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Photo: Raju V.

Abstinence is the key Staying off shopping for a single day will not make a world of difference

“I am a compulsive shopper,” she confesses without batting an eyelid. Her bulging wallet prods her to break into a shopping binge and splurge huge money on designer clothes, latest gadgets and other ‘cool’ stuff. And she doesn’t feel a wee bit guilty about it. “Why should I feel bad about spending my own money? I work hard to earn it and it is for me to decide as to how I should spend it,” she says.

With the economy booming, and with advertisers packing a wallop in their campaigns, consumerism as a creed has developed in the middle-classes. People have it good what with the array of products and services available. Jagdisgh K., another software engineer, echoes similar opinion: “Well, I earn enough to splurge. I have a fascination for jeans and sunglasses of international brands. When I am in a mood to shop, I go on buying these things.”

Avariciousness is no more looked down upon as a negative trait. Today, the more things you have, the better chance you stand in the social stratum. Satish did not have the privilege of enjoying the ‘good things of life’ as a child. After graduation, he landed a plum job and is now able to enjoy the fruits of his hard work. “I have access to comforts that eluded me when I was a child. I am able to buy whatever I want to. It’s a lifestyle thing and so, I try to keep pace with the changing times,” he says.

Laksmi, a mother of two, feels that consumerism has ushered in a strange divide between parents and their children. “Earlier, parents used to decide what should be bought for the house, but now the young ones do the job in many households,” she says with a frown on her forehead.

Keeping up with the consumerist credo, shopping malls popping up every nook and cranny create a different ambience. The aisles are clean, the background music is soft and helpers are at hand. “I go to shopping malls just to soak in the atmosphere,” says Kavita, an employee with a multinational bank. “They also offer a wide variety of choices,” she adds quickly.

The tendency to develop a craving for things that the neighbours flaunt can mess up lives. “When I go to our neighbours’ house and see lifestyle products adorning every corner of the house, it knocks my self-esteem off. I know that it is silly but I cannot help it,” says a helpless Sireesha, an employee in an electrical unit.

Consumerism has crept into the society what with the plethora of affordable choices available in the market. The positive rise in the buying capacity of the middle class has further stoked the trend. “In western countries, consumerism has reached saturation levels, but there is enough awareness on how far this lifestyle can be sustainable,” observes Nageswara Rao, the octogenarian who finds himself inadequate to fathom the ultimate outcome of this trend.

The need of the hour is to spread awareness against consumerist culture and to promote sustainable lifestyle. The US observes November 23 as Buy Nothing Day, while the world over, the day is observed on November 26.

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