Minimal Talk


                                                       

                                                               
The quintessential American dream has always been about all things big. Everything over there is about quantity from huge houses and cars to even enormous food portions. It's all about abundance. A consumer heaven that the rest of the world looks up to. Yet people are also aware how the nation is grappling with the negatives that came along such excesses. Many have heard the stories about the lure of materialism that has pushed Americans into living much beyond their means, at times causing artificial poverty and widening economic gaps. Amidst all these is a slow and surreal movement trying to make its way into American society. It is Minimalism. I happened to catch a documentary about minimalist living on television and how its proponents are meaning to mend the American life. Intrigued by the subject, I searched online to find out more about it. As with everything else American, I noticed there was a plethora of books, online videos and Ted talks showing the "how to"s for a minimalist life. Learning to make sense of them all must be a daunting task in itself, defeating the very purpose. A paradoxical maximization of minimalism!

It made me think about its relevance to India. By India, I meant the new urban middle class. With liberalisation and continuing economic growth over the past two decades, this section of India with its bigger pockets is now being increasingly bombarded with choices. The feel good factor of abundance is making India dream it can some day relive its past glory. Indian middle class may still be far from their American counterparts when it comes to the spending habits, thanks to the ingrained parsimony and the uncanny ability to find value for money. Things have to be paisa vasool. Every adman in the country knows the hard work in luring an Indian consumer. Yet there are two unlikely traits that may send India into the pitfalls of excessive materialism.

The first is hoarding. It very tough for an urban Indian to let go of a scrap of paper lest he doesn't find one to write his will! The second is the uniquely Indian trait, jugaad.  There is no English word that precisely matches jugaad. What is it? Is it finding new uses for old things, a clever work around or a method of finding solutions within the limited means? Whatever it might be, it just makes Indians hold on to things forever. Jugaad must come naturally to a society emerging out of the crutches of poverty. All these factors together are leading our middle class into an accumulating spree. Materialism in India isn't about mindless spending as it is about not purging enough. Although people in some parts of India can beat any American when it comes to extravagance.

Minimalism is not a new concept for Indians. Being an ascetic, which is nothing but minimalism carried to the extreme, forms the most exalted form of devotion in Eastern religions. Well then, why does minimalism sound like preaching frugality right when the society is starting to enjoy abundance? Good thought. It better not. A necessary speed bump on the road to prosperity, maybe?






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