MAKE IN INDIA
The concept has taken our nation by storm. Everyone wants a pie from it. Suddenly one and all want to be part of this great manufacturing revolution.
The assumption here being that we Indians are not using Indian manufactured goods and a la Gandhiji, we must revert back to our roots. Its yesterday once more and as Alisha sang in 1990s “… chahiye bus made in India”. Anyway, the good citizen that I am, I decided to accept this concept of patriotism in toto. Hence the project “home transformation” started.
The three basics, food, clothing shelter were the first to be given a relook. Food does not have any room for improvement. I challenge any nation of the world to provide more delicious “tandoori chicken” than our roadside dhabas. Wheat, rice, vegetables, all home grown (figuratively speaking) and oil, well Punjabis are addicted to desi ghee. Even western dishes like noodles (can anyone surpass our own maggi), pastas and breads are deliciously Indian. Chocolates, ice creams, sauces, jams, toppings, seasonings, cakes, cookies etc everything is being happily provided by Indian entrepreneurs. Indian products are also patronized by most of us as they are easier on the pocket than their foreign counterparts.
Our saris, Punjabi suits and best of cotton shirts; are grown, ginned, woven and stitched in one and only, India. Even Levi jeans are sourced from Indian producers. Indian hosiery products and Woolens are exported to western nations also. So there is no chance of any foreign influence on the attire also.
I decided to conduct a thorough audit of my kitchen equipment. Basic utensils made of steel are made from SAIL steel or Tata steel and nothing can be more Indian than that. There is a bone china crockery set from a reputed company of, as expected, India. Pressure cookers are again from a prestigious firm, lovingly bought be my husband, inspired by movie actors. And lo behold, there it is sneaking from the back shelf, an antique, china dinner set, made in London, gifted by my Mamu. I am unable to remove it and throw it away as, not to beat around the bush, it is expensive. I mull over the issue and then it strikes me that it is old and it was bought by my maternal grandfather on his visit to England in the year 1935. At that time India was governed by UK and hence there was no distinction as to India and UK. Logically that is also Indian. Now I can retain this with clear conscious
Traveling modes from the poor man’s cycle to space shuttle to Mars everything is Indian. Except when it comes to luxury vehicles, situation becomes grave. Considering the percentage of Indian population owning BMWs or Mercedes; this is not a cause for concern.
Our humble abode, made of bricks and mortar, produced and procured in India has no fancy state of the art objects, leaving us without any guilt feelings. The electronic products dotting the house have foreign sounding names but the research showed that these were also, surprise, made in India; except one. There is always a catch.
This word processing machine, calling itself to be computer was not manufactured in India and no prizes for guessing as to the country of its origin. If I discard this how will I keep the nation updated about such original made in India thoughts!