Concept of Notional Loss – Story of the Man who wanted to have a Heart Attack

THE MAN WHO WANTED TO HAVE A HEART ATTACK

Theory of Notional Loss

A Spoof

By

VIKRAM KARVE

One day – a man went to visit a patient in hospital.

The patient was his office colleague convalescing in hospital after heart surgery – following a massive heart attack.

Fascinated by the sophisticated and luxurious facilities in the hospital – the man asked his recuperating friend how much the heart surgery had cost him. 

“Over 5 lakhs...” the patient said.

“My God – 5 Lakhs – that’s expensive. How can you afford it...?”

“Medical Reimbursement...” the patient said.

“Medical Reimbursement...? Does that mean that you don’t have to pay any money for all this medical treatment...?”

“Of course I don’t have to pay from my own pocket – they pay everything. That is why I joined the medical health insurance scheme. All office staff are members of this scheme. You too are a member – aren’t you...? So even if you have a heart surgery – they will pay everything.”

“Really...? Is it true. If I have a heart attack right here – here and now – will they will pay for all my treatment...?” the man asked.

“Of course they will pay. You are a member of the health insurance scheme. You are entitled all medical treatment – just like me...” the patient said.

For some time – the man kept brooding.

He appeared to be in low spirits. 

Then suddenly – the man started shouting in the hospital: 

“I want to have a heart attack – I want to have a heart attack...”

Everyone was stunned by his strange behaviour. 

Doctors tried to calm him down.

But – the man kept on screaming loudly: 

“I want to have a heart attack – I want to have a heart attack...” 

So – they evicted him from the hospital.

Later – when he had cooled down – his wife and his friends asked him the reason for his crazy behaviour in the hospital.

“I have lost 5 Lakh Rupees...!!!” the man said.

“You have lost 5 lakh Rupees...? Where...? How did you lose Five Lakh Rupees...?” they all asked

“I lost 5 lakh rupees worth of medical reimbursement just because I did not have a heart attack. That is why I want to have a heart attack. So I will get 5 lakh rupees for a heart surgery and medical treatment which is my entitlement...” the man said.

And then – the man started shouting again: 

“I want to have a heart attack – I want to have a heart attack...”

Soon – the man became crazy. 

So – they admitted him into the psychiatric ward for treatment.

Of course – since he had gone crazy – he would receive “medical reimbursement” for the cost of “psychiatric treatment”.

So – at last – he had got pyrrhic justice.

The “notional loss” he had suffered because he had not had a heart attack – this “notional loss” would now be mitigated to some extent because he had gone crazy...! 

He wanted medical re-imbursement for “cardiac treatment”. 

Instead – he would now get medical re-imbursement for “psychiatric treatment”.

Yes – he had suffered a “notional loss” because he did not have a heart attack.

But now – since he had gone insane – he would make good at least a part of the “notional loss” he had suffered – since he would be reimbursed the cost of psychiatric treatment.

Dear Reader: 

Look back on your life and tell us: 

Have you “suffered” such “notional losses” too – because you did not fully avail of all perks/facilities you were entitled to...? 

PS: To end on a lighter note – a Military Veteran who was a strict Teetotaller – who never drank alcohol in his entire life – he told me that he had suffered great “notional loss” – because – he had never availed of the monthly Concessional CSD “Liquor Quota” during his entire Military Career of 35 years – and even now – after retirement – he continues to suffer “notional loss” since he does not draw his monthly “Liquor Quota”. 

VIKRAM KARVE

Copyright © Vikram Karve 
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© vikram karve., all rights reserved.

Disclaimer:

1. This story is a fictional spoof, satire, pure fiction, just for fun and humor, no offence is meant to anyone, so take it with a pinch of salt and have a laugh. 

2. This story is a work of fiction. Events, Places, Settings and Incidents narrated in the story are a figment of my imagination. The characters do not exist and are purely imaginary. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

Copyright Notice:

No part of this Blog may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical including photocopying or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the Blog Author Vikram Karve who holds the copyright.

Copyright © Vikram Karve (all rights reserved)

© vikram karve., all rights reserved.

