Dream Invades

The “American Dr

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n the ancient civilization of India, sustainability and moderation in consumption has always been a way of life. This pattern has been respected and left largely undisturbed by Indian consumers who consider themselves a part of the cycle of nature. An interactive relationship with nature and the natural environment is a part of every Indian’s life. In the past half century, India has made rapid strides in economic development. This, coupled with demographic pressures, a gigantic middle-class known to be the largest market in the world, and the free entry of global players into the Indian consumer market have changed the consumer scene completely. A new consumer culture of disposability, over-consumption, and wanton disregard for the environment has become the norm in the Indian society. Rapid and unplanned urbanization has created an enormous population of urban poor. This group consists of unskilled laborers that have been pressured out of their traditional habitats by environmental, social and economic changes. Their traditional lifestyles evolved out of responsible use of natural resources and, as a result, sustainable practices have been in circulation for centuries. Their lifestyles, though dependent on the environment, never sought to damage or deplete it in any far-reaching way. Mutual nurturing was the subtext of this human/nature relationship. The culture that emerged from this dual dependence is under severe stress in a new urban milieu that is a poor copy of the Northern pattern of living. The present Indian urban scenario seeks to replicate lifestyles alien to its context, without necessary infrastructural support. As a result, all service sectors in Indian cities are under tremendous stress. While the markets overflow with glitzy new products, and advertisers have a field day selling incongruous cultural icons and lifestyles to Indian consumers, the Indian consumer culture is rapidly undergoing behavioral shifts that adversely impact the environment. Middle class Indian homes have become gadget 8

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junkyards. Cars sales in Indian cities are on the upward swing, but there are no roads to run these cars on. Fuel prices keep spiralling, as does the resultant pollution from these consumption patterns. While Northern cultures embrace organic food and alternative healing, Indians satiate themselves with colas and burgers; while the U.S. scrambles to patent India’s biodiversity, Indians are glued to their TV sets. Sitting in Delhi, with telephones that don’t work, PCs on the blink because of erratic power supplies, postal strikes and polluted rivers, activists in consumer and environmental organizations have their task cut out for them. PHOTOS BY JAGDEESH SUBANNA

by Dr. Roopa Vajpeyi

ream” Invades India T H E N EW - AG E REALI T Y

It is not just the quantity of consumption and spending that has undergone a change but also the attitude of consumers towards consumption and the reasons to consume. Advertising strategies have effectively influenced consumers to accept products without questioning their use or viability. Health scares, safety, and beauty-consciousness are just some of the tactics used to encourage sales. From tap water to bottled mineral water, from herbal options to international cosmetics brands, and from clay pots and cups to plastics, the change has been far too obvious to ignore. In 1998, a dropsy epidemic gripped the Indian capital. Over 2000 people were affected and 41 deaths were reported. The consumption of common mustard oil was held responsible and overnight the much-used traditional oil was put out of use. Mustard oil is used for cooking purposes, skin care, in local crafts, as a preservative, as a fuel, and for therapy. Mustard is grown all over North India and many individual homes in rural areas extract mustard oil on their own and remain self-sufficient all year round. But all of this changed after the dropsy epidemic. Mustard oil was poured down the drain (ending up in rivers, polluting them with a virtual ‘oil slick’) and replaced by the market alternative — packaged edible oils. These oils are subject to little quality control and the consumer has no way of determining what’s in them. And yet, they are readily accepted as being safe and of superior quality due to clever advertising. The Indian cosmetic scene is also very active, thanks to the presence of brands like Revlon, Avon and Lakme, all jostling for attention on Indian market shelves and television. The cosmetic sector in India is now undoubtedly on a new plane, with slick advertising and the creation of new paradigms of beauty and celebration. Herbal remedies that were part of every Indian household have also acquired commercial overtones. Herbal medicines and beauty products are some of the most expensive brands in India and abroad today.

CA N D EV E L O P M E NT A ND T RAD I T I O N EXI ST T O G ET H E R ? With globalization sweeping across the developing world, it is unlikely that there will be a turn around in the current trend of growing market influence. What, then, we need to focus on is making consumption and production patterns as sustainable as possible without sacrificing the present lifestyle or comforts. The Indian urban middle-class will have more and more disposable income in the future and it will be hard to put a cap on consumption. Assimilation and acceptance have been integral features of India’s development. Its cultural bonds are so strong that it is able to accommodate change with certain modifications to suit its needs. It is this resilience and flexibility that is needed today to control and redress environment degradation and social upheaval. Consumers need to hark back to traditional knowledge and absorb its good practices into their urban lives. Roopa Vajpeyi teaches in the Department of English at the University of Delhi. She holds a Ph.D. in American Poetry. She travels, speaks, writes, publishes and conducts training workshops for teachers, students and grassroots women on a variety of topics. She also works for the United Nations High Commission for Refugees in India.

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