Beyond Forbidden Watermelons 

By Mushtaq Hurra 

Consumption of fresh fruits including dates,  shoots up during Ramazan. Fruit vendors and shopkeepers bump up their sales during the holy month. Even unfair surcharging and excessive profiteering becomes a norm of the day here. Yet people spend hefty amounts on culinary delights to make their Iftaars and Sehris scrumptious and savoury. But, this Ramadhan, watermelons came in the line of fire. People abandoned the fruit as if it was the same forbidden fruit which Adam (AS) had eaten in paradise. Sales of the fruit dwindled drastically. Social networking sites went abuzz with posts and videos, debating the alleged harmful chemical contamination of the fruit. Medicos kept issuing decrees, and cautioning commoners not to include the fruit in their diets. Facebook journalists resorted to media trialling, that too without having the requisite knowledge and required expertise to comment on the same. Commoners found themselves in a fix because a paradox of theories was pouring in from various quarters. 

Well, a billion dollar question pops up here. Is watermelon the solitary edible which is allegedly contaminated? Are all other things pure and safe for human consumption? The most  probable answer is a big NO. 

Packaged spices and condiments including edible oils are not meeting the requisite standards. According to studies conducted by pesticide residue research and analysis laboratory under Kerala agricultural university, spices like coriander, dried ginger powder, dried red chilli, cardamom, cumin powder, pickle masala powder, fennel seeds, kashmiri chilli powder and curry powder available in the market,  are laced with toxic chemicals. Even toxic arsenic was found in turmeric. And locally, we often suspect brick dust contamination in many powdered condiments and spices. 

Edible oil is an indispensable and inseparable part of our diet. We can’t imagine a dish or a cuisine without a tempering ( Tadka ) of hot oil, coupled with onions or shallots. But, the tadka oil is not quite pure and safe for consumption. 

According to surveys conducted by reputed researchers and institutions, edible oils are polluted with adulterants like argemone and rice bran oils. Cooking oils are contaminated with illicit carcinogenic food colourants like metanil yellow. Ironically, the  verboten food colourant is extensively used in India which jeopardises our lives terribly. The noxious metanil is believed to cause a surge in serotonin, dopamine and noradrenaline levels which consequently reduces our brain’s ability to learn and grasp things well. 

Now, let’s have a cursory look at our pharmaceutical market. The industry is growing exponentially with a whopping turnover of 2.89 lakh crores in 2019-20. It is worth mentioning here that the same industry was lingering at 1750 crore turnover during the 1970s. India is now a big exporter of medicine. But, spurious and substandard drugs have brought disrepute and indignity to it. 

Last year, a joint team of central and state regulators inspected various Pharma companies spread over the length and breadth of the country, and allegedly cancelled the licences of some eighteen companies for manufacturing of spurious and adulterated drugs. Twenty other Pharma companies were served with show-cause notices for violating good manufacturing practice ( GMP ). 

The scenario is no different in Jammu and Kashmir. A former health minister of Jammu and Kashmir had revealed in the then state assembly that some 83 drugs were found spurious by his department. And interestingly, he had not over-ruled the alleged nexus between doctors and Pharma companies. I believe the river continues to flow with the same deluge, and there is hardly any let off for commoners. Some unscrupulous and conscienceless medicos sell their Eeman for a few bucks. They prescribe substandard drugs to win perks, privileges and lucrative gifts from pharmaceutical companies. A spurious or substandard drug does more harm than any good to patients. Ah ! Innocent people are murdered in the name of potions.

Our own indigenously grown fruits and vegetables are lashed by dozens of deadly  pesticide sprays. Relentless usage of chemical fertilisers removes and reduces the magical powers and vitality of our veggies. Chemicals like calcium carbide are used as artificial fruit ripeners though prohibited by law. Now, people have begun to realise the harmful and adverse effects of these vegetables and fruits on human health. So, organic farming is gaining momentum, with every passing day, the demand for organically grown vegetables is touching new highs. Vegetable vendors dealing with organically grown vegetables and fruits sell their produce like hot cakes because people are becoming health conscious, but most of the masses are gullible, and fall prey to the toxins. 

The alleged food adulteration and immoderate use of chemicals in agricultural operations has risked our lives to pernicious ailments. Malignancy, diabetes , hypertension and different metabolic disorders are taking dangerous proportions in our valley. Rising cancer incidence in Kashmir valley has sent shockwaves among commoners and doctors. According to health experts, a sedentary lifestyle coupled with adulterated foods is probably one of the potential causes of the surge in many non-communicable diseases. The illicit trade of adulteration goes unabated in the Peer Vaer. Strong system of checks and balances is the need of the hour. Imaams and orators should inform masses  about the religious perspective of the menace. 

• Author is a Teacher and a Columnist. He can be reached at [email protected]

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