I came across the word Mottainai in a book on Japanese management style, roughly meaning “what a waste!” In Japan, this word is used to encourage people to reuse and recycle. This concept is only now catching up in the western world, but was integral to the lives of those of us in India who grew up in the 1960s and 1970s.
In school, we used to approach senior students after the annual examination to buy their textbooks. At home, the books of the older siblings were kept carefully for the younger ones. If anything was unavailable, a visit to the used book store usually helped.
These days, most schools sell textbooks and notebooks for pricey sums. Children think it is below their dignity to buy used books. We even used to tear the unused sheets of our notebooks to use them for rough notes. Now all notebooks go to the scrap dealer. Much to my chagrin, I found that there were no takers for textbooks either. A used book shop told me that the syllabus keeps changing and hence there are no buyers for used books.
Our generation grew up in an India where people had limited resources. It was fun to be the eldest child as the younger ones got only hand-me-downs, except on their birthdays and for major festivals.
On birthdays, gifts were recycled and we would not mind it. I was an avid reader of Enid Blyton and some old copies of her works came to me as birthday gifts. Nowadays, choosing a present for a birthday party is a nightmare for parents. The parties are no longer simple affairs. It is as arduous as arranging a wedding.
Back then, children walked, cycled or went by school bus to school. Now, many children are dropped off in chauffeur-driven fancy cars. Many of these children, however, stand around holding placards with the message “Save the environment”. From a frugal society, we have become a consumerist society driven by advertisements. The modern mantra is “buy”. Saving, recycling and repairing are alien to the present generation. Perhaps, it’s time to put the brakes on the rampant consumerism and make Mottainai our mantra.
shobhaanand@yahoo.com
