Let us be AUSTERE

Desaraju Surya
I can’t be lazy this night. I have to put down in words what has been running down through my mind since this afternoon. Since the date has changed by the time I started typing this piece out, I should say yesterday afternoon.
One of my dearest friends Masthipuram Ramesh is a genius. Ramesh is a man of high wisdom, but totally down-to-earth in demeanor. As we sat down for about 15 minutes for our regular discussions on a variety of issues, he suddenly broached a subject – austerity.
Unlike me, he may probably be coming from a well-to-do family but still he suggested that “we” stick to an austere lifestyle at least for the next four or five years.
“Let us use ordinary footwear and normal clothes. Let us walk where a motorbike is required, use a bike where a car is needed. Use a fan where an air-conditioner is required and use the ventilation where a fan is needed. Most importantly, let us not waste food at any cost. What if we eat a little less in a particular day? Why should we cook extra food for some “unanticipated” guest and throw it away when none turns up? It is so sad to see lot of food being wasted in pompous marriages and other parties. So, let’s not indulge in such pomp and let’s remain austere.”
He went on to add that to make the future generations comfortable, we have to conserve the environment by reducing pollution.
Weren’t these absolutely golden words! Ramesh planted a thought in my mind and made me ponder. And, despite spending the day with some heavy work and job-related anxiety, his words did not get deleted from my mind.
In fact, it was Ramesh who suggested that I write a blog on austerity and I promised to do so. Hence, I could not “put off” this piece for another day.
Ramesh was probably the first parent in Hyderabad to think of a great initiative – “Car pooling.” He not only thought of it but implemented it himself by arranging common conveyance for his son Adyanth and his classmates to school.
I have seen not even a handful of police officers who have a concern for the society and its wellbeing. Ramesh is one of such caring and conscientious officers.
His words of wisdom are well taken and I shall try to follow the austerity measures to the extent possible. I know the value of money, though I am, at times, a spendthrift. My indulgence, of late, has been the needless spending on mobile phones. Somehow, I developed a fascination for these gadgets and so far spent (lost) a fortune on these pieces that ultimately didn’t last. So, all of it was a waste. At least now, I should strictly learn to resist my temptations and stop indulging in wasteful expenditure, particularly on electronic gadgets. I never make any resolutions but, hopefully, the dawn of a New Year – 2009 – would bring about that change in me and make me austere. Dear ones like Ramesh and Mamidi Harikrishna will always be there to keep a tab on me. I pray.