Srinagar, July 1 -- On a regular day in any Indian town or city, a familiar scene unfolds: a customer arguing with a roadside vegetable vendor over Rs.5, insisting the price is too high for a kilo of tomatoes. Later that same evening, that same customer proudly pays Rs.300 for popcorn in a multiplex - without a second thought.

This double standard - of bargaining with those who toil the hardest while unquestioningly accepting inflated prices from corporatized retailers - is not just hypocritical. It is symptomatic of a deeper malaise: a crisis of empathy, a skewed perception of dignity, and an unconscious class prejudice.

India's economic landscape is a paradox. On one hand, we have glossy malls, lavish showrooms, and global franchises....