A conflict thousands of kilometres away has managed to disturb the price of dinner, drinks, and apparently, date night. The average Indian consumer, who has reliably ignored every foreign war of the last decade, has been forced awake with each new shortage and price hike. When LPG prices rose, she said: I have a second cylinder and an induction stove. When urea ran short, she said: I am not a farmer. When basmati exporters were stranded, she said: I eat sona masoori anyway. Then Diet Coke disappeared from the shelves, and she finally understood that something was indeed wrong. Indians have been quietly reintroduced to a forgotten verb — to ration. Every household has become a small planning office, doing inventory checks before impulsive decisions. How many gas cylinders are in the back? How many litres of petrol are in the car, cans of Coke, and bottles of beer in the fridge? How many condoms are left in the bedroom drawer?…