Just wondering…9

Please forgive me for sounding the moron that I probably am. But what exactly is all the fuss over Bt brinjal about?

• Could it be that it makes the aubergine sound like a South Indian schoolgirl – S. K. Bhairavi, T. R. Brinda, B. T. Brinjal, and so on?
• Or that people feel it’s too much scientific attention over a veggie that most kids hate and most adults don’t care too much for?

Point Two does make some sense to me. I thought brinjal was available in plenty – and in various colors/sizes/shapes to boot – right now. So why are these biotech people sweating it out over a genetically modified version? They would be better off producing a cheaper and better variety of rice or wheat, I would think.

And if they are so keen on producing veggies without worms, someone please direct them to okra or cauliflower. They would be doing a great service to mankind – at least hassled-mother-in-the-morning-kind.

Point One also seems valid. Couldn’t these people come up with a more refined name? Ugh! Bt indeed. In Tamil it gets worse – it’s spelt “pee tee kathirikkai”.

An aunt on the IL’s side insists it’s pidi kathirikkai, just like pidi karnai. Trust this family to come up with that.