TV, PS2, 10 pairs of shoes, 300 books. Last year, Mumbai-based TV professional Pratishtha Durga de-junked her life to give away all these items and much more. Want to pack your bag for an overseas trip in 15 minutes? Or retire early even if you aren't part of a start-up or didn't win a lottery? A minimalist way of life is catching on across the globe
TV, PS2, 10 pairs of shoes, 300 books. Last year, Mumbai-based TV professional Pratishtha Durga de-junked her life to give away all these items and much more. Want to pack your bag for an overseas trip in 15 minutes? Or retire early even if you aren't part of a start-up or didn't win a lottery? A minimalist way of life is catching on across the globe
When the charming Ryan (George Clooney) went about living out of a suitcase in Up in the Air, many around the world wanted to live like him. And when he suavely lectured the people he fired on freeing themselves of excess baggage, some were very nearly convinced.
But only very nearly. It took a few truly courageous souls across the globe to see the virtues of uncluttering their lives so they could live out of a suitcase. Well, two, at best.
Meet Pratishtha Durga, an online promos writer with Colors based in Mumbai, who took the plunge when, in 2009, she lost her mother and had to deal with a failed marriage a month later. "I was suddenly left homeless. My father was struggling with cancer and I did not want to burden my family with my pain. I saw it as an opportunity to turn my life around," she says.
This is when she chose to wipe the slate clean, and begin blogging; www.lifein2suitcases.com was aimed at fitting the most precious possessions of her life into just two suitcases. Durga had embarked on what she called the Big Purge Challenge to get rid of her material and emotional baggage. "More than a project, it's a personal, spiritual journey," she says.
Though her quest was intensely personal, Durga had obviously begun a movement that inspired others to
follow her blog. Says Mercedes de Marchenas, a freelance writer based in Miami, "Durga and I have been following each others' paths.
She organised herself better in the sense that she started blogging about it. I am now participating in her Purge because it fits my purpose so well." Mercedes also notes with satisfaction how one of her friends and her daughter are following her example.
For most people who believe in minimalist living, it is a personal goal. Mumbai-based Durga explains how it functions for her. "I introspect and try to define what's important to me, and then take steps to achieve it.
Material desires are slowly replacing things that truly add value to my life, like spending time with friends, learning new skills, cooking, organising a drawing workshop with street kids, and overcoming fears that have dogged me since childhood." she says.
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Different gears on different drives
The triggers are always different. For social counsellor Aditi Bhattacharya of New York city, "practicality was a wonderful entry into spirituality. I entered North America with two suitcases in hand. Books, documents, clothing, my teddy, my toothbrush, pen, paper, a pressure cooker, a plate, glass and spoon went into these two suitcases.
And yet, in barely three years since then, when I had to move apartments, I discovered that two suitcases had expanded to 12 crates of stuff. It was horrible, and I felt incredibly weighed down. I was strangely ashamed, because at least half of that was utterly unnecessary baggage."
This was the point from which she pared down. "It was like going to the gym. I was shedding fat and it felt good," she recalls. It has been a constant endeavour since to discard whatever she didn't need.
Simultaneously, Bhattacharya found that she wasn't buying things quite as easily as before. "I invariably find myself filling a cart with stuff and by the time I hit the cashier, over half of the stuff goes back on the shelves."
Obviously the resolve has to be a strong one, especially since signing yourself in on the project is like
beginning life afresh. "If you don't truly believe in this cause, it can be difficult letting go of your earlier life," says Durga.
She ought to know, given that her life did a volte face after the twin catastrophes of her mother's death and the break-up of her marriage. "One day I was a shopaholic, living a charmed life in Cuffe Parade. A day later, I was homeless, cheated upon, and sleeping on a friend's couch," Today, she has greater control over her life. "It's also important to have a strong support system: friends who help you stay on track."
Mercedes found the greatest
motivation when she and her husband were moving apartments. "We had moved to Miami from Cura ao (Dutch island in the Caribbean) earlier. Since I didn't do the packing at that time, I had carried so much and clung to things I never needed here.
Seven years in one apartment in Miami and we had loads of stuff. As I began to de-clutter my closet, kitchen, bathroom, discipline became necessary and it began to feel good," she says.
Some others use technology to downsize their lifestyle. Twenty two year-old Brooklyn-based software engineer Kelly Sutton has sold most of his possessions and now owns a few clothes, sleeping gear, two external hard drives, a laptop and a Kindle. While this may be an extreme minimalist example, Sutton may just have inspired an alternative tech-driven way
of life.
Doesn't work for everybody
However, not everybody agrees that living a minimalist life is viable unless you are single or childless. Says Amrita Chakraborty, a school teacher based in Kolkata and a mother of two, "It is a lofty ideal that I would have loved to adopt for myself if I were alone. But de-cluttering is not an option if you have growing children."
Break habits
Despite the voices of dissentu00a0-- and those will be there given the difficulty of the choices involved ufffd those who follow the minimalist pattern find it liberating, especially ridding oneself of emotional baggage.
"There are things we don't see that weigh more than material possessions: dependency, the need for approval, the 'friends' we keep because we have known them a long time, the habits we don't break. One has to start working on negativity: look for the positive in whatever one does.
I make an effort to stop the gossip and cribbing. Not easy, trust me! But giving it up gives you more time to do things you really enjoy," says Mercedes. Does that sound convincing enough?
Across the globe
Durga has company
Joshua Becker of Essex, Vermont, who writes the blog, Becoming Minimalist, began to downsize his life when he was dissatisfied with the amount of time he could spend with his family,u00a0 wife and two
children.
www.becomingminimalist.com
>Maria B, a ball room dancer, entrepreneur, blogger and world traveller took up minimalist living about four years ago.
www.minimalist4life.com
Page off their books
>Blogger Francine Jay dishes out her mantra to fix hoarders in The Joy Of Less: A Minimalist Living Guide. How to Declutter, Organise, and Simplify Your Life
>The Happy Minimalist by Peter Lawrence. The California-based author shares how he was able to retire early by living frugally.
Need a crash course in cleaning up your mindspace and lifestyle? Try Eric Rooney Doland's (of unclutter.com fame) book Unclutter Your Life In One Week.
The handbook
How you can lead a minimalist life
Pratishtha Durga shares her formula
"Here is my de-cluttering process, encapsulated into six bullet points. Remember that de-cluttering is a personal process. No one can tell you what you truly need, whether you are just hoarding. Start with defining what's truly important to you. Let everything else go.
Start small. With just a few items. Things you haven't used in a while. Gadgets you no longer need. Clothes you don't wear.
Resist going to garage sales and discount sales. Paying lesser for something you don't need is still a waste of money.
We often tend to hoard 'emotional items': old magazines, pictures, useless gifts. Let them go. Remember, it's the emotion that's important, not its material reminder.
Make a list of the items you'd rescue in case your house catches fire. Chances are, these are the things you'd need most for survival.
Try not to keep multiples of household items and gadgets ufffd do you really need that many hammers, mixer-grinders, wall clocks, 20 pairs of shoes, 16 shirts?
Having started small, start being ruthless. Let go of one of the favourite scarves, or that graphic novel collection, or that bracelet you've been hoarding for years. It will hurt, but really, wouldu00a0 it kill you? No, it would make you stronger.
If you are wondering what the rewards of de-cluttering will be, it's good to know that free space in your house often leads to free space in your mind and life for the good things to come right in. So, get those brown boxes out and start off today. Happy de-cluttering!
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