Make-in-India

One afternoon, while passing by a halwai shop, I got tempted to buy a few ‘samosas’. The halwai said that the stock prepared for the morning session was over and now he could oblige me at 5 in the evening. He read my face, changed his mind and had a second thought. He said that he had the raw stock ready and for me he could fry a few. It was a favour that I acknowledged with my gestures. I followed him to his workshop. 
The scene therein was disgusting. Some flies were hovering over the basin full of raw samosas looking for an open space to land; some had already landed to camouflage the raw samosas in the basin. I thanked my friend Maha Ganesh for the morning stock of the halwai had already exhausted. I thanked the halwai for his friendly gesture and told him that I would come at 5 in the evening. The halwai felt relieved and expressed his gratitude for my consideration. 
 I recalled the scene when one evening in 1995 I along with my wife and daughter got a chance after a long wait to get a table at the overcrowded samosa shop at Purani Mandi, Jammu. My daughter reluctantly agreed to share the table when I assured her the standard hygienic system of the shop. As ordered the plates were served to each one of us. Soon I called the owner of the shop and asked him if I had to pay extra for the fried cockroach in the plate. 
Finally I decided to go to some coaching centre to learn its Chemistry. After a long wait, I managed to engage a Demonstrator of repute from UP to teach me practically the preparation of samosa. Main ingredient cost me Rs.20. It included ‘medha’ flour 250 gm and ‘ajvendh’. Laboratory was put into operation and the Demonstrator practically completed the practical. Five samosas and 100gm mutter was prepared by the demonstrator and a little of raw material was put in the fridge for the next 
practical.