State of the onion needs addressing

No one can deny that Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina knows her onions, having remained in power through tumultuous times and steered her nation to a more stable economic situation. So she was perfectly placed to voice concern — that too in commendable Hindi — about the effect India’s current ban on onion exports has had on Bangladesh, without sounding like she was currying favour. India cutting off onion supplies has left most of the other nations in South Asia a-peeling for reconsideration given the supremacy of allium in this region. Indeed, some aver that the onion is a metaphor for South Asian geo-politics: it is pungent, multi-layered and often induces tears.

During her India tour, Sheikh Hasina revealed she has told the cook to hold off on the onions in the prime ministerial kitchen for the time being; this is sage advice that others on the subcontinent should emulate. Meanwhile, with the no-onionno-garlic Navratri period about to come to a close, many north Indians who are not cut up as yet about this root vegetable will soon have to deal with eye-watering prices. As this is a recurrent issue and even the Bangladesh PM has requested adequate forewarning henceforth, a quarterly State of the Onion address from the Indian relevant government functionary may help everyone take contingency measures in time.