The Average Middle-class Indian – Once again

I reside in India’s urban core. I am moderately educated and earnestly hard-working. I pay my taxes on time and in full. I am a sensible spender and I believe I am an informed investor. I am terrified that the Corona virus is just outside the door waiting to pounce on me and my family. I am a righteous flag-bearer of the lockdown. And I am wounded at the plight of the migrant workers and the downward plunge of the economy during the lockdown. I am the average middle class Indian.

I went out to the balcony to play in the pot and pan orchestra to honor our Corona warriors. Two weeks later, I played dark house and lighted up my balconies for nine minutes; to honor our Corona warriors again. When WHO said “Do not wear masks if you are healthy” – I obeyed. When WHO said “Everyone wear masks to protect yourself”- I obeyed. I shouted “Go Corona Go”, firm in my belief that Corona is an enemy to be fought and defeated. When the leaders said the virus is going to live with us so we need to get on with our lives, I nodded in assent. I am the average middle class Indian. I make peace with every situation and move on.

I was furious when I got the news that China was infiltrating into India’s territory. “Renounce Chinese goods”, said a famous engineer and innovator on social media. He even set a timeline for this renouncement- Hit them with the wallet he said. What’s App was ablaze with Boycott China messages and videos. An app to delete Chinese apps found its way to 5 million phones. Then came the recent border dispute with China where Indian soldiers martyred. Enough is enough- I thought. I will eliminate everything Chinese from my life! Teach them a lesson!

I applauded when I read that my fellow Indian brother broke his fully-functional Chinese TV. When a Central Minister called for a ban on Indian restaurants selling Chinese food my heart said Yes. I was sure another intelligent person would call for a ban on Feng Shui. I vowed to throw away my wind chimes and my laughing Buddha statues. I decided that I would not take my mom to those Acupressure sessions for her knee pain. I resolved not to visit that Chinese neighborhood salon.  I determined to stop my daughter’s Tai-Chi (currently online) classes immediately! So, what if the restaurants are on Indian soil with Indian employees, use Indian ingredients to serve Indian customers. So, what if my laughing Buddha is a gift from my dear childhood friend. So, what if my mom got a lot of relief through those acupressure sessions. So, what if the hair-stylist in that salon was the best in the world. So, what if my daughter loved her “meditation in motion” classes! I am the average middle class Indian. I hold the nation higher than my personal life issues.

What are Chinese things? My daughter asks. Anything Chinese- I tell her, like the typical know it all Indian parent. I am the average middle class Indian- I  am sure that I have the answer.

All Chinese brands are Chinese things, I thought. So, my Xiaomi phone was the apt candidate for elimination. When I was deliberating on the method of annihilating my phone, the “manufactured in” text caught my eye. I saw it was manufactured in Andhra Pradesh. There must be some mistake I thought. So I googled. And this is what Google Daddy had to say- “Xiaomi currently has seven smartphone manufacturing plants in India. More than 99 per cent of smartphones that are sold in India are manufactured locally. Across these seven plants, Xiaomi has employed more than 25,000 people (95 per cent are women).” Will our ban of this brand render all these people jobless? Not just the employees, would the supply chain not be impacted? The supply chain I am sure, would have thousands of Indians- the security agency, the pantry agency, the housekeeping agency, the part and assembly suppliers…… I cannot do this to my fellow Indians!

No, I decided. Only the goods that are imported from China are Chinese goods. Bloomberg told me – With more than 14% of India’s imports coming from China, it has the largest share in India’s import pie. So, I figured my boycott of Chinese imports would lead to some reduction in this gaping trade deficit that India has with China. Mulling over my conclusion, I kept fiddling with my laptop. I noticed that my newly purchased sleek American branded HP laptop said Made in China. Is it only electronic goods of blue blood brands that get imported from China? Google Daddy says no, there are many more. Some months back I was so happy that I got a beautiful pair of earrings for a steal! Little did I know then that more than 40% of India’s imitation jewelry market constitutes Chinese imports. I saw that a lot of the sequins and zari in my pure Indian sarees come from China. How do I detect what is from China and what is not? So complicated!

I decide I am going to buy only Indian brands – no complication. While I was gathering all this knowledge from the world-wide web, I chanced upon an article published in The Hindu in 2010. Every month India shipped 9 million tons iron-ore to China, a lot of which found its way to production units in the outskirts of Guangzhou, one of China’s major industrial hubs. The locks that roll off the assembly-line of some of these units has the name “Godrej” prominently etched into the steel. Every year, 10 million such locks are packed and shipped across the Indian Ocean, to our Indian brand Godrej’s warehouses and eventually to Indian homes. Recently our minister wrote that India’s pharma sector is heavily dependent on China for bulk drugs and Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients. Oh God! I cannot even pop a painkiller pill without worrying if it was made from the APIs imported from China.

I am really stressed now. In such a situation, how do I boycott Chinese goods? How do I demonstrate that I am a true patriot and that I am going to give a good hit to China’s wallet? Ok, maybe only our manufacturing companies are dependent on China for raw materials and assemblies. Thank God Indian software and apps are China free. I feel grateful that I use Big Basket for my groceries, Paytm as my E-wallet, Flipkart as my E-Retailer, Ola as my transport and Byjus as my daughter’s coach! All shudh bharatiya companies, Indian founders-Indian owners! But this world-wide web just had to shatter my belief and blow it into pieces- AliBaba, Tencent and Xiaomi are big time owners of these shudh bharatiya companies. According to data from the think-tank Gateway House two-thirds of Indian start-ups valued at $1 billion have Chinese investment! What now?

I read on and discover the company that makes the Swedish Volvo vehicles that sell in India is owned by the Chinese automotive company Zhejiang Geely. The British Morris Garages, is the Indian subsidiary of Chinese automotive giant SAIC Motor Corporation Limited.

My average middle class Indian mind cries out in agony! Betrayed- it shrieks out. If I cannot single out Chinese things, how am I ever going to boycott them?

The salon in my neighborhood is owned by a sweet Chinese lady who speaks flawless Hindi. She still houses the best hair stylists in the world. Just a look at that Feng-shui Buddha statue my friend gifted me brings a stupid smile to my face and transports me to my childhood. The aroma of Chinese food stirs up memories of those once-in -while family outings. My mom really needs those acupressure sessions. My daughter is in love with her Tai-Chi classes and her teacher needs the fees to run his house.

What are Chinese things? My daughter asks. I am not sure, I tell her, like the typical truthful Indian parent. I am the average middle class Indian- I cannot expect to have all the answers.