novelsite Chapter 622, Entering India (continued)
Chapter 622, Entering India (continued)
Chapter 22. Entering India (continued)
After gorging themselves in the cafeteria, everyone was finally satisfied, so they each brought a cup of black tea and prepared to rest for a while before setting off.
At this time, the LCD TV in the restaurant is broadcasting local news, and the most sensational news content in New Delhi today is obviously the city’s so-called 20-strong protest against price increases. From the screen, several people in the city The square and the main streets were full of angry Indians, holding signs of all sizes to protest the skyrocketing price of onions. Politicians from various opposition parties competed to appear at the parade, chanting slogans and fanning the flames.There are also a bunch of "famous Indian talkers" pointing fingers and making nonsense in the studio... This scene is really very 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.
"...Is it just because of the price increase of onions? Such a big movement is going to happen? It's too exaggerated! If it were in China, even if the domestic 'you play with beans, you are ruthless with garlic' (the price of garlic and other vegetables skyrocketed ), it seems that you haven’t seen so many people taking a walk in the street together, have you?”
Watching the scene on TV where the crowd was excited, the slogans were loud, the city was full of wind and rain, and the whole country responded, Wang Qiu complained incomprehensibly, "...It's just a price increase of a vegetable, even if it is too expensive to afford, so what? How about it? Can’t we just eat something else?”
"...Hehe, onions are not ordinary vegetables for Indians!" Commissioner Bai Quanyi shook his head and commented, "...Moreover, if an Indian is so poor that he can't even afford onions, then he also Just don’t expect to be able to eat food…”
——According to Bai Quanyi, an "India expert", in India, the price of onions is a major issue related to the daily livelihood of India's 11 billion people, because onions play an extremely important role on the Indian table, almost Onions can be found in all Indian dishes, and almost all staple foods can smell onions.In the words of an Indian journalist, without onions, all dishes are dull and all meals are tasteless.According to statistics, New Delhi alone consumes at least 400 tons of onions every day, and the whole country needs tens of thousands of onions every day.
And 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 sell the most, because these are the three main vegetables in India. The cheapest "main road food".If there is a guy in India who can't even afford onions, it means he can hardly eat vegetables-so that the onion, which is indispensable to the daily table of ordinary Indians, has thus evolved into a typical food. "Political vegetables" are very sensitive political issues in India.
Every time the price of onions rises sharply, people will take to the streets and even change political parties.However, the current skyrocketing price of onions is not to be blamed on God, but to a large extent due to government dereliction of duty... As a result, it was naturally caught up by the opposition party.
"...Speaking of which, this term of the Indian government is also doing its own thing. It is estimated that on the one hand, it is to make some political achievements, and on the other hand, it is probably because it has received bribes from public relations personnel. Indian states promoted the planting of Monsanto’s genetically modified onions and other genetically modified vegetables, which are said to be able to increase yields and resist pests and diseases, and they even named it ‘vegetable revolution’...It turned out to be a revolution of its own...”
Bai Quanyi shrugged his shoulders and mocked the emperor, "... Just like Russian tanks would lie down in the Indian desert, the genetically modified onions of American companies are not suitable for the hot and rainy climate of the Indian subcontinent at all. Blockbuster hit.
After the incident, the central government of India was busy shirking each other's responsibilities, and basically never thought about how to deal with the aftermath. After so procrastinating, hundreds of bankrupt farmers committed suicide by drinking pesticides in the countryside, while in the cities they committed suicide. The price of onions has skyrocketed, and the supply is in short supply.Coupled with the hoarding by some unscrupulous traders, onions are now more expensive than mangoes...the recent price seems to be [-] rupees per kilogram..."
Hearing this, Wang Qiu lowered his head and counted with his fingers. According to the exchange rate, one rupee is equivalent to RMB one dime, and ninety rupees per kilogram of onions is equivalent to RMB four yuan and fifty cents per catty... It is indeed a bit expensive, yes, But as for gathering people to take a group walk on the street for this purpose?
If the Chinese do the same thing, it is estimated that around the Spring Festival every year, there will be a bunch of grocery shopping aunts besieging the local government compound!
Anyway, from the Chinese point of view, it is really not easy to understand... It seems that it can only be understood as Indian characteristics!
"...Hey, you can't compare the domestic income level with India! For example, I know a police station chief in New Delhi whose monthly salary is only 900 rupees. In China, he works in a sweatshop and on an assembly line It is estimated that mobile phones can get so much, but they are already considered middle class in India. And the driver boy who drove us just now, the embassy gave him a monthly salary of [-] rupees, which is [-] yuan. I am afraid that in China You can't even hire a black driver without a license, but here is already a good job that everyone envies.