Revised Version on My Story written be me long back in 1980s and posted online by me earlier at urls: http://creative.sulekha.com/heart-attack_74770_blog  and  http://karvediat.blogspot.in/2010/11/notional-loss.html  and  http://karvediat.blogspot.in/2013/12/do-you-want-to-have-heart-attack-humor.html and  http://karvediat.blogspot.in/2015/08/the-man-who-wanted-to-have-heart-attack.html and http://karvediat.blogspot.in/2016/06/notional-loss-story.html etc

NOTIONAL PAY PERKS CTC OF A MILITARY ARMY NAVY or AIR FORCE OFFICER - Humor in Uniform

HUMOUR IN UNIFORM

From my “Humor in Uniform” Archives:

I had first posted this hilarious naval yarn in September 2013

Here it is, once more, to cheer you up and raise your spirits on this rather cold and bleak Tuesday morning:

UNFORGETTABLE CHARACTERS I MET IN THE NAVY

The “Cost to Company” Lieutenant

A Naval Yarn

By

VIKRAM KARVE

Disclaimer:

All stories in this blog are a work of fiction. The characters do not exist and are purely imaginary. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

Copyright Notice:

No part of this Blog may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical including photocopying or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the Blog Author Vikram Karve who holds the copyright.

Copyright © Vikram Karve (all rights reserved)

THE “COST TO COMPANY” (CTC) LIEUTENANT – a yarn by VIKRAM KARVE

“How much pay do you get?” the man asked me.

“1100,” I said.

Well, this happened about 35 years ago, in the 1970s. 

I was a newly promoted Lieutenant in the Navy (Equivalent of an Army Captain or Air Force Flight Lieutenant) and those days our pay scale was Rs. 1100-50-1550

(Yes, those days, Lieutenants started off at 1100 with an increment of 50 every year and we remained Lieutenants for 8 long years and then we became Lieutenant Commanders with a pay scale of Rs. 1450-50-1800 --- Of course, now, with the Ajai Vikram Singh (AVS) Cadre Review bonanza, promotions are much faster and the junior-most rank has been abolished)

At the time of this story, as a newly promoted Lieutenant, I had started off in the pay scale 1100-50-1550.

The gentleman had asked me how much pay I got.

So I told the gentleman my basic pay – which was 1100 Rupees.

“Do you know ‘G’?” the gentleman asked me.

“Of course I know ‘G’ – he is my course-mate and is serving on a ship of my squadron,” I said, and I named the ship.

“Yes. Yes. It is the same person,” the gentleman said.

Then he paused for a moment and said to me, “Your friend ‘G’ – how much pay does he get?”

“Well, he must be getting 1100 Rupees too,” I said.

“Are you sure he doesn’t get more?” the man asked.

“How can he get more pay than me?” I said, “Well, ‘G’ is also a recently promoted Lieutenant – in fact, he got promoted a month after me since I gained more seniority in the Subs courses – so surely he cannot get more pay than me.”

“That’s strange,” the gentleman said, “your friend ‘G’ told me that his pay is 5000 rupees per month.”

“That is just not possible,” I said, “Even an Admiral does not get that much.”

“Maybe, ‘G’ gets some additional pay,” the man said.

“That is not possible. He cannot get more pay than me. ‘G’ is in the surface navy like me. And even aviators and submariners don’t get that much as he saying,” I said.

“So he is telling lies?”

“Obviously,” I said, “but tell me, Sir, why are you asking me all this?”

“There was a marriage proposal for my daughter.”

“There is a marriage proposal from ‘G’ for your daughter?”

“His parents approached us. Or rather, we approached his parents when someone told us about ‘G’ – that he was a suitable status match for our daughter. Well, we live up-north and we really don’t know anything about the navy. There was some business work in Pune, so I decided to come myself rather than send my manager – I thought it would be a good idea to go via Mumbai and have a look at the boy ‘G’ before progressing matters further,” he said.

The Deccan Queen started its climb up the Western Ghats and soon we reached Lonavala where I got off the train.

                                                                

A few days later I ran into ‘G’ at a party.

“So, you’re planning to get married?” I asked him.

“Not really, why?” he said.

“Well, I met your prospective father-in-law,” I said, and told him about the gentleman I had met on the Deccan Queen.

“Oh, that? It’s just in the first stages. I’ll see the girl when I go home on leave next month,” he said.

“Why did you tell him that your pay was 5000 rupees?” I asked.

“He told you that?”

“Yes.”

“And what did you say?”

“Well, he asked me my salary and I told him it was 1100 rupees,” I said.

“Are you crazy?”

“Why? Isn’t our pay 1100?”

