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By Sidheswar Jena, PhD Scholar in Law

The world today is very different from what it was earlier. Change is the essence of everything, and while change often brings beauty, it also reveals the struggles of our times. As humans, we sometimes act more selfishly than nature itself, rarely stopping to think about the consequences of our actions.

This thought struck me during a recent journey. I started my day from Pune Airport, heading to Hyderabad. It was an early morning flight, and I was already drained after a marathon week of continuous income tax return work. Once I landed in Hyderabad, I decided to have breakfast.

The bill, however, shocked me: a simple plate of uttapam with two more items cost ₹451, and a 500 ml bottle of water was priced at ₹70. I understand that airports are costly business zones, but this was beyond reasonable. When I asked the counter staff why the prices were so high, the answer was blunt — they claimed that more than 70% of their revenue went into expenses and taxes.

As passengers, we already pay heavily for air travel, and yet, the system makes us bear additional inflated costs. What adds to the frustration is the environment inside airports. The check-in process is often stressful, the staff and security personnel appear constantly tense, and the whole experience lacks a welcoming atmosphere. Instead of feeling like a traveler, one feels like a burden being processed through a system.

The irony is that this isn’t just limited to air travel. Let me share another personal experience from last month when I traveled by road to Shimoga, Karnataka. Covering 600 kilometers turned out to be an exhausting journey. The condition of the roads was so poor that at times we felt as though our car was being held hostage by the potholes. Three of us took turns driving, but by the end, the fatigue was unbearable.

And yet, we paid nearly ₹2,500 in tolls for this “privilege.” If that wasn’t enough, we also had to deal with highway police. My junior, while driving, was stopped for alleged speeding and lane crossing. Instead of a fair hearing, the officer chose threats, claiming he could do this or that if we didn’t comply. Finally, I had to step in, and to avoid unnecessary harassment, I paid what he demanded before we were allowed to move on.

These experiences raise a simple but important question: why are citizens paying so much, yet getting so little in return? Be it airports or highways, we spend on tickets, tolls, taxes, and surcharges, but what we receive is overpriced food, poor infrastructure, and often, a system that seems more interested in extracting money than serving the people.

Travel is supposed to connect us, refresh us, and give us new perspectives. But in today’s India, it too often leaves us with only fatigue, frustration, and the feeling that we are paying endlessly into a system that gives very little back.