Yeh Dil Maange More!!

I had gone to purchase a Sari for a special occasion. We pointed out to a few saris; each seemed to be more expensive than the other ranging from Rs 5000 to Rs 25000. Well, a passing remark, set me off on this blog…’There seems to be no end to it!’

Our aspirations are rising. What used to be pretty acceptable at one point of time seems to be unthinkable now. Maslow wins hands down in his hierarchy of needs theory. The roti, kapada and makaan desired, are getting more and more exotic and expensive by the day.

Roti
The convenient ‘Shivshakti’ chai wala who gave a Rs 3 elaichi cutting chai was good enough to start the day…now upmarket hotels and restaurants woo customers for their Rs 400 buffet breakfast spread and the fad is fast catching up even in middle class families. Eating out was usually on special occasions once upon a time. Now not only has the eating out become a regular once-a-week routine if not more, but the avenues for doing so are not the usual Roopalis and Vaishalis anymore. More exotic cuisines, theme restaurants, more expensive mocktails and cocktails and wines are sought after. Coffee is a cappuccino at CCD at least if not Café Mocha.

Kapda
Fashion Street was awesome for the latest stuff in vogue. Well, now of course I visit only malls and buy only branded apparel and hope to visit the designer showrooms once I get my job in place...well, of course, fashion street gets the same designs almost as quickly, and my tailor promises me the same quality and designs but I ld like the designer labels, you know, even if it’s a passing fad, and I may wear the stuff only once!

Makaan
Well, now a 2 bhk flat in a stand alone building of a decent locality would hardly be ‘fun’. All the amenities are an apparent must…a swimming pool, a gym, a park with a jogging track, a community centre, TT, etc etc are basic necessities, it doesn’t matter that we have no time to visit, let alone use any of the above!

Entertainment
I watch the latest movies for Rs 150 per movie only at multiplexes now. Well, its not that I didn’t enjoy them at the Rs 30 I used to pay to sit in the balcony earlier. But think about the crowd that would be there in the single screen theaters, think of the ambience, think about the food and the quality of the seats….does it matter that I spend 5 times more and finally do end up sitting for only one of movies in one of the screens at a time?!

TVs can’t be just 29 inches. LCD flat screens with home theatre systems are in. Sizes can go up right up to the size of a movie screen!

Travel
Earlier: A trip to Lonavala? Sounds like fun!
Later: Let’s go to Simla, Kulu-Manali
Now: Let’s go to Europe!

Weddings
The ultimate, spending occasion for all. Budgets can range from a modest 5 lakhs to a vulgar 5 Crores for a theme wedding at an exotic location! With wedding loans available, of course the laadli beti deserves the best!

It’s all about Money, Honey!

Gone are the days...

As Kids
I have never climbed a tree
I have never picked berries
I have never chased frogs with a stick
I have never sat under a clear sky counting stars
I have never played with marbles
I have never spent my vacations on Carrom
We never visited all our neighbors during Dusshera or Diwali
Kite flying if at all lasted for a few hours, not months of preparation of the mancha for kite tournaments

I don’t know the folk songs that my mum knows
I have no idea about the ragas supposed to be in a song
I m clueless about most of the rituals and prayers at most festivals and their importance
I m clueless about knitting, embroidery etc. It’s too painstaking anyways.

I don’t think I’ll ever make the Diwali feast with mums diligence takes. Buying is easier.
It’s too hot to play outside. I can play simulated cricket on my computer that’s almost real!
Want a unique solution? Who has the time to think? Google it!

Are today’s urban life and its evils taking away the traditions and culture that India is so proud of? Will the simple joys of the yesteryears totally disappear in the next generation? Honestly, are the rites and rituals that have been performed for several hundred years be reduced to a shadow of what they actually were and then finally disappear forever? Celebrations of festivals u tell me are grand, ah, yes, they are certainly getting grander, not in terms of the elaborate rites that have to be performed. It’s only the moolah spent on the Diwali parties and Ganapati processions that is escalating, God usually just happens to be there alongside. We no longer have the time or have the motivation to do anything on our own without the aid of a hundred gadgets or tools such as Google which have quashed our ability to think.

It’s sad, but it's the inevitable truth, that change is the only constant in life.