“1100 is our bloody basic pay. That’s the problem with you Maharashtrians – you guys always undersell yourselves,” he said.

“But how can you say that your pay is 5000? Even if you add the DA and other allowances, your pay will be about 1400, isn’t it?”

“What about the monetary value of all the other benefits and perks we get?” he said.

“Other benefits and perks?”

‘G’ looked at me and said, “We get so many things. Let’s take married accommodation – do you know the market rent of the houses we get in prime localities? And what rent do we pay?”

“So you added the difference between market value of rent and the rent we are charged while calculating your total pay?” I asked.

“Of course,” he said, “and there are so many perks and facilities we get – CSD canteen, LTC, medical treatment, membership of clubs, duty free liquor…”

“Duty free liquor? Booze? But you are a bloody teetotaller. Don’t tell me you included the difference in the cost of booze?” I asked, aghast.

“Of course, the differential between market value and what you pay is tantamount to notional salary, isn’t it?”

“So have included the so-called money value of each and every thing when you calculated your salary as 5000 rupees?”

‘G’ looked at me said, ““Obviously. I considered the notional value of all benefits, perks, facilities, subsidies – everything – and came to a figure of 5000. You see, 1100 rupees may be our basic pay, but 5000 rupees is our notional pay.”

I wanted to have the parting shot, so I said to ‘G’: “Instead of the navy, you should have joined the army.”

“Army? Why?”

“In the army you would have got the additional perk of a batman, a sahayak – and you could have added his ‘notional cost’ of the sahayak to your pay. What is the pay, the perks, the notional cost of a soldier – 1000? 2000? – just imagine – you could have told your prospective father-in-law that your pay was 7000 rupees instead of 5000 rupees!”

As I walked away I noticed a curious expression on his face – as if ‘G’ were busy calculating something in his mind – maybe he was realizing that so many extra perks like sahayaks, transport, et al, he would have been better off as an Army Officer and he was regretting that he had joined the Navy instead of the Army.

EPILOGUE

It was much later while I was doing my management course that I learnt of the concept of “CTC” or Cost-to-Company.

And then I understood what ‘G’ was talking about.

Yes, ‘G’ was way ahead of his times – later, in his illustrious naval career, he distinguished himself as a successful “businessman in uniform”.

VIKRAM KARVE

Copyright © Vikram Karve 

Vikram Karve has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 to be identified as the author of this book review. 

© vikram karve., all rights reserved.

Disclaimer:

All stories in this blog are a work of fiction. The characters do not exist and are purely imaginary. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

Copyright Notice:

No part of this Blog may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical including photocopying or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the Blog Author Vikram Karve who holds the copyright.

Copyright © Vikram Karve (all rights reserved)

© vikram karve., all rights reserved.

Did you like this blog post?

I am sure you will like the 27 short stories from my recently published anthology of Short Fiction COCKTAIL
To order your COCKTAIL please click any of the links below:
http://www.flipkart.com/cocktail-vikram-karve-short-stories-book-8191091844?affid=nme
http://www.indiaplaza.in/cocktail-vikram-karve/books/9788191091847.htm
http://www.apkpublishers.com/books/short-stories/cocktail-by-vikram-karve.html

COCKTAIL ebook

If you prefer reading ebooks on Kindle or your ebook reader, please order Cocktail E-book by clicking the links below:
AMAZON
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005MGERZ6
SMASHWORDS
http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/87925

Foodie Book:  Appetite for a Stroll
If your are a Foodie you will like my book of Food Adventures APPETITE FOR A STROLL. Do order a copy from FLIPKART:
http://www.flipkart.com/appetite-stroll-vikram-karve/8190690094-gw23f9mr2o

About Vikram Karve

A creative person with a zest for life, Vikram Karve is a retired Naval Officer turned full time writer and blogger. Educated at IIT Delhi, IIT (BHU) Varanasi, The Lawrence School Lovedale and Bishops School Pune, Vikram has published two books: COCKTAIL a collection of fiction short stories about relationships (2011) and APPETITE FOR A STROLL a book of Foodie Adventures (2008) and is currently working on his novel and a book of vignettes and an anthology of short fiction. An avid blogger, he has written a number of fiction short stories and creative non-fiction articles on a variety of topics including food, travel, philosophy, academics, technology, management, health, pet parenting, teaching stories and self help in magazines and published a large number of professional  and academic research papers in journals and edited in-house journals and magazines for many years, before the advent of blogging. Vikram has taught at a University as a Professor for 15 years and now teaches as a visiting faculty and devotes most of his time to creative writing and blogging. Vikram Karve lives in Pune India with his family and muse - his pet dog Sherry with whom he takes long walks thinking creative thoughts.

