sudden, albeit reluctant celebrity. After all, not only is
he the boy who mentioned Dombivli in his introduction to RBI governor Raghuram
Rajan but also the one who asked him a question involving the words
"federal stimulus". "It feels a bit awkward," says
Mehendale, about the attention garnered by the video of this event that has got
over 7 lakh hits on Youtube in the last few days.
Though the event--the Times NIE Newsmakers' Meet where Raghuram Rajan, Governor of The Reserve Bank of India, was invited as the chief guest-- happened last year, the video became a viral sensation recently, nearly 16 months after the actual event. The event was telecast on ET NOW last year and its video is freely available on the internet. During this meet, the Governor of RBI addressed students, after which the floor was opened up for a direct question and answer session. Mehendale's was the first question. "The mere rumour of US cutting down on the Federal stimulus saw the rupee crash in value. When will we see an Indian policy affecting other countries so intensively?" asked the nervous student of Sister Nivedita School, surprised by the applause it garnered.
"I thought I will ask the question and maybe he will answer. That will be it," says Mehendale, who chose this question from a list of nine others he had prepared because it wasn't as common as his other questions: "Why did you want to become governor" and "Who are your idols?" But how did an eighth standard student know about federal stimulus? "I had read that they (the US) were pumping money into the economy at low rates, and that just this rumour had affected our graph very badly," says Mehendale, a voracious newspaper reader who likes to start with the sports page and move on to business.
Even as a kid, he had always nurtured an interest in currency exchange rates thanks to his well-travelled father's tendency to bring back coins from various countries. "I would track down the exchange rates of these coins and was interested in the dollar and pound in particular," says Rajas. Though Rajas's father Milind, a chemical engineer, does not understand the technicality of his son's question, he feels it contains "attitude" because "it conveyed his son's angst." He feels why should things affect us all the time? Why should we take things lying down?" says Milind. "He has always been a thinker, a slightly serious kid," attests Rajas's mother, Sonia.
At some level, Mehendale admits he feels jealous of the US because "whatever they say becomes the law suddenly. I wish they could consult other countries on financial decisions instead of focusing on making their economy stronger. Even the RBI governor smilingly admitted this in his answer to what he called "a great question". "I have been saying that the US should worry about the effect of its policy on the rest of the world," said Rajan. "If I stood by that, we should not be very happy down the line when Indian policies affect rest of the world adversely. We would like to live in a world, where countries take into account the effect of their policies on other countries and do what is right broadly, rather than what is just right, given the circumstances of the country. My guess is that by the time you are old enough to get a job, we will be a significant force in the world economy."
Though he may be uncomfortable under the spotlight, Mehendale says he was happy he got a chance through Times NIE to ask the question about his country. "I am not a nationalist," says Mehendale, "but I like my country."
Though the event--the Times NIE Newsmakers' Meet where Raghuram Rajan, Governor of The Reserve Bank of India, was invited as the chief guest-- happened last year, the video became a viral sensation recently, nearly 16 months after the actual event. The event was telecast on ET NOW last year and its video is freely available on the internet. During this meet, the Governor of RBI addressed students, after which the floor was opened up for a direct question and answer session. Mehendale's was the first question. "The mere rumour of US cutting down on the Federal stimulus saw the rupee crash in value. When will we see an Indian policy affecting other countries so intensively?" asked the nervous student of Sister Nivedita School, surprised by the applause it garnered.
"I thought I will ask the question and maybe he will answer. That will be it," says Mehendale, who chose this question from a list of nine others he had prepared because it wasn't as common as his other questions: "Why did you want to become governor" and "Who are your idols?" But how did an eighth standard student know about federal stimulus? "I had read that they (the US) were pumping money into the economy at low rates, and that just this rumour had affected our graph very badly," says Mehendale, a voracious newspaper reader who likes to start with the sports page and move on to business.
Even as a kid, he had always nurtured an interest in currency exchange rates thanks to his well-travelled father's tendency to bring back coins from various countries. "I would track down the exchange rates of these coins and was interested in the dollar and pound in particular," says Rajas. Though Rajas's father Milind, a chemical engineer, does not understand the technicality of his son's question, he feels it contains "attitude" because "it conveyed his son's angst." He feels why should things affect us all the time? Why should we take things lying down?" says Milind. "He has always been a thinker, a slightly serious kid," attests Rajas's mother, Sonia.
At some level, Mehendale admits he feels jealous of the US because "whatever they say becomes the law suddenly. I wish they could consult other countries on financial decisions instead of focusing on making their economy stronger. Even the RBI governor smilingly admitted this in his answer to what he called "a great question". "I have been saying that the US should worry about the effect of its policy on the rest of the world," said Rajan. "If I stood by that, we should not be very happy down the line when Indian policies affect rest of the world adversely. We would like to live in a world, where countries take into account the effect of their policies on other countries and do what is right broadly, rather than what is just right, given the circumstances of the country. My guess is that by the time you are old enough to get a job, we will be a significant force in the world economy."
Though he may be uncomfortable under the spotlight, Mehendale says he was happy he got a chance through Times NIE to ask the question about his country. "I am not a nationalist," says Mehendale, "but I like my country."
