“Would you like something with your coffee, sir?” asked the waiter at the airport food court.

“Yes,” I said. “A small loan.”

He smiled.

“I have already paid for parking,” I explained. “If I buy your sandwich too, my children might have to discontinue their education.”

There was a time when we went to airports to watch planes take off. Nowadays, we watch our savings do the same.

And no, when I speak of Monopoly, I am not referring to the board game. In that game, at least, everybody starts with some money.

Look around at facilities once run by the government and now operated privately. We were promised efficiency. Wonderful. But could somebody explain why efficiency means efficiently emptying my pocket?

“Sir, these are premium facilities.”

“I only parked my car. Did you give it a massage?”

Private enterprise can certainly improve services. But handing over a public facility does not automatically create competition. An auction may offer several bidders a choice. Once the contract is awarded, what choice does the customer have?

Which brings me to the patriotic indignation surrounding Starlink.

Some voices want it kept out, citing foreign players entering our backyard. The government says all three licensed satellite operators face security assessments. Fair enough. Apply the rules firmly and equally.

But patriotism must not become a security guard posted outside somebody’s business empire.

“Who goes there?”

“A competitor.”

“Danger to the nation!”

“What about the customer?”

“He has been instructed to feel proud.”

I would feel considerably prouder if my internet worked when the whole family latches on to my Wi-Fi!

Remember when Ambassadors and Fiats dominated our roads? Buying a car demanded money, patience and a relationship with a mechanic that sometimes outlasted your marriage.

The vehicle rattled. The doors protested. The engine occasionally held a meeting before deciding whether to start.

We called this patriotism, as the car trudged on like a roadroller.

Then more manufacturers arrived, and suddenly the customer discovered something astonishing.

He could choose.

Manufacturers had to improve because the buyer could walk into another showroom.

That is the useful thing about competition. It encourages businessmen to remember that customers possess legs.

Now, Starlink is no charity descending from heaven with free internet. Its prices must also earn our approval. Neither an Indian billionaire nor an American billionaire deserves our unquestioning devotion.

Let them compete for our business.

Let Indian companies grow stronger by serving Indians better. And please stop asking the citizen to protect a balance sheet by waving our national flag.

Patriotism should mean wanting the best for our people: fair prices, reliable services and genuine choices.

A country’s greatness cannot be measured by how comfortably a few Indian businessmen sleep while millions worry about their bills.

Let more players enter. Let there be competition.

And when somebody shouts, “Buy this for the nation!”

Ask gently, “Does the nation receive the profit, or only some Indian billionaire?”

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