Vikram Karve Academic and Creative Writing Journal: http://karvediat.blogspot.com
Professional Profile Vikram Karve: http://www.linkedin.com/in/karve
Vikram Karve Facebook Page:  https://www.facebook.com/vikramkarve
Vikram Karve Creative Writing Blog: http://vikramkarve.sulekha.com/blog/posts.htm
Email: vikramkarve@hotmail.com

Twitter: @vikramkarve

      

© vikram karve., all rights reserved.

PROFIT AND LOSS

PROFIT AND LOSS

A Notional Concept

A Story

By

VIKRAM KARVE

One day, the man went to visit a colleague convalescing in hospital after heart surgery following a massive heart attack.

Fascinated by the sophisticated and luxurious facilities in the hospital he asked his friend how much it cost. 

“Over five lakhs,” the patient said.

“My God – that’s expensive. How can you afford it?”

“Medical Reimbursement,” the patient said.

“Medical Reimbursement? Does that mean that you have to pay nothing for all this?”

“Of course I don’t have to pay from my own pocket – they pay everything. That’s why I joined the medical insurance scheme – you too are a member, aren’t you? So even if you have a heart surgery they will pay everything.”

After he returned home, the man kept brooding and appeared to be in low spirits, so his wife asked him what was wrong.

“I’ve lost five lakhs!”

“Five lakhs? Where? How did you lose five lakhs?”

“I lost five lakhs worth of medical reimbursement just because I didn’t have a heart attack!”

Dear Reader: Close your eyes, reminisce, and calculate all the “losses” you have made in your life because you did not “avail” of things you were entitled to.

VIKRAM KARVE 

Copyright © Vikram Karve 2012
Vikram Karve has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 to be identified as the author of this work.
© vikram karve., all rights reserved.

Did you like this story?
I am sure you will like the 27 fiction short stories from my recently published anthology of Short Fiction COCKTAIL 
To order your COCKTAIL please click any of the links below:
http://www.flipkart.com/cocktail-vikram-karve-short-stories-book-8191091844?affid=nme
http://www.indiaplaza.in/cocktail-vikram-karve/books/9788191091847.htm
http://www.apkpublishers.com/books/short-stories/cocktail-by-vikram-karve.html

COCKTAIL ebook
If you prefer reading ebooks on Kindle or your ebook reader, please order Cocktail E-book by clicking the links below:
AMAZON
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005MGERZ6
SMASHWORDS
http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/87925

Foodie Book:  Appetite for a Stroll
If your are a Foodie you will like my book of Food Adventures APPETITE FOR A STROLL. Do order a copy from FLIPKART:
http://www.flipkart.com/appetite-stroll-vikram-karve/8190690094-gw23f9mr2o

About Vikram Karve

A creative person with a zest for life, Vikram Karve is a retired Naval Officer turned full time writer. Educated at IIT Delhi, IIT (BHU) Varanasi, The Lawrence School Lovedale and Bishops School Pune, Vikram has published two books: COCKTAIL a collection of fiction short stories about relationships (2011) and APPETITE FOR A STROLL a book of Foodie Adventures (2008) and is currently working on his novel and a book of vignettes and short fiction. An avid blogger, he has written a number of fiction short stories, creative non-fiction articles on a variety of topics including food, travel, philosophy, academics, technology, management, health, pet parenting, teaching stories and self help in magazines and published a large number of professional research papers in journals and edited in-house journals for many years, before the advent of blogging. Vikram has taught at a University as a Professor for 15 years and now teaches as a visiting faculty and devotes most of his time to creative writing. Vikram lives in Pune India with his family and muse - his pet dog Sherry with whom he takes long walks thinking creative thoughts.

Vikram Karve Academic and Creative Writing Journal: http://karvediat.blogspot.com
Professional Profile Vikram Karve: http://www.linkedin.com/in/karve
Vikram Karve Facebook Page:  https://www.facebook.com/vikramkarve
Vikram Karve Creative Writing Blog: http://vikramkarve.sulekha.com/blog/posts.htm
Email: vikramkarve@sify.com

© vikram karve., all rights reserved.