When I woke up, I realized I was going to be late. The alarm clock has
betrayed me since ages. I rushed to the bathroom, to find the last drops
of water dripping. Getting two quick mugs of water with lifebouy, I was already
fresh for the day.
I quickly rushed through the narrow corridors, to
the main road and reached Ammu’s Maggi center.
The place which was crowded like the metro station
at Rajiv chawk had a deserted look. This was ominous. I rubbed my eyes in
hallucination to make sure yesterday’s shot’s weren't taking hold of me.
Far from distant I saw a lanky fellow
approaching. There was a sense of joy. It was Ammu chacha, with Maggie
packet’s I thought. My stomach echoing with hunger. As he came nearer I saw a
deeply saddened face. He handed over the newspaper to me. There was something
fishy. With heavy heart I read the headline (in bold letters) “Maggi is
Banned!”
For a moment I stood there, speechless and stunned!
This was the first time I felt a pang, my love was no more.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Twenty years ago there was revolution in food
eating habits among Indian. People now not only gave importance to lunch and
dinner they also started giving importance to breakfast and snacks. A series of
events gave rise to entry of western food habits into the society. While Corn
flakes led the breakfast for the health conscious people, Maggie made a
‘dabang’ entry to the Indian market. The brand took over like a hurricane as
the choicest snack in the country on the verge of being declared as “ National
staple food ”.
Why Maggi will always be close to our
heart?
We called her Maggi. She was curly and smooth. From
grandpa to Sabita aunty’s youngest son, she was a household name for everyone.
Though she would produce some odourful gases out of our stomach (sometimes),
yet it gave us lot of memories to cheer.
- Universal snack : Experiments always worked. Add anything with her to come out with different recipe every time. From eggs to Haldiram’s mixtures, until one adds sambar & chutney , it tastes good. Thus is a universal acceptor of all food.
- Never disappoints, while other snack have a probability of becoming salty, too spicy, Maggi never changes its mood. Always as ever green as Hema malini.
- Very handy for lazy housewife’s. If you don’t have any vegetable at home Maggi comes as a savior. Easy to make, less time. Feel bored, feed Maggi!!!
- Cooking her was like an internship to many who were looking to come into the profession of cooking.
- A great companion of many students from years to keep them awake through the night before the exams.
Aftermaths of Maggi Menace :
The maggi ban has raised lots of eyebrows among the economist. This ban
would lead ( Not referring to actual LEAD content ) to higher prices
of it’s competitors like Pasta and Ram
dev’s noodles.
Pasta being a carb-dominated desi diet divided between wheat and
rice it will ranks alongside noodles as the alternative to chapati and chawal. Italian might
be the new Chinese. While Ram-dev’s noodles might just use this opportunity to
imping itself into the market.
The Ban would also bring business innovations. Maggi is a key menu in
lots of food stalls including college canteens. Non availability of a prime resource
would decline the monthly inflow of cash which might result in innovative
solutions. Most optimistically it would be a ‘Make in India’.
Tributes :
Thus, every time you feel hungry there will be desperation and
frustration. The thought of Maggie not being a part of your day would hamper
your work. The students would sleep early before the exams hence leading to
lesser average cgpa per class. Cooking won’t be easy for the beginners. There would
be lot of micro level changes, the world will see. Though brands like Yippe are
still an alternative but we won’t forget her easily. It will be like the tragic
breakup with your school girlfriend after staying in a long relationship. This
day I urge everyone to give a small tribute to her. Let’s have a two minute
silence for our beloved ‘MAGGI’. May her soul rest in peace!! (Till it
reincarnates!)
