And now – Khaana No Piazza!

Sattvik is back in India.  At least partially.

Foods are categorized as Sattvik, Rajasik and Tamasik – roughly translated as Good, Neutral and Bad – in terms of how they affect one’s faculty of meditation and bond with the body.

Some of these foods like Mushrooms, Onions and Garlic are used in medicines but as food items, they do not augur well for the body and mind.  For example, Garlic has botulism bacteria which can be potentially harmful is eaten raw.  Not just the Indian Yogis but even the Taoists of China avoid alliaceous plants (garlic and onions).

In that context, the shortage and the high prices of Onions in India are a welcome change.  In retail market the good quality onions are selling for Rs 80 a kg, while the wholesale prices were around Rs 35-40 / kg range.

Even our good-ole neighbor, Pakistan, has stepped in.  already close to 200 truckloads of onions have poured in via the Wagah border.  Now the onion-carrying trucks average around 50 a day.

Times of India says that the markup from the mandi to the retail is as high as 135%!

Interesting factoid from the TOI story is that in the last 2 years, while the onion supply has grown 66%, the wholesale prices have curiously jumped 300%!  This is a strange economics if at all.  Unless the demand for onions has increased many times.  As if the entire country has moved on from Chicken Do Piazza to Chicken Sau Piazza?

Well, its more likely some hanky panky on the trading side and some elements of the admiinistration are involved in this entire drama.  If its the demand – then the country may very well have to move from the Sau-Piazza to No-Piazza state pretty soon.

And it very well be great for our collective karma as well!