DailyOh! All that happened at the farmers protest, to why MDH owner revered Karol Bagh
Kangana Ranaut and Diljit Dosanjh got into a nasty Twitter fight today over the farmers' protests.
On December 3, megastar-cum-trying-to-turn-politician Rajinikanth announced what he will announce on December 31. As the year ends, Rajini will announce the beginning of a new party in the new year. Yes, there will be no new party, but the announcement on when the new party is coming. For now, we are told, the new party is coming in January 2021 and an announcement on the exact date and other details will be made on December 31.
In the UK, the coronavirus vaccine has arrived but British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said it doesn’t mean the Covid Winter Plan can leave. The plan which is nothing but a set a restrictions and protocols to beat the virus through the long and cold months ahead will remain in place even as the country begins vaccinating people.
Johnson could well be in India for a few days of those long and cold months. Indian winters are cold but the UK freezes. Johnson may be in Delhi this Republic Day as the chief guest. Normally, the guest for the January 26 parade is finalised by November, but we are living and breathing in the new normal. Johnson is a very sensible choice to be the guest because the British PM has had his encounter with the virus. So, he can neither give nor get the infection for now.
Meanwhile, US’ Johnson and Johnson, not UK’s Boris Johnson, was among the several firms that suspected North Korean hackers targeted for data on vaccine. Why study when you can simply peep into the answersheet of your fellow classmate? Because you can get caught. As for the hackers, they failed in their bid to get a peek into the data of J&J, Novavax Inc and a host of other firms they targeted.
Where is India’s vaccine? AIIMS director Randeep Guleria said India has vaccines in the final stages of trial and an emergency use authorisation can come as early as the year end or early next month.
Rahul Gandhi, meanwhile, wants Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to show his answersheet on vaccine distribution not to cheat, but to check if the answers are correct. Gandhi has asked Modi to make clear his stand on who will get the vaccine. Also, whether everyone will get it.
Modi government, however, is trying to find answers to an equally, if not more, critical problem of farmer protests. Akali Dal leader Parkash Singh Badal today got into the award wapsi mode returning his Padma Bhushan saying no award makes sense if farmers are dishonoured. Akali Dal, in September, went akele, severing its ties with the BJP-led NDA, over the issue of the farm laws.
On the other hand, Punjab Chief Minister Amrinder Singh held talks with Union Minister Amit Shah after Shah held talks with Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar. Tomar then sat for talks with representatives of 32 farmer unions along with Union Minister Piyush Goyal. End result? We will know when the talks end. Talks are expected to go on till late in the evening.
Meanwhile, Kangana Ranaut and Diljit Dosanjh got into a nasty Twitter fight today over the farmers' protests; and while a Twitter fight isn't exactly something out of the ordinary for Kangana, for Diljit and his fans it was. You can read more about that fight, and Diljit's support for farmers here.
There is massive suuport for farmers because farmers are annadata, though some may want to credit their mothers for the anna being made eatable. Today, however, we want to credit Mahashay Dharampal Gulati for spicing up the anna.
Gulati, as you know, died today morning at Delhi's Mata Chanan Devi Hospital. He was two years short of 100. In the 98 years that Mahashay lived, he made his face as recognisable in households as his spices became essential for the kitchens in those households. With so many companies now selling spices, it may be difficult to tell one from the other but then it is hard to forget the jingle Mahashay’s brand created – MDH, MDH asli masale sach sach.
Mahashay may not have been the brain behind the advertisement jingle, but he made it a point to be the face in all ads MDH made, a brand he built after selling his tonga that had cost him Rs 650. He invested the money from the tonga sale in a shop in Karol Bagh, in 1948.
His business flourished and spread across India but Mahashay made it a point to not wear slippers or shoes when he was in Karol Bagh. The first manufacturing unit of Mahashin Di Hatti (MDH) was set up in Kirti Nagar, but it was Karol Bagh that Mahashay considered auspicious.
Now that we are talking about Mister of Spices, let us also talk about spices. There hasn’t been much to spice up life since the pandemic arrived, but many finally got to differentiate one spice from the other in the absence of cooks. Spice, the Word Of The Day, comes from the shortening of the Old French word ‘espice’, which means flavour. Many things can add flavour to food, but what distinguishes a spice from the rest is that it comes from a plant.
Of the 109 varieties of spices listed by the International Organization for Standardization, India produces about 75, and is thus called the land of spices. But the honey being sold in India is not something India would like to be known for.
Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) has claimed that honey sold by 13 major brands in India including Dabur and Patanjali has been found adulterated with sugar syrup. Dabur, however, has rejected the CSE’s claim.
We got talking about honey because we were talking about spices after the death of the man who made them. And we consider it our duty to remind you that nine years ago, Dev Anand too died on this day. We ain’t faulting the day. Billions of people in the world and just 365 days, many will have to share birthdays and death days. Nobody in schools tells us that when they tell us why we must learn to share.
Talking of schools, CISCE, which conducts ICSE and ISC exams, has written to all CMs asking for permission to reopen schools from January 4. CISCE wants that schools be reopened so that students of classes 10 and 12 can participate in project work, practical work, and doubt-clearing sessions ahead of exams.
If you are done giving school, college and competitive exams, we would talk no further about exams because that can still give nightmares. Any kind of disturbance to sleep is to be avoided at all costs.
If you are the nocturnal being who looks at the walls - house, Facebook or Insta - at night because no one is around to entertain you, watch There's Something in the Water (2019). No, it’s not a horror film; rather a documentary on environmental racism.
We will leave you deciding whether you want to watch it or not and then watching or not watching.
See you tomorrow.
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