National Injustice
Something is wrong with our city – seriously wrong. Everyone is becoming cynical. Not happy that an Italian lady was presented with Melody, Dilliwalahs discovered an even greater national injustice: Why has the other Italian lady, who has spent decades in India, never been offered so much as a Polo?
Mind you, nobody is insisting on a Melody anymore. A humble Polo would have done. But perhaps that was never an option. The current dispensation appears far too fond of Polo to part with it. At least the good people frequenting the Jaipur Polo Grounds would readily testify that some Polos are simply not meant to be shared.
The country is abuzz with updates about an activist who won’t touch even a morsel of food, leave alone a Melody or a Polo. Mr. Sonam Wangchuk is on an indefinite fast at Jantar Mantar, and we all know why. As his health deteriorates by the day, Dilliwalahs, along with every citizen who still possesses a conscience, are genuinely worried. Not merely because a man is risking his life for a cause, but because of the fate of the protests in the recent past. The farmers’ agitation lasted over a year before the government blinked. The women wrestlers’ protest* stirred emotions but little else. The demonstrations against the CAA, too, eventually dissolved into the archives of public memory. Perhaps the walls of Lutyens’ Delhi, where the powerful reside, are simply too high for the voices rising from the streets to scale them.
One can only hope this fast finds a meaningful resolution before history performs its favourite trick – turning a living protester into a fashionable symbol. Delhi has seen enough revolutions reduced to T-shirts. It would be a tragedy if Che Guevara merely had to make room for Sonam Wangchuk in the merchandise aisle.
Dilliwalahs are both shocked and unsurprised by the manner in which the mainstream media has handled these protests. The godi-media, true to form, has deployed itself like an industrial-strength cockroach repellent -busy portraying the protesting students as anti-national in its relentless mission to exterminate the Cockroach Janta Party. The rest of the media, meanwhile, appears far more invested in chronicling the Supreme Leader’s overseas sojourns than in what is unfolding at Jantar Mantar. The coverage of these foreign visits is exhaustive. Every award collected, every handshake exchanged, every hug and every choreographed dance performed by enthusiastic deshis abroad is covered with the seriousness usually reserved for matters much more serious. Despite the exhaustive coverage Dilliwalahs are not keeping a tab on these trips thus nullifying the entire effort behind such reporting by the media.
The other day this blogger went to the bank to deposit cash and gave one Rs 100 currency note and then another one to the Teller. He counted it as Rs 200 instead Rs 100100 even though one had placed the two notes side by side. Seems he is oblivious of what transpired in Australia and, apparently, is not a subscriber of Mann Ki Baat. The guy won’t go far, for sure.
StateOfDelhi Suggests: Of the many good Chole Bhatura outlets all across Delhi – Sita Ram Diwan Chand at Chuna Mandi, Paharganj is one place to go to. The plate arrives with piping hot bhature, perfectly spiced chole, onions, pickle and fiery green chillies – the classic Delhi comfort meal in all its glory. What sets this place apart is its signature preparation. Unlike the usual gravy-laden version, the chole are cooked dry, allowing the spices to shine. Just before serving, it is crowned with the restaurant’s closely guarded secret gravy and a generous chunk of potato hidden at the bottom. The result is a dish that is rich, deeply flavoured and guaranteed to leave you planning your next visit. One thing is for sure – you wouldn’t want to let go of the flavour in your mouth by popping up either a Melody or a Polo.
*Read about the wrestlers’ protest in our earlier blog: https://stateofdelhi.in/there-is-too-much-happening-in-delhi/