On my last trip to Bangalore, I squeezed in some time to shop for household items that I would not be able to get in Mumbai. And like many householders who get irritably helpless, I too was, about Chinese goods. Earlier it was silk that China flooded Indian bazaars with. Now it's about hair clips, toys, cosmetics, show-pieces... anything that I would want for a home. I am personally not against China or its people despite their over-bearing foreign policy, or their gnawing at our Indian borders.
Believe me, I have a genuine problem when I hop into a store wanting to buy Indian gifts and find to my horror, that 75 per cent of the gift store's shelves are flooded with Chinese makes. Even statues of Indian gods and goddesses seem to have a Chinese stamp on them. At first I was irritated. I have, in the past, asked the shop staff to please find me Indian makes. They would go on to explain that the raw material was Indian or Chinese...and the procedure of making was Indian...etc. Lame excuses. On one occassion, I found a cuddle-toy with a little tag that read, `Made with pride in India'. I bought it instantly.
My first pick at M K Retail, CMH Road, is usually a pack of branded garbage bags that fit just right in my trash can. Thank God that brand remains Indian still. Noodles (agreed China is the place to be for noodles) have got inundated by brands sounding Chinese. Wall hooks made of plastic, that one needs to only gently nail into walls instead of having to drill holes with that annoying noise of a drilling machine and drill-bits, are my next favourite at MK's. Back at my parents' place, I have fixed this hooks with ease at all possible places they're needed in.
In the last two years however, these hooks have either been in short supply or completely vanished. I still wonder what happened to the brand. MK's did store them a few months back. This time my anger knew no bounds to find a Chinese brand with obviously inferior quality hooks, replace this brand completely. If 10 packs of the earlier brand were available before, about 30 packs of this brand have flooded the shelves now.
These days, I hesitate when I pick up products at the supermarkets...what if it is ....sigh!
I understand our businesses are looking for profits, but why don't they understand that encouraging such large-scale onslaught of Chinese goods will kill our businesses? Greed was what about the hard times of recession we live in today. Greed is what sets off such dumping by the Chinese. And it is greed again, that our businesses need to curb.
Time we learnt the lesson right!
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