Talking Shop: Chausson Aux Pommes

“Baking is transformation;

turning flour into cakes,

eggs into custard, ideas

into something very real.”

— Barbara Kafka

Turnovers can be more than a figure in a Corporate balance sheet with a healthy dose of zeros suffixed at the right end. In the world of boulangerie or pâtisserie, a Turnover is a pastry made by folding the dough over a filling, and then baking it to delectably-layered succulence. Each land has its own version of the Turnover. There are Spanish empanadas, Chinese dim sums and Indian kozhaikattais or samosas. The first written account of the Turnover goes back to 1753, but the craft of creating these pies dates further back. For good reason… they are easy and inexpensive to make, easy to transport. They are convenient, especially for sporadic lifestyles (and ancient nomadic tribes).

Today’s India needs a Turnover to save the day, preferably one with apples in it. Be it “apple a day keeps the doctor away” or a French legend from St Calais, the humble Apple Turnover even helped keep the grim reaper at bay. Let’s revisit the French legend of the ‘Chausson Aux Pommes’. In 1630, in St. Calais in France’s Sarthe region, an epidemic felled people like ninepins in a bowling alley. The frantic lady of the town, the ‘Chatelaine’, supplied free flour and apples to the people, which was used to make Turnovers for bare survival.

Today, St. Calais is thriving. The apple savoury saved their lives. To remember it, the town celebrates each year by baking some on one day—the ‘Fete du Chausson Aux Pommes’.

Fast forward to the present. India too needs a Turnover. As a people, a nation, a society and culture, we are facing a flood of epidemics. We desperately need the right apples and saviours to wade through the raging waters, for us to come out alive and kicking on the other side.

The Top 10 Paint Points

If Barbara Kafka believes (her quote above says so) that baking can transform ideas into something real, it has to be true. Jokes apart, we can only cross our fingers and look at the gigantic oven that is India. In this oven, logs are simmering and confectionary platters are waiting for their plunge into goodness. But rather than shuffle my own grey matter on what ails India today, I visited the Internet to see what Indians feel are the biggest pain points.

The ‘Top 10’, directly from the people. Reservations are killing innovation and demotivating the deserving; healthcare and education need a boost, with people-doctor ratio at abysmal levels and medical education in tatters; cleanliness in cities is pathetic and needs immediate attention; backward communities find it difficult to get integrated into society, especially with leaders misguiding them.

The list goes on—infrastructure development has picked up, but land erosion and moral corrosion are hitting the geographic spread and mental functions, respectively; joblessness among the youth; little or no accountability in the Government sector; judicial revamp a dire need with over 5 crore cases pending in courts; revamp in collection of taxes required with only 7 per cent filing and 4 per cent paying taxes; minimum wages need a leg up and new cities are needed, rather than trying to coax life into old ones and wasting invaluable funds.

All this is easier said than done.

Urgent Call To Action

Our nation of 1.5 billion is no stranger to challenges, but the offshoots are leading to disquiet, with systemic issues throttling progress. The silver lining is that these are not insurmountable, but solutions will need bold reform, clear accountability and an iron will to act. To emerge stronger, the nation must tackle issues head-on, shedding complacency and embracing tough measures. The hurdles and some examples are listed below, piecemeal, in no particular order.

Reservations have slid into a mechanism that prioritizes political gains over societal equity. Transitioning to a balanced economic criterion will ensure that benefits reach those in need, irrespective of caste or community. For instance, Malaysia transitioned from ethnicity-based affirmative action to income-based parity to reduce social disparity without compromising merit. Political scientist Pratap Bhanu Mehta said: “A meritocratic society must balance equity with efficiency, ensuring inclusion without undermining innovation.”

Moving to healthcare and education, investing in these sectors is non-negotiable. We must allocate 5 per cent of the GDP to each of these sectors, ensuring universal access to quality services. Our doctor-patient ratio of 1:1,500 lags behind the WHO’s recommended 1:1,000. Telemedicine and public-private partnerships can bridge the gap.

Education is swamped and needs revamping of curricula, a shift to technology and vocational skills to make the workforce future-ready. Kerala’s healthcare model, emphasizing primary care and literacy, has set benchmarks. As cardiologist Devi Shetty says: “Preventive care and grassroots healthcare infrastructure can transform outcomes.”

Many Other Milestones

The residual walk has milestones, not all of which are millstones. India generates millions of tonnes of waste, but processes only 25 per cent. Cleanliness requires waste management systems and citizen engagement—if not done, the rotting mounds around key cities will get higher and smellier. Indore’s transformation into India’s cleanest city highlights the impact of decentralized waste management and public participation. As environmentalist Sunita Narain said: “Urban cleanliness is a reflection of societal discipline and effectiveness of governance.”

As for backward communities, they should have been empowered a long time ago, catalysing economic inclusion, and personal and national growth. It is only instances such as the self-help groups (SHGs) in Tamil Nadu where rural-folk have been enabled to achieve financial independence and societal respect. Sukhadeo Thorat says: “True empowerment stems from equal opportunities and societal integration, not token measures.”

This holds true for infrastructure development as well, where we need to prioritize projects on the scale of sustainability. Impact assessments should be non-negotiable and technologies like ‘green construction’ adopted. For one, Delhi Metro used renewable energy and rainwater harvesting, showcasing how sustainable development and photo opportunities can go hand in hand. Mismanagement on this front can have a flipside, as environmentalist Vandana Shiva warned: “Development disregarding the environment is a recipe for disaster.”

Jobs remain hotly debated, with a need to incentivize manufacturing and agriculture to create employment. But this can’t be done without simpler labour laws and incentives to start-ups. Here, ‘Make in India’ has worked and attracted foreign investments, but better execution is needed to pull our youth out of the 45-per cent joblessness hell-hole. As CMIE said: “Job creation is not incidental; it requires deliberate policy interventions and robust execution.”

That Which Hits Pockets

Other debated issues such as corruption and inefficiency in certain aisles need to be tackled with transparency and by leveraging tech for real-time monitoring. Government schemes like Direct Benefit Transfer have reduced leakages in outflows by ensuring that funds reach the intended beneficiaries. Activist Aruna Roy says: “True democracy thrives on transparency and accountability at all levels.”

We can’t talk of reforms without talking judiciary. Again, upgrades are needed to address the 5-crore-case backlog in our courts. Some quick answers are increasing the number of judges, adopting fast trials and promoting alternative dispute resolution. Maharashtra’s Fast-Track Courts have reduced pendency in rape and POCSO cases. As retired Supreme Court Justice Deepak Gupta observed, “Justice delayed is not just denied; it is (justice) destroyed.”

Finally, a subject that impacts you and me—tax reform. With only a small percentile of Indians paying taxes, widening the base is essential, as are simplification of tax structures and keener enforcement. The GST regime has tried to simplify indirect taxes, but needs streamlining to achieve the targeted boost in economic activity. As economist Rajiv Kumar says: “Tax reforms should aim at reducing evasion, ensuring fairness and simplicity.”

Soliloquy: We may call ourselves the ‘fifth-largest’, moving on to becoming the ‘third-largest’ and whatnot, but the path to real growth and global presence is still littered with challenges. India has to rise to the occasion and walk the talk to pass these tests, with bold reforms, stringent accountability and an unwavering commitment to equity and innovation.

That leads to the final burning question: Will our leaders and the people rise to the occasion, or continue to squander this nation’s vast potential? The answer may lie in apples, for the choice is between “an apple a day…” and “a few bad apples can…”

The writer is a veteran journalist and communications specialist. He can be reached on narayanrajeev2006@gmail.com. Views expressed are personal