The litmus test for Indian Consumers: YE Diwali India Wali yaa China Wali

Come the festive season in India and guess what Chinese factory owners laugh all their way to the banks. October and November is the boom time for Chinese exporters. The factories in Hubei province, Shenzhen city, and Quanzhou work overtime to meet the insatiable demand for decorative lights, posters, lamps, and even idols of gods and goddesses, including those of Lord Ganesha and Lakshmi.

The usual practice of Chinese manufacturers is to send an expert team to study the Indian market and understand the current trends, especially during the festive season. Armed with the knowledge, they produce in China in bulk what the Indians are looking for, with slight innovations and export them through various channels to this country with a cheaper price tag.

It is heart-wrenching to see Indian artisans, craftsmen, pottery makers all writhing in pain under the impact of the deadly pandemic which had its epicenter in China or as the American president call it “Chinese virus. The entire world has suffered from this deadly coronavirus more so countries like India which had to face the double whammy of virus and economy.

But what should really set the alarm bells ringing is that these factories are also making idols of Lord Lakshmi and Ganesh which are sacrosanct to many Indians and this surely cannot be accepted by any self-respecting Indian. After all these idols have got a religious meaning and are to be made in a certain way, we don’t even know how Chinese machines manufacture these idols, in what containers they are transported. These idols have huge religious value and we cannot play into the Chinese hands by buying these idols.

An economy that was already reeling under the twin shocks of demonetization and GST, coronavirus exacerbated the situation with our worst nightmare coming true. Indian economy is likely to shrink by 9.5 % as per RBI estimate.

Who has ultimately paid the price of Chinese adventurism, its equally populous neighbor India, not only we had to suffer because of the virus but also from Chinese incursion in Leh and Ladakh border. It was for the first time that we suffered causalities along the border clashes with China and twenty of our valor soldiers laid down their lives while protecting the sovereignty of the nation.

If this does not make your blood curdle then I don’t know what else will, if we don’t see the blood stains of our soldiers on the kandils, on Chinese ladiyaan on Shubhi deepawalis which we buy. I don’t know what else will make us sit up and ponder on the extent of damage that the Chinese have caused.

Our Government is doing its bit by banning Chinese imports and encouraging Indian manufacturers but we as consumers must also play our part. Our Prime Minister has given a clarion call for make in India let us start make in India this Deepawali by giving our artisans, our small scale industry a boost.

In a statement issued by traders’ body Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT), National President B. C. Bhartia and Secretary General Praveen Khandelwal said that out of around Rs 70,000 crore business done in India every year during the Diwali season by traders, goods worth around Rs 40,000 crore were imported from China in the past years. “But because of the brutal massacre by China killing 20 Indian soldiers mercilessly, there is great anger and resentment towards China in the people of the country which has prompted the people not to buy Chinese goods.”

Let us buy in droves, Indian made diyas, Indian made stuff this Diwali to show our patriotism to our nation which is reeling under the impact of COVID.

We have already shown in this festive month our penchant for online shopping, let us shop online for Diyas, for idols for other stuff which is made by Indian manufacturers.

Department of Consumer Affairs in a notice issued to Amazon and Flipkart on Friday has sought clarification on why they are not displaying mandatory declarations including country of origin on goods sold on their platforms.

Maybe there are some quality issues, maybe we won’t get the product at the price points that we desire but let us forget our own selfish interests for the greater good of the nation.

Let us be Indian and buy Indian. Let it be Happy Diwali India wali India wali as dragon roasts in anger.

Disclaimer : Views expressed are personal and are not to malign any nation.