In India, those businessmen who want to get approval, even if they bribe the ministerial officials of the central government, the general price is only 80 rupees. I am afraid that such a small amount of money will not be available to any department in Beijing.A few days ago, someone wrote in a newspaper that the richest man in a county in India, whose family’s annual income is only 200 million rupees, has already been boasted by journalists as if he lives in a palace... A tour guide for tourist attractions in the capital Delhi, no In terms of tips, the average basic salary is [-] rupees per month.An ordinary chef in a small roadside restaurant can be hired with a monthly salary of [-] rupees.And those servants who wash clothes and wash dishes are the worst, because they don’t have skills, and their monthly salary is only a few hundred rupees..."
Bai Quanyi talked so eloquently, "...Think about it, how can they afford onions at [-] rupees per kilogram with such an income level?"
"...uh... why do you suddenly have the feeling that overseas Chinese in the 80s look at your compatriots in mainland China?" Li Wei, who was sitting on the side, interjected.
"...That's exactly what it feels like! According to statistics, there are about [-] million people in India whose monthly salary is less than [-] rupees..."
"...In other words, the monthly income of most Indians is less than [-] yuan?! They are so poor!"
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?"
"...[-] rupees per person, which is a relatively affordable price!" Bai Quanyi, the health commissioner, said flatly.
——At this moment, Wang Qiu couldn't help but feel that "the wine and meat of the wealthy family stinks, and the road has frozen bones"...
It seems that any ordinary Chinese tourist who comes to India will probably have the illusion of becoming a rich man in an instant.
However, in the final analysis, this is all about the Indians themselves. Among the people present, none of them is a merciful Holy Mother, and facing the threat of the zombie apocalypse, they don't care about such trivial matters at all... However, just as they were about to pay the bill When he left, he was attracted by the new TV screen.
——On the TV screen, there was an interview with the demonstrators in Ramlila Square: someone hastily built a wooden platform under the landmark Delhi Gate, and a trembling old man stood on it, holding Holding an onion model made of styrofoam, he was preaching something to the microphone. Every few words he spoke, there was a burst of applause and echoes from below... There was a beautiful woman in a sari helping him arm.
"... Isn't this... Mr. Ayu and his daughter-in-law? They seem to be in the square next door to us!"
Seeing the radiant look of the old man on TV, Wang Qiu couldn't help but smack his tongue and said, "... Be good! This old man has only been back to India for a few days? He came out to lead a political rally? I really don't want my life...don't do it now. To the embassy! Let's go straight to the square next door to find them!"
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After some difficult crowds, Wang Qiu and the others finally found the old gentleman with the same name as King Ashoka of the Mauryan Dynasty in ancient India in Ramlila Square before they were sunburned and heatstroked. Supporting his daughter-in-law Karina on the podium.And the other party obviously also recognized Wang Qiu and others who had just parted for a few days, and followed them to the Chinese embassy very cooperatively, and each had a comprehensive physical examination.
Then, the results of the inspection made Wang Qiu and the others mixed. The good news is that Mr. Ayu and his daughter-in-law are both healthy and have no signs of T-virus infection. For the time being, there is no need to worry about a zombie frenzy in the Indian capital.What is worrying is that his son Chandra, who accompanied old Mr. Ayu Shukla for medical treatment at that time, is not in Delhi now, but has returned to his hometown in Bihar to handle some important matters in investment and business.
In this way, because the Indians still need to keep secrets at the moment, they 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 1000 kilometers away for no reason. Able to rush over to find people and conduct tests by themselves.
For this reason, the question of how to get to the destination in Bihar as quickly as possible was assigned to Bai Quanyi, the health commissioner...
After frowning and making a few phone calls, Bai Quanyi said: Because Wang Qiu and the others are in such a hurry, they are going to leave today, and the train tickets cannot be booked for a while. As for the domestic flights in India Not to mention tickets... Fortunately, he still found a domestic tour group that departed from New Delhi to Bihar this afternoon through his connections, and he could pass by their tour bus with a few good words.
However, the nature of this tour group seems to be somewhat special...
"...Buddhist pilgrimage tour group? Are there any Buddhist holy places over there?" Wang Qiu blinked in surprise, as if thinking.
"...Don't you know? Bihar in India is the earliest birthplace of Buddhism! The Bodhi tree where the Buddha Sakyamuni enlightened grew in the place where you are going..." Bai Quanyi stuffed it casually Give him a travel leaflet and explain.