As the big freeze descends, London begins to look as it used to, before we knew what global warming was. But with the approach of Christmas, one can feel (despite the chill in the air) the atmosphere change in other ways and sense the bonhomie that generally prevails at this time. People are happier and far more relaxed as the holiday season approaches. I always feel that around this time the average Londoner undergoes a transformation. They become gentler, kinder, more helpful... even the bus drivers stop for you, though you might not be standing at the exact spot you are supposed to!
But it has also been a season for us to discover how much hunger and poverty there exists in the UK. There has been much discussion on the need for more food banks, and whether the state should now take and run them. Some figures show that more than a million are now dependent on these food banks, and not everyone has taken a kindly view of it (despite the Christmas spirit). One Tory, Baroness Jenkins even commented, quite unkindly, that the poor have perhaps forgotten how to cook.
Later she was forced to apologise, and clarified that the remark was meant to embrace the larger British society. But her remark also sparked a debate in the media whether there was some truth in her words. Has society stopped slaving over hot gas ovens, or is there an issue of poverty, where people cannot afford to buy fresh food and vegetables? The statistics are interesting, and some reports point out to the fact that on an average, the Brits are spending more every week on recreation (£61.50) than they do on food (£56.80). And they spend another £40.50 on eating out.
Personally, I still prefer a simple hot meal at home and have as yet never picked up a ready-made meal, as I always find that these contain too much salt and other hidden ingredients which are far from healthy. I might not be the world’s best cook, but somehow the thought of eating a warmed up curry from a tin makes me hesitate. It must be my Indian upbringing, where “food from outside” was never considered as good as home-cooked food. Yet, it’s a debate that we need to have: whether fresh ingredients being more expensive than factory-made food is one big reason for so many Brits to turn towards ready-made meals.
And the malls are full of them. Whether Britain has forgotten how to cook or not, even the tempting Christmas ads speak of how ready meals can be picked up for the family. My fear is that a whole generation will probably grow up with no idea what a real tomato looks like, thinking that its natural shape is of a thin liquid being squeezed out from a tube.
Meanwhile, yes, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (sigh!) did go to the US and apparently charged a lot of money to dine with various rich Americans so that they could raise funds for their various charities. As someone who is now fundraising constantly for the Mahatma Gandhi statue at the Parliament Square, one wishes that we could have people whipping out their cheque books to dine with us! But it goes without saying that the young couple continues to charm the world, and the two have returned to Old Blighty without a single controversy. How boring is that! They were well-dressed and well-behaved... To her credit, Kate Middleton has not yet succumbed to the temptation of flashing too many diamonds and bling. Perhaps with so much discussion on rising poverty in the UK it is only befitting that the future Queen tries to hang onto her middle class credentials. Except that the Carlyle Hotel where they stayed in New York costs around £9,000 a night...
And then let’s also turn our gaze towards a phenomenal film that has just come out, The Theory of Everything, which will undoubtedly take the world by storm. This is about the indomitable physicist Stephen Hawking who had been diagnosed with a deadly motor neurone disease, as a young man, but has defied all odds to live till the age of 72. In fact, his first marriage took place after the diagnosis. Jane, his first wife on whose book this film has been based, had an extremely tough battle dealing with her husband’s deteriorating health and his growing fame, as well as the responsibility of two young children.
The film has already won critical acclaim, especially for the performance by Eddie Redmayne who plays Stephen Hawking in the film. According to the tabloids, the film has also brought to the fore disputed narratives about the Hawking family, and that his sisters are not very happy about the portrayal of their parents. The reality is that it is always difficult to make a biopic, more so when it is about a living person. The best endorsement for the film came from Hawking, who said he felt he was watching himself. One cannot wait to see!
Kishwar Desai is an award- winning author.
She appeals to all to visit www.gandhistatue.org and donate
