Chapter 22: Entering India (continued)
After devouring their food in the cafeteria, everyone was finally full and full, so everyone got a cup of black tea and prepared to rest for a while before setting off.
At this time, the LCD TV in the restaurant was playing local news, and the most sensational news content in New Delhi today was obviously the 200,000-person demonstration in the city to protest against price increases. From the screen, several people in the city could see The squares and main streets were all crowded with angry Indians, holding large and small signs to protest the soaring onion prices. Politicians from various opposition parties rushed to appear at the parade, chanting slogans, and fanning the flames. There were also a bunch of "famous Indian speakers" pointing fingers and making fallacies in the studio... This scene was really lively.
Even in Ramlila Square not far from the cafeteria, a group of demonstrators who could not eat onions were waving flags and shouting slogans.
"... Just because the price of onions has increased? Is it necessary to launch such a big movement? What an exaggeration! If it were in China, even if the domestic 'beans are fun, garlic are ruthless' (the prices of garlic and other vegetables skyrocketed) ), I didn’t seem to see so many people walking in groups, right?”
Watching the scenes on TV of passionate people, shouting slogans, uproar in the city, and nationwide response, Wang Qiu complained incomprehensibly, "...it's just a price increase for a vegetable. Even if it is too expensive to eat, so what?" How about something else? ”
"...Haha, onions are not an ordinary vegetable for Indians!" Commissioner Bai Quanyi shook his head and commented, "...and if an Indian is so poor that he can't even afford onions, then he can't Just don’t expect to be served..."
——According to Bai Quanyi, an "India expert", in India, the price of onions is a big issue related to the daily livelihood of India's 1.1 billion people, because onions play an extremely important role on the Indian table, almost Onions can be seen in all Indian dishes, and the smell of onions can be smelled in almost all staple foods. In the words of an Indian reporter, without onions, all dishes are eclipsed and all rice is tasteless. According to statistics, New Delhi alone consumes at least 400 tons of onions every day, and the country needs tens of thousands of tons every day.
Onions are one of the cheapest vegetables in the Indian market. If you walk into any vegetable market in India, you will find that onions, potatoes, and tomatoes are always the most sold, because these are the three main vegetables in India. The cheapest "street food". If someone in India can't even afford onions, it means that he can hardly eat vegetables. In this way, onions, which are essential on the daily table of ordinary Indians, have evolved into a typical "Political vegetables" are a very sensitive political issue in India.
Every significant increase in onion prices triggers mass demonstrations in the streets and even changes in political parties. However, the current surge in onion prices is not to blame God, but to a large extent due to the government's negligence... As a result, the opposition party has naturally grabbed hold of it.
"...Speaking of which, the current Indian government is also trying to kill itself. It is probably to achieve some political achievements on the one hand, and to accept bribes from public relations personnel on the other hand. It actually ordered a nationwide survey without any on-the-spot investigation. Various states in India are promoting the planting of Monsanto's genetically modified onions and other genetically modified vegetables, which are said to be able to increase production and resist pests and diseases. They even called it the 'Vegetable Revolution'... but it turned out to be a revolution of their own lives..."
Bai Quanyi shrugged his shoulders and mocked the emperor and said, "...just like the Russian tanks that lay down in the desert of India, the genetically modified onions of the American company are not suitable for the high temperature and rainy climate of the Indian subcontinent at all, and blockbusters soon appeared. A blockbuster harvest.
After the incident, the Indian central government was busy shirking responsibility from each other, and had no thought of how to deal with the aftermath. After such procrastination, hundreds of bankrupt farmers committed suicide by drinking pesticides in the countryside, and in the city Onion prices have skyrocketed and demand exceeds supply. Coupled with the hoarding of some unscrupulous traders, onions are now more expensive than mangoes... The recent price seems to be ninety rupees per kilogram..."
After hearing this, Wang Qiu lowered his head and counted with his fingers. According to the exchange rate, one rupee is equivalent to about one dime of RMB. Ninety rupees per kilogram of onions is equivalent to RMB four and a half per catty... It is indeed a bit expensive. But as for gathering people for a collective walk on the streets?
If the Chinese do the same thing, it is estimated that around the Spring Festival every year, a bunch of grocery shopping ladies will besiege the local government compound!
Anyway, from a Chinese perspective, it’s really hard to understand… It seems that it can only be understood as an Indian characteristic!
"...Oh, you can't compare the income level in China with that in India! For example, I know a police station chief in New Delhi whose monthly salary is only 30,000 rupees. In China, he works on the assembly line in a sweatshop. You can probably get so many mobile phones, but you are already considered a middle class person in India. Class. And the young driver who drove us just now, the monthly salary paid to him by the embassy is nine thousand rupees, which is 900 yuan. In China, I am afraid that even an unlicensed driver cannot be hired, but here This is already a good job that everyone envies.
