By Arun Kumar Shrivastav

On April 6, The American Bazaar published an article that goes by the headline: Alphonsos arrive in America as USDA okays Indian mango Import. The news story talks about the excitement among the Asian communities in the US on the arrival of famous Indian mango varieties — Chausa, Dussheri, Langara, and Sindoori, apart from Alphonsos. The news story quotes an Indian American HR professional Krishna Kant as saying, “This is great news…. Of all the memories from India, the memories of devouring the sweetest, fleshiest mangoes back home in India bring a smile to all Indians.”

Taking the mango story forward, a report in an air-cargo news portal says that mango exporters are facing serious cargo capacity restrictions. A senior executive of an airline says that the company is targeting to ship 500 tons of mangoes a week. Most of the mango exports are headed to the US, UK, Europe, and Middle East markets. India has recently concluded FTA deals with the UAE and Australia.

The other news on the mango front is that some Hindu groups in Karnataka have called for a ban on mangoes sold by Muslim traders.

As you explore The American Bazaar news portal, you find extensive coverage of news related to Indian Americans, Green Card, and H1B visas. In one particular story, the portal claims that reforms in immigration laws in Canada stand out starkly in comparison to those in the US. The editor of the portal, Zofeen Maqsood, who has written many of these stories, seems deeply involved in the issues of Indian immigrants in the US. Zofeen hails from India and has worked as a journalist with leading Indian media brands before moving to the US.

It’s possible that when Zofeen Masdooq and Krishna Kant meet next time, the religious divide that Indian mangoes are seeing in Karnataka may crop up for a discussion. Will that undermine the Indian identity of either of the two?

In all likelihood, they’re going to have a hearty laugh at the foolish and ironic ways Indians can behave. Both will be reminded of the timeless jokes of Lalu Prasad in his typical oratory and hairstyle. They will be reminded of Donald Trump’s locker-room humor or comic expressions. Remember hemocking Greta Thunberg! Or Greta Thunberg’s nasty stare at Trump! But he should be remembered for his promising Make America Great Again (MAGA) campaign that turned out to be a damp squib.

Zofeen and Krishna will think about Sashi Tharoor and the dictionaries that he keeps to source all those unpronounceable and hard-to-spell words. To bring the conversation back to Karnataka, they will be reminded of the gutsy Muskan Khan for pronouncing those Allahu Akbar with such realistic anger, pride, and composure that even Al-Qaeda’s Boss Ayman al-Zawahiri had to resurface with a video message calling her a sister. Leave alone what Kangana Ranautof Jhansi Ki Rani fame might be thinking about Muskan Khan.

Indian politics is dominated by patriarchal and macho politics from the Yogis to the Thackerays. Last week, Raj Thackeray emerged after a long hibernation, much like Zawahiri, and demanded that loudspeakers should be removed from the mosques. If these loudspeakers are not removed, he will play Hanuman Chalisa in front of the mosques, he threatened in his typical rather-too-serious frown and raised brows.

Let Zofeen and Krishna have some more laughs and thank their luck that they have left the country before such comedies are being passed off as politics.

Punjab has chosen a new government and it’s headed by Bhagwant Singh Mann who is described by Wikipedia as a “former actor, comedian, and satirist.” But when this comedian became the chief minister, the first thing he endorsed was a claim that Chandigarh should be handed over to Punjab. A more seasoned politician and Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar seized the opportunity and said Chandigarh belongs to Haryana.

Now, how does playing Hanuman Chalisa in front of the mosques or Chandigarh given to either Punjab or Haryana help the common man?

ArcelorMittal Chairman Lakshmi Mittal had made news for buying a home near Kensington Palace Gardens in the UK, Adar Poonawalla of Serum Institute recently made news for renting mansion for $69,000 a week in Mayfair, London, and Mukesh Ambani’s RIL refuted a claim that the first family of the Indian business is shifting to its recently acquired 300-acre property in Stoke Park, London.

Former RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan left the country within a few days of relinquishing the office to join his family and new job in the US. Journalist, author, and former Amnesty India chief Aakar Patel is not being allowed to go abroad even though a Delhi Court has reprimanded the CBI for unlawfully preventing him from going abroad.

Working-class people like Zofeen and Krishna with employable skills are anyway leaving India in large numbers by whatever means available to them. (IPA Service)

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