Rice bags off shelves as Telugus in U.S. storm supermarkets
When Divya Teja, a software professional in New Jersey read about the Indian government announcing a ban on rice exports, it was just another piece of news from back home. But a few hours later, her WhatsApp group of friends in the U.S. started buzzing constantly with the news and the discussions that it will lead to shortage of rice in the U.S.
Majority of the messages had concern writ large, asking their near and dear ones to rush to the nearest Indian store to pick up the rice bags. She too joined the chorus and landed at a mall the next morning only to find queues of Indians picking up multiple bags fearing the prices would go up and also the shortage.