Sheer arbitrariness: The directorate-general of foreign trade has banned the import of Chinese toys – without assigning any reason.
Amazing, isn’t it? Children all over the world are happy playing with Chinese toys, but Indians kids are to be forced into playing with Indian toys. Some baboo has decided so. I wonder what dirty piece of subordinate legislation he gets his powers from. His minister, of course, is Kamal Nutt, the arch-protectionist.
When I was a kid – the 60s – you couldn’t get any toys in India. Imported comic books carried ads for toys of the kind that were unimaginable here – like remote-controlled cars, bikes, helicopters and so on. We in socialist India, all the bhateejas of Chacha Nehru, had nothing. And the sad story continued right up to adulthood. In high school, we set up a rock band – but couldn’t even get a decent amplifier. Or keyboards. Musically inclined kids are lucky that today the market is so free.
I could go on to my years in college: We were a group of excellent frisbee players at the Delhi School of Economics – but you couldn’t get a decent frisbee in India. Not even a frisbee.
When I went to England to study at the LSE, I visited the famous toy shop, Hamley’s, to buy something nice for my own son. This was 1990 – and most of the toys selling in Hamley’s, London, sported the “made in China” label.
I see no reason why giant toy stores like Hamley’s or Toys-R-Us should not open up in India. And if these stores sell Chinese toys, so be it. Let the market decide. Let the consumer be the king – in this case, our kids. Why should any baboo deny them good toys?
I remember attending a talk by a minister of industry in Goa some years ago. He spoke with horror as to how housewives are buying imported kitchen knives today and kids are playing with Chinese toy cars. He advocated the philosophy of “Be Indian, Buy Indian.”
To me, it is a good thing that Indian kitchens now possess excellent knives. And it is even better than poor Indian kids have cute Chinese-made toy cars to play with. These are reasons to celebrate. The people are happier, better equipped.
So say “No” to Kamal Nutt.
Say “No” to trade barriers.
Thankfully its only for 6 months. This law will only affect the poor kids.
ReplyDeleteWe have laws in a lawless society!
Do not mistake man-made "legislation" for something as mighty and eternal - and natural - as The Law. This ban on Chinese toys is an example of arbitrary rule by unelected officials - the polar opposite of what is meant by the Rule of Law, whose ideal is that laws rule, not the arbitrary whims of men.
ReplyDeleteMy experience is been that when you actually ask they idiots why such law, beyond a point they just tell one to shut up, assuming a certain air of legitimacy and supremacy. Uncivilized brutes these are!
ReplyDelete