Consumers of their needs in daily life find themselves in the present world of fakes and frauds. The media, with the hawk’s eye of its army of reporters, is doing excellent job of bringing the flourishing trade to the notice of the people, who are taking the offending flock in their strides, with the administration giving an impression of nabbing the miscreants. Until not too long ago, only those who belong to a well-marked ethnic section in the country’s population were known to fake any and every product, particularly automobile parts of the most selling models, with another equally well-marked ethnic section selling the faked products in their retail outlets all over the country, including Mysuru. If somebody is not aware of these two sections who produce fakes and trade in those imitations, let it be so.

School children are brought on stage on many celebratory occasions such as Independence Day, Republic Day, School Annual Fests and so on being attired like many past heroes of the country’s freedom struggle, virtually faking those great men and women, much to the delight of the parents and other invited guests to the events. Does this prompt one to remark that the seeds of faking are sown in the young minds, to blossom later in life? That may sound like a far-fetched verdict on the children (!) whether it holds water or not.

While the producers of counterfeit goods are immune from getting traced, the shop-keepers who serve as conduit in the system are carrying on their trade virtually openly. The consumers who buy the faked goods are flummoxed on two counts, namely a) The seller claiming that even the producers of original products are aware of the fakes in the market and b) Warranty of the quality of products may be a mirage but the shop-keepers offer to replace products if found defective. The latest to happen in the world of fakes is the scene on the streets of Mysuru witnessing sale of helmets with faked ISI marking. Reports of faked eggs, milk and even perishables in different parts of the country mirror the fait accompli of consumers left with Hobson’s choice as it were — take it or leave it. The ongoing e-commerce has also been exposed for its fraudulent dark underbelly.

The now-forgotten financial fraud that fooled all sections of society in Bangalore (now Bengaluru) several decades ago fades into nothing compared to that committed by the Big Bull or the author of fake stamp papers not too long ago. If people at large choose not to be vigilant about frauds and fakes and readily offer themselves to be the sacrificial goats of the perpetrators, God help them!