Blog by Sumana Harihareswara, Changeset founder

08 Dec 2003, 13:04 p.m.

Tempest in a Coffee Mug

Hi, reader. I wrote this in 2003 and it's now more than five years old. So it may be very out of date; the world, and I, have changed a lot since I wrote it! I'm keeping this up for historical archive purposes, but the me of today may 100% disagree with what I said then. I rarely edit posts after publishing them, but if I do, I usually leave a note in italics to mark the edit and the reason. If this post is particularly offensive or breaches someone's privacy, please contact me.

I've complained before about dippy and faux inspirational messages on my tea. Today:

You must be still in the midst of activity, and be vibrantly alive in repose.

--Indira Gandhi
(1917-1984)

Indira Gandhi?! The heck? Indira Gandhi was a dictator who declared martial law to avoid being removed for corruption. The regime included censorship, arrest of dissenters, and forced sterilisation drives. And no, she was not related by blood to Mohandas (the Mahatma) Gandhi.

My sister, who wrote her senior thesis on the Emergency in India and the Philippines under Marcos, could tell you more. I'm just saying, Indira Gandhi doesn't belong on my Good Earth Original Sweet & Spicy Tea & Herb Blend. How about a nice Daniel Berrigan or Mirabai or Emma Goldman instead?