In India, those businessmen who want to obtain approval documents, even if they bribe ministerial-level officials of the central government, the general price is only 800,000 rupees - such a small amount of money may not be available to any department in Beijing. . A few days ago, someone wrote in a newspaper about the richest man in a certain county in India. His family’s annual income was only two million rupees, and he was already boasted by journalists as if he lived in a palace... A tour guide at a tourist attraction in the capital Delhi, The average basic salary, not counting tips, is 4,000 rupees per month. An ordinary chef in a roadside restaurant can probably be hired with a monthly salary of 2,500 rupees. The servants who wash clothes and wipe dishes are the worst off, because they have no skills, and their monthly salary is only a few hundred rupees..."
Bai Quanyi talked so eloquently, "...Think about it, with this level of income, how can they afford onions worth 90 rupees per kilogram?"
"...Uh...why do you suddenly feel like overseas Chinese in the United States looked at compatriots from mainland China in the 1980s?" Levi, who was sitting aside, interjected.
"...This is indeed the feeling! According to statistics, there are about 800 million people in India whose monthly salary is less than 3,000 rupees..."
"...In other words, the monthly income of most Indians is less than 300 yuan?! They are so poor that they have nothing to say!"
Wang Qiu shook his head and sighed, then glanced at the dazzling array of dishes on the long table next to him, "...So, how much does our buffet cost?"
"...One thousand two hundred rupees per person is a relatively affordable price!" Health Commissioner Bai Quanyi said flatly.
——At this moment, Wang Qiu couldn't help but feel that "the wine and meat in the rich family stinks, and the roads are frozen to death"...
It seems that any ordinary Chinese tourist who arrives in India will probably have the illusion of becoming a rich man instantly.
However, in the final analysis, this is all the Indians' own business. None of the people present here are the Virgin Mother with excessive compassion, and facing the threat of the zombie apocalypse, they can't care about such trivial matters at all... However, just as they were preparing to settle the bill When I left, I was attracted by the new TV picture.
——On the TV screen, an interview with the demonstrators in Ramlila Square appeared: An unknown person had hastily built a wooden platform under the landmark Delhi Gate, and a trembling old man stood on it, holding a hand in his hand. He was holding an onion model made of foam plastic and preaching something into the microphone. Every time he spoke a few words, there was a burst of applause and cheers from below... There was also a beautiful woman wearing a sari supporting him. arm.
"...Isn't this...Mr. Ayu and his daughter-in-law? They seem to be in the square next to us!"
Looking at the energetic look of the old man on TV, Wang Qiu couldn't help but smack his tongue and said, "... Darling! This old man has only been back to India for a few days? And he's already leading a political rally? He's really desperate... Don't do it now. We’re going to the embassy! Let’s go directly to the square next door to find them!”
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After a hard time of crowding, Wang Qiu and the others finally found the old man with the same name as King Asoka of the ancient Indian Mauryan Dynasty in Ramlila Square before they were burned by the scorching sun and suffered from heatstroke. Supporting his daughter-in-law Karina on the podium. The other party obviously also recognized Wang Qiu and others who had just been separated for a few days, and followed them to the Chinese Embassy in a very cooperative manner, and each underwent a comprehensive physical examination.
Then, the results of the examination gave Wang Qiu and the others mixed joy and sorrow. Fortunately, Mr. Ayu and his daughter-in-law were both healthy and showed no signs of T-virus infection. There was no need to worry about a zombie craze in the Indian capital for the time being. What is worrying is that his son Chandra, who accompanied Mr. Ayush Shukla for medical treatment at that time, is not in Delhi now, but has returned to his hometown in Bihar to handle some important investment and business matters.
In this way, because they still need to keep the Indians secret and cannot tell the truth about the possible spread of the T virus, Wang Qiu and the others cannot let Mr. Ayu forcefully call his son from more than a thousand kilometers away for no reason. I can only rush over to find someone and get tested.
For this reason, the problem of how to get to the destination in Bihar as quickly as possible was assigned to the head of Baiquanyi Health Commissioner...
After making several phone calls with a frown, Bai Quanyi said: Because Wang Qiu and the others were in such a hurry, they were actually leaving today. It was impossible to book train tickets for a while. As for domestic flights in India, Not to mention the tickets... Fortunately, he managed to find a domestic tour group departing from New Delhi to Bihar this afternoon. If he said a nice word, he could ride on their tour bus.
However, the nature of this tour group seems a bit special...
"...Buddhist pilgrimage tour group? Are there any Buddhist holy sites over there?" Wang Qiu blinked in surprise, seemingly thoughtful. "... Don't you know? Bihar in India is the earliest birthplace of Buddhism! The Bodhi tree where Buddha Sakyamuni attained enlightenment grew right where you are going..." Bai Quanyi stuffed the stuff while Handing him a tourist flyer, he explained.