Representational image | Caricature: Hasan Zaidi
Winter chills spring
Bhopal, known for its mild weather, has witnessed severe cold this year. It is the second week of February. Yet, the unusual nippiness is still there in the air. The gentle breeze of the spring that begins to blow from the first week of February is nowhere near. The cooing of cuckoos that brings the message of the spring is yet to be heard. Mornings remain misty. The days are sunny, though wintry. One needs to wear woolens because of the chill. As the night falls the winds become more biting. The met office says there will be no major change in the weather – at least for now. The other day, a bank officer who lives in Arera Colony and was standing outside a tea shop said the city seemed to have been deprived of the soothing touches of the spring; and nobody knows for how long this nippiness would continue. An elderly person standing nearby remarked: Old may not be, but cold is gold. That remark amused all others standing there, enjoying the sunlight.
Representational image | Illustration: Hasan Zaidi
Pinching prices
There is no end in sight to rising prices of essential commodities. The political parties are blaming one another for it. Some of them are also putting the blame on the corona pandemic. There are no valid reasons for the rising prices. The pandemic may have triggered unemployment and may have slowed down the industrial growth, but it has barely had any impact on the agricultural output. There is no dearth of crops. In Madhya Pradesh, a huge quantity of food grains was procured at many crop purchase centres. The quantity was more than expected, though unusual rain and hailstorm affected the crops. Ergo, the politicians have no explanations for the unusual hikes in prices of essential commodities. The other day, an elderly couple was buying wheat flour from a shop in Kasturba Nagar. When the shopkeeper said that one kilogram of wheat flour was Rs 35, both were shocked. Similarly, the prices of Papad, vegetables, tea leaf, ghee, milk, sugar, rice and other items have gone through the roof. The couple then told each other: “Getting two meals a day will soon be difficult, and it seems we have returned to the 1970s.”
Fearless author
The world will celebrate the 91st birth anniversary of the Nobel Laureate Toni Morrison on February 18. She passed away on August 5, 2019. She was an author who fought for the rights of the deprived, especially those of the Black. Morrison won the Nobel Prize in literature in 1993. Her first novel is the Bluest Eye. It scripts Morrison’s own portrait. The main character of the story, an eleven-year-old black African American girl, Pecola, prays for white skin and blue eyes. She hates herself for her black skin. The other day, a teacher of American literature at a degree college in Bhopal, said that The Bluest Eye says you should not hate yourself for what you are not and love yourself for what you are. The novel experiences an abundance of criticism for its strong language and sexually explicit content. She is known for using simple, straight and strong language to express herself against injustices in society. The teacher cites a memorable line from The Bluest Eye: “Love is never any better than the lover.”
Tailpiece
The other day, a young couple entered a restaurant recently set up in the City of Lakes. Its name is Karma. Thinking that the food would be delicious, they ordered fare. The waiter looked at the couple and said both of you got what you deserved. “This is the food Karma Restaurant offers…,” he said. Both of them threw a smile at the waiter and left Karma Restaurant.
From weekly column - Tongue-in-cheek by Arup Chakraborty
