I like to believe that Indians have long been used to facing extreme hardship with equanimity. If there’s a problem, we tackle it and move on, because that’s who we are and no catastrophe can affect us. It’s the sort of thing that allowed us to finally become a free country after the Danish, Dutch, French, Portuguese, and British had had their way with us.
It’s all about resilience and I think we have more of it than we acknowledge. I think of it as a superpower, and one that will soon take us to the top of whatever list we’re currently aiming for. Yes, there are some Indians who lose their temper at the slightest provocation but, given that they don’t number more than a few hundred million, they shouldn’t be taken seriously simply because they don’t represent the majority.
When I wonder how we developed this tough-as-nails approach to life, I think it’s the challenges faced by our forefathers that helped make us a fighting people. It’s why we are now the kind of folk who laugh at danger and dance while the world collapses around us. I have seen this time and again and insist on calling it out because it should serve as a reminder that all our problems are temporary. World War 3 may well be at hand but won’t stop us from being more excited about Dhurandhar 2.
Think about the number of times we have dealt with violence, for instance, and the casual manner with which we accept that rioting is just a part of life. Consider the confidence with which millions of Indians step out of their homes each morning, despite having no guarantees that they will return. Anything and everything that can cut short a human life can and does happen, with the front pages of newspapers proving this daily. And yet, nothing troubles us: not falling bridges, not potholed roads, and certainly not the possibility of dying in a stampede, falling off a train, or getting crushed by an illegal hoarding. No matter the risk, those of us who survive simply brush off a tragedy, mourn the dead, and carry on.
I thought of that fighting spirit a week ago while reading about the liquified petroleum gas shortage. Apparently, vendors at Churchgate’s Khau Galli have switched to alternative cooking methods such as charcoal and electric fryers to keep serving food. Food stalls are adapting, restaurants are installing induction stoves, and some are even shutting down temporarily. It made me proud to see how there were no complaints; just a shrugging of shoulders and an acceptance that food and convenience are unimportant in a country that has its priorities in order. India is committed to success and the continued ease of doing business.
That absence of panic also stems from the government’s reassurance that there is nothing to worry about. All shortages are temporary, our ministers say, and I see no reason to doubt them even if the Strait of Hormuz stays closed for a year. Iran may no longer be our friend, but who needs friends when you are one of the world’s most respected countries?
Remember, faith in our government is what got us through COVID-19 with only around 4.7 million of our countrymen dying, according to the World Health Organisation. Back then, too, there were announcements about nothing to worry about, and many of us survived, didn’t we? Eventually, oxygen tanks and hospital beds started to appear again, and all was well. It’s why I believe this gas shortage, too, will soon be a distant memory. I can see why some people say the crisis could have been avoided if India’s foreign policy were to rely on intelligence or even common sense, but I don’t think these questions are productive or necessary, given that the government has made no mistakes over the past decade and a half. Also, if our forefathers could give their lives for a cause, can’t we
face a minor crisis with smiles instead of criticism? Where has our patriotism gone?
Some people have even used this LPG shortage to their advantage, raising the prices of induction stoves by a few thousand to capitalise on demand. That’s the spirit separating India from sappy countries that waste time worrying about well-being instead of economics. It’s why this will be a trillion-dollar economy any day now, and if that means having just one meal a day instead of three, I don’t see why any patriot should refuse.
When he isn’t ranting about all things Mumbai, Lindsay Pereira can be almost sweet. He can be contacted at www.lindsaypereira.com
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The views expressed in this column are the individual’s and don’t represent those of the paper.