BBC World Service, 14 June 2020
The Indian journalist Gayathri Vaidyanathan explains why living in lockdown has made her resolve to be a “non-consumer for as long as possible”.
Gayathri Vaidyanathan remains with her family, in her own, self-imposed lockdown in Chennai, India. Her resolve is to be a “non-consumer for as long as possible”. She continues, “I’ve been trying to cut down my consumption for a while, but my execution was imperfect. I tried to grow some vegetables in a raised garden bed back at my house in Bangalore, but white flies decimated them. I continued to buy things I didn’t need. I ordered lots of takeout. I bought a bamboo salad bowl last year when I don’t even enjoy salads. Why did I buy it?”
She recorded her resolve ahead of the broadcast, and was fearful of what would happen in the next few days. Each day she learns of more cases nearby, just two lanes away or one street down. “Workers in India don’t get paid to stay at home, there is little choice but to work,” she reflects. “The daring, the desperation is all set to burst”.