Reflections

When we returned to India after living abroad for over 10 years in closed boxes, we
invested our last paisa in a terrace flat. We tore down the wall between the living room
and the terrace and put up glass doors in between, grew a patch of grass on it, planted
a bougainvillea and a bamboo. The ambience was great. It was our pride and our
neighbours' envy. But somehow, we never made use of it as much as I thought we
would. We would have an occasional cup of tea or drink, but then, it was more
convenient to sit in the living room. The fridge was close by!
Slowly, it dawned on me that life had changed and so had the character of the open
spaces. Consumerism had taken over and gadgetry had arrived. Gadgetry, which is
tied to the umbilical cords of piped services like electricity, water and gas.
A TV or a VCR cannot be easily plugged on the terrace. The gas cylinder can't be
moved about at will. Expensive clothes are no longer hand-washed and dried in the
sun, but are dry-cleaned. Hair is no longer washed and dried in the open. The beauty
parlours have taken over. Weddings take place in 5 star hotels. After all, what is the
status value of a poor angan!
Further, it dawned on me that more than humans, it is their belongings that need the
built boxes. In the past, a string or a few pegs sufficed to put up the clothes, but now,
only large wardrobes can fulfill our requirements. Where a simple chulha was the only
adornment in the kitchen, now deep freezers and microwave ovens have to be
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