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It does not help to dwell on the past to deal with realities of today. Since this is a chit chat session let me share experience of our family.
My grand father died before my parents were married. As a very well known advocate he must have amassed enormous wealth from what I have gathered. He used to have even a Ford Car in the 1920s (?), a mansion of house (now an industry is in that place when I took my children there some years ago), land in many acres, a barn of cows, chariot with horses etc.
From that era what I understood is that many Brahmin families used to buy land (for Rice etc, but laborers did the work of harvesting) , buy gold ornaments, have cows etc and have many children. All these were considered personification of Goddess Lakshmi.
The laws changed from whatever little I remember and yields from harvest had to be shared with the actual laborers in a disproportionate manner. Even after division across the so called Joint families it was still substantial. Over time, most members (my grand father's brother's children, my father and his brothers) had moved off to cities. Someone made decisions to sell it all off due to changes in laws. I only know whatever was shared by my father.
The families lacked business skills and hence could not adopt to changing laws and environment. Most ended up in a middle class set up earning in some government type jobs. The wealth had evaporated since money was kept in Post office savings accounts, or Kisan Vikas Patrika etc that did not keep up with inflation. I remember when some land was sold (associated with where cows used to be housed) money was enough to buy a house in South Delhi. Prices of those houses now is over 13 to 15 crores. My father put the money in a bank account. I learnt all these much later. It all became worthless due to inflation.
When we went to visit ancestral house, the current occupants (some enterprising NB hosting this industry) were very hospitable, and I was able to show around the place where we used to visit some of the summer vacations.
Bottomline: The wealth and power did not move across even one generation.
My grand father died before my parents were married. As a very well known advocate he must have amassed enormous wealth from what I have gathered. He used to have even a Ford Car in the 1920s (?), a mansion of house (now an industry is in that place when I took my children there some years ago), land in many acres, a barn of cows, chariot with horses etc.
From that era what I understood is that many Brahmin families used to buy land (for Rice etc, but laborers did the work of harvesting) , buy gold ornaments, have cows etc and have many children. All these were considered personification of Goddess Lakshmi.
The laws changed from whatever little I remember and yields from harvest had to be shared with the actual laborers in a disproportionate manner. Even after division across the so called Joint families it was still substantial. Over time, most members (my grand father's brother's children, my father and his brothers) had moved off to cities. Someone made decisions to sell it all off due to changes in laws. I only know whatever was shared by my father.
The families lacked business skills and hence could not adopt to changing laws and environment. Most ended up in a middle class set up earning in some government type jobs. The wealth had evaporated since money was kept in Post office savings accounts, or Kisan Vikas Patrika etc that did not keep up with inflation. I remember when some land was sold (associated with where cows used to be housed) money was enough to buy a house in South Delhi. Prices of those houses now is over 13 to 15 crores. My father put the money in a bank account. I learnt all these much later. It all became worthless due to inflation.
When we went to visit ancestral house, the current occupants (some enterprising NB hosting this industry) were very hospitable, and I was able to show around the place where we used to visit some of the summer vacations.
Bottomline: The wealth and power did not move across even one generation.
