Soaring Prices Of Onions Bring Tears In Million Eyes

Imagine a main course dish without onion as ingredient or daal without tadka. Bland? Yes! Think, what would life be without onion? Onion has been used as an important ingredient in various dishes for thousands of years by many cultures around the world. Today, the soaring prices of onions have brought tears in the eyes of millions.

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At Rs 80-100 for a Kg, onions are already out of kitchen of many households. The prices of this super veggie have suddenly shot up in a couple of months. The prices of onions have hit the roof across the entire country. Govt’s inability to account for crop failure due to excessive rains this year and not initiating timely action to control the spiralling prices of this commodity has resulted in the explosive situation. As a face saving strategy The Govt now blames the hoarders for unbridled price hike. Timely stock of the situation was not taken, till yesterday onion was being exported to the neighbouring countries including Pakistan at very cheap rates. The Govt, it seems doesn’t have mechanism to check retail prices, each time such situation arises it shows inability to do something in time.

Besides its culinary and medicinal value, onions have always played crucial role in Indian politics. In 1980, Janta Party had to face defeat at the hands of congress due to rising onion prices. In1998, the BJP’s star politician Sushma Swraj lost election in Delhi as the cost of the vegetable soared by 600 percent. Again in 1998, Bhairon Singh Shekhwat lost in Rajasthan because of galloping prices of onion. First steep rise in fuel prices, an increase in the cost of milk and now unbridled hike in veggies prices have shattered even middle class. The Manmohan Singh Govt may have to pay the price for the tears of aam admi if price rise is not checked soon.

An ode to Supper veggie onion

O king of culinary, thou make the food suitable

Thou whose unseen presence makes dishes savoury

Your aroma brings peculiar flavour on the dinner table

Yellow, red, green, white and shape round

In multitude of colours you blossom

Up vertical shoots and grown underground

O bro of garlic and leek

You keep many diseases at bay

In many forms are thou used so to speak

Your aphrodisiac properties keep up at heights

As sharp, stingy, tardy, pungent, mild and sweet

With honey you work wonders for princes in Arabian Nights

Thou whose prices have suddenly gone high

Leave our Kitchen and Bring tears in million eyes