When I heard that one Mr Nandgaonkar of the Shiv Sena had launched an offensive against Karachi Sweets, I wondered if he, like me, had been disappointed by a box of assorted Diwali mithais.

As a child, I always hated mono-mithai boxes on Diwali, awaiting the multiple delights of an assorted box, diminished however, by two cellophane-wrapped jelly jewels in the corner, as blah to the tongue as their stained glass red, yellow and green was tantalising to the eyes. Gluey, stretchy, sugary, they gave me the same cheated feeling as a long patriotic song (eg. Nanha munna rahi hoon) appearing in the last seven minutes of Chitrahar, dousing the excitements of the preceding mazedar songs.