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Journalism of Courage
The ionized airs and agonized global cries over Pokharan have begun to dissipate. An appropriate moment, then, to examine the state of the economy and the possible effects that sanctions might have. We sought the opinion of a Distinguished Economist in the matter. When we entered his room he was daubing great gouts of hair-restorer on his pate and rubbing it in, muttering, “Fallout! The fallout of all this will be terrible!”
Respectfully, we told him why we had come. Visibly cheered, he leaned back in his chair and lit an enormous pipe. “Let us ask ourselves a simple question,” he murmured. “How has liberalization helped the nation? The answer will surely tell us where international sanctions will hit the hardest.”
We nodded eagerly. “Exactly the approach we had in mind, sir!” we cried. “To start with, considerable doubts have been expressed about the actual benefits of economic reforms…”
“Rot!” he exploded. “Rubbish! Of course the reforms have helped us … why, they have changed theentire face of the country. Listen,” he said, leaning forward earnestly, “do you remember how bad things were in the old days? Picture the poor beggar on the streets ten years ago. He’d shuffle along the sidewalk, peering into the few dimly-lit shops that he passed, and what would he see on the dusty shelves? The colourless, drab produce of monopolistic indifference and industrial insularity! Coarse sacks of sugar and grain, endless rows of detergent bottles and vanaspati tins, piles of malodorous public-sector soap bars, ubiquitous glass jars of poisonous-hued boiled sweets…” he shuddered at the memory. “There was no variety, no choice before the poor man.
“Today, that same beggar can walk down that same pavement and choose between a thousand tastefully decorated shops! He can gaze in through their gleaming plate-glass windows at a veritable magic world of the choicest goods. Swiss chocolates and Australian beer, American candy and Japanese tea, perfumes, lotions, CD-ROMs, a world-class range inhealthcare, kitchenware, underwear…” His voice shook with emotion, and he paused for a breath of healing tobacco smoke.
We were awestruck by this forceful presentation. Yet, a niggling doubt remained. “But surely,” we began hesitantly, “does it not indicate that the beggar is relatively untouched…”
“Nonsense!” he yelled, exhaling great clouds of blue smoke. “The ability, nay, the right to choose has been conferred upon all, thanks to liberalization! Indeed, nowhere is this reflected better than in the urban middle-class home. Observe the sheer variety of imported products that adorn their shelves and cupboards. Hark, the microwave hums, the cellular phone beeps, the soft notes from digital audio systems… Why, the very water-closets resound with thunderous tributes to diets comprising imported wheatflakes and seasoned monosodium glutamate. Even the roaches beneath the Italian marble sinks have developed the soft features and prosperous mien of the well-fed US citizen!” He broke off and relithis pipe with trembling fingers.
We were shaken. Obviously, the poor man had become completely unhinged. Cancelled seminars and lecture-tours, perhaps? Or frozen visas? Muttering an excuse, we rose and began to edge nervously towards the door. He didn’t even notice.
“Now all is in peril,” he raved, waving his pipe about. Curiously, the smoke had coalesced into tiny mushroom clouds that drifted languidly over his head. “All the benefits of reform stand endangered thanks to these fools! First they create fission among secular elements, then fusion and confusion. What will our starving masses eat if enriched breakfast cereals are not available? Enriched uranium? Wretched cereal killers…”At which point, mercifully, we reached the door.
