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| Necessity to curb consumerism | | National Consumer Day - 24 December 2020 | | Lalit Garg
With a view to increase the productivity and quality awareness in the consumer, to liberate the consumer from hoarding, black marketing, adulteration, high prices, etc. and to protect the interests of the consumer by informing people about consumer protection laws. In India, 24 December is celebrated as National Consumer Day. To protect consumers from exploitation, the Historical Consumer Protection Act-1986 was enacted by the Government of India on December 24, 1986. Subsequently, the Act was amended in 1991 and 1993. To make the Consumer Protection Act more functional and purposeful, a comprehensive amendment was brought in December 2002 and implemented from 15 March 2003. This day has been written in golden letters in the history of the Indian Customer Movement. In India, this day was celebrated for the first time in the year 2000 and is further celebrated every year.
The important fact related to the Consumer Protection Act is that none of the government parties prepared this bill, but the All India Customer Panchayat first drafted this bill. Every one of us is a consumer in one form or the other. According to the Consumer Protection Act, 1986, a person who purchases goods for his own use is a consumer. Because consumers are not united, they are cheated everywhere. Therefore the consumer has to wake up and protect himself from these crises. Very few consumers will know what their rights are. National Consumer Day is celebrated so that consumers can be made aware of their rights and in addition, they can complain if they are a victim of fraud and black marketing.
This law empowers protection against the sale of goods and services that are harmful to life and property, the right to information about the quality, quantity, capacity, purity, level and price of the purchased item, as the case may be, and It is right to raise voice for this.
In celebrating Consumer Day, we not only talk about consumer rights but also develop advanced and fair thinking of the consumer. The French thinker Jean-Bodrio, while criticizing modern consumerism, has said that when the thing comes initially, it seems to give pleasure. In the end it leaves with sorrow. At first it looks good, but in the end it turns out to be bad. Consumer awareness is necessary to remove economic anomalies and disparities. Today’s consumerist approach has become a kind of hypnotic activity, and like a disease of hysteria. As the hypnotist will command, the consumer will follow his orders, then how will consumer protection be possible? This is possible only when we have a proper attitude towards consumption.
American author and Motivational speaker Briana Viest has also said that when our philosophy on the personal level remains that we start doing what we received without any questions, then it means that we will be able to say consumerism or our ego becoming a victim of blind faith or nurturing the desire of someone who wants to control us. Today’s market forces exploit consumers in a similar way. Due to these consumerist and market forces has risen up and the meaning of happiness in life is being considered only enjoyment and consumption.
In such a situation, the consumer is indiscriminate and is bringing home unnecessary things by filling them in a bag due to the appearance of false pride. Consumers are helpless in front of this dark spell of market and consumerist culture. Due to which the level of quality of goods is declining. It is no longer possible to get anything adulterated. Even without wanting, the consumer is becoming a victim of this black marketing.
Not only this, consumerist culture has presented new dimensions to human beings to live a quality life and has made him a facilitator. Use of food items has become the main goal of life. The biggest loss due to utility has been that there is a deep nurturing of interest towards the unnecessary utility of materialistic things. Interest in growing indulgence does not allow it to rise above indulgences. Today’s person is being evaluated on the basis of these enjoyment items. One who has more of the goods of enjoyment gets more prestige in the society? It is not unnatural to have more enjoyment among the people, it has been happening, but this only promotes the usage of unnecessary things.
Our sages have told us the importance of sacrifice not enjoyment. Because the manifestation of inner forces in life is not through indulging in external pleasures, but by renouncing them. Bhagwan Mahavira has given the formula for the delimitation of desires, restraint of personal consumption and proper planning of the portfolio i.e. his wealth in the social interest. By controlling the disorderly development of capital, technology and market, by emphasizing simplicity and restraint in personal and social life, by developing economic equations and human thinking, we can present a new ideal society philosophy. Only then life can be given priority over simplicity, restraint, and control over unnecessary expenses, renunciation and ostentation.
Here lies the solution to many problems of the world and in this we have found the path of freedom from the corona epidemic. In fact, the Corona epidemic has created conditions for the creation of life in a new way, the basis of which is the control over rising consumerism. One who has limited desires will never be sad. Because he knows the truth that desire can never be fulfilled. That is why Mahatma Gandhi said - True civilization is that which teaches man to live on minimum things. In today’s consumerist and conveniences life stream, as coronation is growing, the corona epidemic, climate change, pollution, exploitation of nature, terrorism, war, conflict situations are increasing. It is necessary to control the prevailing performance, pretence and extravagance in society, nation and the world. Benjamin Franklin has also said that if you earn more and spend less then you have a philosopher’s stone.
The new consumerism is in a way a venture of new violence i.e.corona epidemics. Violence, competition, power race and economic empire have got a brutal shape. Because the blind race of consumerism has connected the person with collection, convenience, pleasure, enjoyment and selfishness.
The problem was revealed - less material, more consumers. On the one hand money gave luxury to the person and luxury created cruelty within the person, on the other hand the tragedy of poverty and scarcity ignited the rebellion within him. He started burning in vengeance, began to heat up, and came home calling many evils. Man-to-man nature became insecure.
The waste of money in showoff and luxury pushes society towards misguided blinds. 35-40 crores spent in weddings; it’s a horrible situation of wastage of money.
The question arises that these marvellous weddings, coronation events, political parties, public meetings - are the cause of the destruction of human civilization and culture. Such economic thinking and structure increases cruelty, creates problems of corruption, boosts violence and shrinks human sensibilities. Earth-centered consumerism is becoming frightening for the entire human race. That is why enterprises like National Consumer Day have more relevance today. |
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