As the festive season of Diwali approaches - so do memories of Diwalis gone past. Long ago when I used to be a little girl, Diwali was a season to shop. New clothes of course, but also something major for the house - an appliance mostly. Also, ours was a tradition to buy audio tapes. Good song collections, musical jugalbadis, even story-telling and speeches by famous authors.
The festival was a window to do things which were out of ordinary. Something different from the routine. Isn't that the whole point of a festival? You cook special food, wear special clothes, do special things - its not routine!
But these days - with shrinking families and closing social groups (which prefer virtual contact to real physical get-togethers) - one is driven to find modes of entertainment to keep oneself occupied. And what do most people do? They shop.
People go shopping not because they want to buy something, but because they don't have anything else to do, nowhere else to go! Going to malls is a routine weekend thing, and shopping is just a by-product of it. We buy stuff online mostly because we came across a good deal or we buy it on an impulse. There is no waiting, or wanting for things we yearn. If it catches your fancy, you buy it. You don't wait to earn it. You don't wait and then reward yourself with something. You just go and buy. Instant gratification!
Earlier, things were bought to mark an occasion - birthday, anniversary, festival - something. These days there is no such 'occasion'. We just go ahead and buy. And this is what is killing the joy of shopping.
The festival was a window to do things which were out of ordinary. Something different from the routine. Isn't that the whole point of a festival? You cook special food, wear special clothes, do special things - its not routine!
But these days - with shrinking families and closing social groups (which prefer virtual contact to real physical get-togethers) - one is driven to find modes of entertainment to keep oneself occupied. And what do most people do? They shop.
People go shopping not because they want to buy something, but because they don't have anything else to do, nowhere else to go! Going to malls is a routine weekend thing, and shopping is just a by-product of it. We buy stuff online mostly because we came across a good deal or we buy it on an impulse. There is no waiting, or wanting for things we yearn. If it catches your fancy, you buy it. You don't wait to earn it. You don't wait and then reward yourself with something. You just go and buy. Instant gratification!
Earlier, things were bought to mark an occasion - birthday, anniversary, festival - something. These days there is no such 'occasion'. We just go ahead and buy. And this is what is killing the joy of shopping.
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