‘Rightfully mine’
There’s a new constituency in India, the consumer, which talks only of rights, not duties

By Meha Mathur
Haq se maango, Priya Gold,’ advised the late activist actress, Priya Tendulkar, a few years ago. Tendulkar, in her TV avatar of Rajni, had always talked of rights, but those were the rights of aam admi. The issues she took up belonged to the bijli-paani-gas category. But when she talked of ‘rights’ in the biscuit ad, it left a sour taste. Is a biscuit brand a matter of ‘right’, I wondered even then, when most products and their ads had not yet asked the customers to adopt this arrogant tone. The product brand talking of ‘rights’ was such an inane one, yet every time I saw the ad, I felt that there was something preposterous about the tag-line.

There were a few more ads in the same league, like the Red & White ad, exhorting people to ‘Live Life Kingsize’, implying thereby that people had the right to live life as lavishly as they wanted to.

The ‘haq se maango’ doctrine has only now firmly gained ground, aided by the ever-tempting offers being offered by one and all. The message that producers and advertisers give out is: the world resources are at your beck and call. Use them to the fullest.

Agreed, the earlier scenario of queuing up in June heat for a litre of milk was nowhere close to the ideal of good living, but the new buying opportunities have taken the pendulum to the other extreme. Enter a Sabka Bazaar and the goodies on display will really make you feel like a king. From liquid soaps in most flashy bottles and colours to the all-time favourite glucose biscuits in bigger and bigger packs to jams of all possible fruits in the most attractive bottles. Even pulses looking so attractive on the shelves, each product is crying out, ‘pick me up’. The ‘feel good’ factor is evident on every customer’s face, as he or she trudges the loaded trolley back to his car. But while the trolley of goodies has become a symbol of the right to live life to the fullest, the corresponding sense of duty is only diminishing by the day. Do we stop for a second to wonder how much water will be required for the liquid soap we are picking up? At least the blue liquid soap we picked up has proved to be a water-guzzling affair. Ever pondered about the recycling possibility of the umpteen packets of grocery items, shampoos, soaps and other ‘must-haves’ we pick up? And as the assistant at the counter mercilessly seals the big poly-bags in the centre, how many of us feel bad that in the process the bag has been rendered useless for any future use?

Even more ruthless face of the ‘rights’ movement are the car producers and the car users. The car users as a constituency, even though not a substantial size in terms of vote bank, are being appeased all the time. The line of thoughts of the car producers seems to be: It’s the supreme right of every worthy individual to travel in a bigger and bigger car. Don’t worry about narrow roads. Trees will be felled in due time to make way for broader roads. Don’t worry about cyclists and slow vehicles. We will liaison with the authorities to ensure that the slow-moving vehicles are banned in posh areas. And don’t worry about parking problem. You are the king. Choose your slot.

In these times of ‘all rights and no duties’, one advertisement surprisingly struck as soothing to senses. Actor Irrfan, in a Hutch ad, advised users to exercise restraint in the last few days of the month. “Kuchh hi dinon ki to baat hai. Fir sher ho jaaenge”, he commented. How much like our parents’ days, when they had to manage budget in those last crisis days each month. While I was surprised at the suicidal note of the ad at first — after all which advertiser would ask its consumers to not to spend — the ad serves an important social purpose of reminding people to live within their limits. n