"Cult of the shopping cart" is a good read

As i reverently trundle through the aisles i can feel the merchandise calling out to me, entreating me to choose the right path and make the right choices. Detergents hasten to reassure me that dirt is good

Damodar Mall
Updated: Jul 3, 2013 09:04:27 PM UTC

I see our new modern stores as real markers of our urban well being. Just like our trains, and buses, flyovers and airports, these stores tell us that we are much better off than our parents, in our day to day matters. But Aditya Gupta in his editorial piece in The Times of India yesterday takes the point on a funny religious ride. I enjoyed reading it. Thanks Aditya and The Times of India.

Here is an excerpt: "Even today i can recall the first time i stood at the holy threshold of a shiny new Big Bazaar which had just opened. It was the dawn of a new religion. Hundreds of devotees surged through the fancy sliding doors to worship the God of Small, Medium and Xtra Large Things. The many commandments 'Thou shalt not take more than three items in the changing rooms', 'Thou shalt not shoplift' and the ever-beloved 'If broken, consider it sold', were engraved on a styrofoam boulder at the gates. And the checkout counters were staffed with the high priests of this modern mecca who ensured you parted with your evil money and left the place with a lighter heart and wallet.

To this day i tell people my religion is Consumerism. As i enter a supermarket i can feel the blast of cool air-conditioning washing away my sins. As my hands grab hold of the shopping cart i feel a surge of confidence that i control my destiny. One time i even rang a bell before I entered (there was a display of bicycles near the entrance) and i swear i heard God whispering to me. Or maybe it was the shoe salesman."

Do read the full article here

The thoughts and opinions shared here are of the author.

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