The Great Indian Middle Class and global food prices

Prez George Bush, it has come to pass,
Has laid blame on our Middle Class.
It seems we have hurled,
The rest of the world,
Into crisis by not chewing grass!

ET 3/5/08: US President George Bush has joined his top diplomat in suggesting that the growing prosperity of India's large middle class is contributing to rising food prices around the world. Get the story here

When the penny pinches

"Now the biggest threat facing our Nation,"
Said the Minister, with slight hesitation,
Isn't border onslaughts,
Nor vile terror plots."
"Then what's it?" I asked, "It's inflation!"

Sify Business 31/03/08: Alarm bells are ringing loud for Reserve Bank of India (RBI). The inflation figures released last week have put the financial authority at the central bank in dilemma. For the week ending March 15, the inflation stood at 6.68%, a whooping 76 basis points increase over the previous week figure. Not only is the figure way above the target set by the RBI, but also at 13-month high. Read about it here

Breaking bread

The high cost of wheat, in its wake,
Will make bread loaf dearer to bake.
It looks like we'll chew,
On what Mary once knew,
When bread's out of reach - there is cake!

HT 05/09/07: The chapatti on your plate and the jam sandwich in your child's lunch box are set to cost more. With prices of wheat soaring and the government deciding to import nearly eight lakh tonnes of wheat at a whopping Rs 16 a kilo, wheat flour is going to get dearer this festive season. Get the story here