living
TRENDS
CHANEL
we are living in a
material world
Madonna’s iconic song aptly reflects the society we live in
today. Materialism is hitting us and our self-esteem much
harder than we’d like to believe—but there is a way out.
by ANKITA ATALWAR illustrations PRIYANKA MALHOTRA DHINGRA
46
JANUARY 2011 B ETTER H O M ESA N D GA R D EN S
R
e m e m b e r B rad P itt’s
legendary dialogue in
Fight Club
? “T h e things
yo u o w n en d u p o w n in g
y o u ”, said h is c h a ra c te r
T yler D u rd en . In th e m ovie, D u rd en ,
an ti-co n su m erist, is v ery d istu rb e d by
th e id e a o f p eo p le seek in g h ap p in ess in
th e m aterialistic w orld. A nd if you w ere
to look a ro u n d you a t th e m anifestations
o f m aterialism in o u r society a n d listen
to w h a t o u r ex p e rts h av e to say, you
w o u ld realize th a t m aterialism has
m oved fro m ju s t b ein g an eco n o m ic
theory' to a h a rd reality' th a t’s alm ost
co n tro llin g th e w ay w e live today.
no more simple fun
A vacation is n o m o re ju s t a vacation!
N o family' holiday' is co m p lete until
y'ou’v e p u t u p p ic tu res o f it o n a social
n etw o rk in g site, lo u n g in g a ro u n d in a
reso rt, m artin i in h and. “A lo t o f
p a ra m e te rs in life—fro m h o w successful
you are to h o w m u c h fun you can
h av e—have changed. F ro m a sim p le ‘I
h ad a g ood tim e w ith my' family' o n a
vacation’, it h a s beco m e ‘I h ad a g rea t
tim e in H o n g K o n g ’,” says D r Jite n d ra
N agpal, S enior C o n su ltan t P sychiatrist,
M o o lc h an d M edcity, D elhi. S p en d in g
o b scen e am o u n ts o f m oney' o n fancy
gadgets, b ra n d e d clothes, an d stre tc h in g
y'our w allet th in to g e t all tin s “is a
resu lt o f an in n a te in secu rity w e all
su ffer from . F o r m o st o f us h ap p in ess
n ow lies in g e ttin g approval from o th e rs
o r b ein g one-up,” h e adds.
A nd th e b u ck d o esn ’t sto p here.
M aterialism also m an ifests itself in
try in g to live a life la rg e r th a n y'ou can.
“A t a recently' co n c lu d e d w e d d in g in
C h an d ig arh , th e
mehendi
party,
originally a w ay for th e fam ily to g et
together, w as a n y th in g b u t th a t I t h ad
several
mehendi wallahs,
a tro u p e o f
classical singers, an d various stalls o f
bangles an d
bindis
fo r guests to tak e
hom e. T h e icing o n tire cake w as th e
heavy
phulkari-embroidered
d u p a tta s as
re tu rn gifts,” n a rra te s S onia M ittal, a
g u e st a t th e party'. “T h e p a rty has
