My consumption

One of the best things Internet has handed down to us is Awareness. Awareness about environment issues, about shrinking rainforests, water resources becoming more and more scarce. Plastics clogging our oceans while the oceans themselves running out of sealife, wildlife species getting extinct, climate change, ozone layer depletion. Soil, land and water pollution, increased carbon footprint, littering and landfill problems. Sounds a bit negative, but I assume at some point more people have to start talking about it, to try to make things a bit better.

"Am I stuck in traffic or am I the traffic?"

A question that I very often end up asking myself.

I am very much responsible just like the others around. For my own laziness, for my own convenience, I feel the need to make some lifestyle changes. Small things can make a huge difference. Only buying the things that I really need. Carrying a grocery bag to the supermarket instead of getting many plastic from them. Not using straws to drink beverages. Trying to recycle as many things as I can. Buying new clothes only when absolutely necessary. 

Trying to support organizations who do things more environment friendly than the others in similar categories. Trying to carpool whenever I can. Maybe buy a car that is electric or hybrid or fuel efficient. Using bicycle, public transport whenever possible. buying energy and water efficient appliances. Buying as little furniture as possible and using it over a long period of time. 

Make smart choices while buying. Use products that are environment friendly. buying unwashed jeans which consume much less water while making rather than the washed ones. Opt for eco-friendly packaged items. Staying in the outside aisles of the supermarket rather than the packaged middle aisles. Combine multiple errands in one trip. Print documents as little as possible. Try to opt-in for electronic mail options rather than paper mail. Trying to use reusable glass containers at home rather than the plastic ones that have to replaced often. 

Maybe some planning can help. Not using the plastic cup/spoon/ knife or disposable cutlery at work and trying to bring/keep reusable mugs and cutlery at work. There is always this feeling, do the actions of a single person matter? But then just as every vote counts in the final tally, maybe my actions will count. Maybe If more people start raising these concerns collectively, companies will start taking action. Like Levi's have started to make the water > less label Jeans, Nike using more recycled material in shoes , Ikea moving towards 100% renewable energy and many such examples. 

Maybe, If I pay attention to my consumption, things will change. 

< Just realized this is my 100th post. This is one of those posts I've been meaning to write for a long time, but was waiting for a lazy Sunday afternoon to pen it down>

Of region and religion

I usually shy away from writing or saying about religion, but I just could not resist this one!

Trips to India are very enlightening! With every trip, you learn new things. When you put an analytic hat, you end up discovering a lot of things. In my recent trips, I was thinking about the driving factors of our economy. Apart from agriculture, what drives our economic activities? Is it manufacturing, IT Industry, Outsourcing in general, new disruptive startup scene or something else. As I was thinking about this while riding in an auto, I saw a big Temple and a line of people standing outside. I said to myself that moment, this is it! Religion and God are the biggest drivers in our economy. It directly or indirectly impacts so many people. 

I started thinking of the people working in this eco-system. This is going to be a long list. Firstly the obvious one, lets start with the Temple, Church, Mosque or any other place of worship. The priests who perform prayers, the people who make idols, people who make/distribute the Prasad, the ones who deliver flowers and make flower malas. The vendors who sit outside the temple selling various things like prasad, idols, small toys, place to leave the footwear. The temple trustees and organization members, the people who work in managing orderliness and queue in some of the larger temples. 

There are the priests who come home and perform a variety of rituals and Poojas of Variety of Gods( Satyanarayan, Ganesh pooja, Lakshmi pooja, Housewarming pooja, Navagraha pooja and the list goes on...). Then there are the big religious gatherings where we invite guests and perform pooja and give a feast to hundreds of people which include Mundan (Munja) and Marriage and many others depending on caste and religion. 

Then there are religious festivals which generate a spend of several millions in the economy including Ganesh festival mandals, the Garba dandiya raas, Dahi handi, holi, diwali crackers and so on. The retail sector also takes full advantage of such festivals putting up big sales to attract customers. Religious days generate more sales of Silver, Gold and other precious things. Aaj Sona le lo, bahut shubh din hai (Buy Gold today, it is a very auspicious day).

Then there is God and Religion merchandise, the books, the texts, the saffron sticks, the haldi kumkum, the flowers and other things. Every god has their special day which generates more visits, Monday for Shiva, Tuesday for Ganpati, Thursday for Sai Baba, Friday for devi, Saturday for Hanuman and so on. Then the religious demi-gods who have millions of followers listening to their speeches. Then there is media which feeds on the stories and controversies that religious leaders generate. Everyday you read a newspaper, you will see atleast one religious article, I guarentee.

Plus we created these unwritten rules the religion which impact everything from real estate to our food habits. An east-west facing house is priced 5 lakhs more than the house exactly next to it facing south. You cannot sell or rent your house to people of other religions. Don't buy expensive things such as cars on Saturday, that is not an auspicious day. Aaj non-veg mat khana, navratri chal rahi hai (Do not eat meat, today is some festival). Don't get married in this month, this is not a festive month. Everything dwells on the fact that 'Log kya kahenge?' (What will others say?)

I always hear these stories of disruptions in Industry, like Uber replacing Taxis, Airbnb replacing Hotels, small startup companies challenging Technology giants. I seriously hope someday this industry gets its Uber and millennials embrace it.