Onions have once again caught the fancy of
humour-writers, cartoonists, photographers and meme-makers. This time their imagination scaled new
heights. Their creations have been
hitting the social media platforms, particularly WhatsApp, day in and day out
without any letup.
TEARS WITHOUT ONIONS
(By
Subbaram Danda)
Our dear onions have become dearer. The upward
march of the onion prices since August throughout the country has been
relentless. In some markets, the price
shot up to Rs.200 per kg for the small variety and crossed the mark of Rs.120
for the regular ones. The reason is failure of the crop in some states, following heavy rains. The Government
efforts to control the situation through imports and imposition of stock holding
restrictions did not yield timely results.
Playing on the current onion situation,
several jokes have been churned out. Here are some:
An advertisement in the matrimonial column of
a leading newspaper said: “WANTED a groom for a 21-year-old, dark-complexioned
and unschooled girl of 4 feet 6 inches height.
She has no siblings. Caste no bar. Father owns a 100-acre onion
farm.” In a day there were 5,000
responses.
The canteen in the Indian Parliament is highly subsidized
and the dishes sold there are unimaginably cheap. A cartoon in the “Deccan Chronicle” brilliantly gave expression to this idea in the context of soaring onion prices.
The Police Chief of an Indian city issued an
alert to its citizens drawing their attention to an unfolding danger. It said: “New goons are on the prowl. They are after your high value
possessions. Always remain on the guard.
Please keep your onions in a safe under lock and key.”
A private security agency advised teenage
girls on how to escape from stalkers. It
said: “Always carry some onions with you. Throw them at the ruffians one by one as fast as possible. They will scramble to collect
them. They may even fight with each other while sharing the booty. Meanwhile, run away from the scene.”
Marketing managers have also jumped into the
onion fray. A cell-phone company in
Tamil Nadu offered a kilo of onions free on every cell-phone purchased. A television channel showed packs of onions
displayed in the showroom.
The American president is in tears of late. The reason:
Another security firm offered armed guards for
trucks transporting onions from one place to another. “It has become a
necessity. Don’t be caught napping,” it
told truck owners.
Now-a-days banks are flush with funds. Home loans are not moving. Car loans are sluggish. Managers in charge of
loans are under pressure from their higher-ups to meet tall targets. So, one bank manager came up with a brilliant
idea cashing in on the rising onion prices.
Famous Tamil screen comedian Vadivelu was
featured in a meme as standing in front of a famous restaurant in Chennai and
making a call to the Income Tax department.
He informed an officer: “Sir, I have seen a couple ordering onion dishes
for their breakfast. If you can rush
here, you can be sure of a big catch.”
Going to buy onions? Be prepared to expect the unexpected! Here is a trendy cartoon:
A fancy store displayed a sign very prominently: "Buy from us a very novel and timely gift. You can present it with a touch of pride to your near and dear ones on any occasion -- one kg of onions colourfully packed."
A thoughtful start-up made a mark on WhatsApp. Naming itself “Onion Jewellery” it offered to make specially crafted jewellery with onions for all occasions. Its speciality: Bridal wear.
A fancy store displayed a sign very prominently: "Buy from us a very novel and timely gift. You can present it with a touch of pride to your near and dear ones on any occasion -- one kg of onions colourfully packed."
A thoughtful start-up made a mark on WhatsApp. Naming itself “Onion Jewellery” it offered to make specially crafted jewellery with onions for all occasions. Its speciality: Bridal wear.
Tik Tok enthusiasts have been very active producing
hilarious videos on the onion situation.
In one such video, we can see onions being safely stored in the locker of a
steel cupboard and subsequently used very sparingly.
In another Tik Tok video onions have replaced
currency! A man alighting from an
auto-rickshaw pays the fare with onions.
The driver too willingly accepts them. Here is a grab from the video.
Godman Nithyananda has been in hot news since his announcement that he has formed a separate island-nation by the name Kailaasa. A curious comedian asks his friend whether he has any idea what the price of onions is in Kailaasa.
Onions are known to produce tears when peeled or cut. Now they produce tears in absentia. And smiles too.
Onions are known to produce tears when peeled or cut. Now they produce tears in absentia. And smiles too.
December 07, 2019
