Mur mur ke na dekh jhaal muri ko

Some of the sharpest ideas come from the humblest of situations. And what could be more humbling than the prime minister stopping by Bikram Sau's chatpata store on his way to the helipad after an election rally in West Bengal's Jhargram on Sunday to buy ₹10 worth of jhaal muri - he paid by cash, not online - and share some of his haul with bystanders. But apart from headlines about Modi's muri-making, the real thonga takeaway is that the time has come to Make Jhaal Muri Great Again.

This heady, spicy concoction of muri, mustard oil, chopped onions, green chillies and lime has been the Khan of street khaana. But of late, upstarts like momos and chow, and more 'brahminical' cousins like bhel puri, pav bhaji, phuchka/panipuri/golgappas have relegated the swashbuckling JM lower down the ranks. With Modi now giving it the right kind of re-mix, it can go places. Not just as the No. 1 'mur muri ke na dekh' street food head turner, but also as artisanal khaana for those who prefer shelling out extra shekels for 'Single-Origin Mustard Oil, Hand-Crushed Green Chillies, Ethically-Sourced Puffed Rice'. Jhaal muri is light, portable, requires no refrigeration. It can jolly well be our answer to far unhealthier potato chips. If the humble Andean quinoa could become a global superstar, surely, we can puff up our puffed rice to make it a global chomp-ian.