As onion prices have gone up through the roof, Food Processing Minister came with the idea of processing onions in the form of powder and paste when prices are low which everyone could use when its cost rises during monsoons. Eureka! — A very good idea. Not a bad plan — in fact a rather smart one and truly out of the box!
But this idea of processing and packing with some preservative with a shelf life, perhaps, of four months to control the rising price of onion may still fail with artificial shortages created by corrupt hoarders. And corruption you know, we are not able to check so far because it has percolated to the marrow of our bones. Even Anna Hazare, despite crystallizing the aspiration of the masses to achieve ‘corruption free’ society, was not successful – his efforts ended with zero effect.
Onion prices have risen astronomically. Therefore, in order to bring down the prices, some suggest; that the cost can be controlled by reducing the demand of onion with abstinence to consume delicious dishes with onion free recipes. They feel that if our country goes on a collective fast the demand would drastically be reduce, creating a supply-side surplus which could be exported; thus wiping out the country’s fiscal deficit and putting the brakes on runaway inflation.
But I feel that this plan also will be unsuccessful because we cannot live without onion just as a fish cannot live without water; besides many believe that onion improves immunity; assists regulating blood sugar and when one gets bitten by a honeybee, onion juice on the area can give immediate relief to pain. So, nothing, absolutely nothing, can make people go without onion. Although the prices of onions goes up and tears from the eyes of men flow down, people will always have onions in the house. Even those people who are below poverty line, cry and purchase, cry and purchase; till they get temperature, due to onion’s princely price.
As prices of onions are blown like a big balloon one known person thought of growing onions in his own backyard. With his head in the clouds, visions of a lush green kitchen garden rose before his eyes, he set to work on a small patch of ground in his backyard. He planted and watered but as he was hardly accustomed to this he failed in his project like Muhammad bin Tughlaq who also, once had a good idea to shift the capital from Delhi to down south as safety measure from Mongol Invasion. The poor chap failed.
Let us fight this onion shortage with the weapon of import. Let government wipe the middleman (who swallows the profit), between the farmer (who sweats in the fields) and the retailer (who cries to buy a kilo of onion). This change for government, to deal directly with the cultivator will have ripple effect like ripples on a pond and thus lower the price of onion in the retail shops. It will be a drop of advantage to the “mantra ‘Garib hatao: garibi bachao’” and the catchphrase ‘India Shining’.
There can be no victory with mere intentions. Action must succeed the desire to do. It should be governed by a sense of duty. Achievements are the results of tangible actions. The more one has the less one wants and the less one has the more one wants.
