People of Today, Lifestyle of Yesterday!

People of this era are somewhat drawn towards the methods, culture, and lifestyle of the past. Why is that? Is it because we all feel that people in the past were more sensible? They believed in efficiency and sustainability, and their lives revolved around these concepts?

Here are a few things that made me feel like we—the people of this era—are in love with the past:

We are moving more towards living sustainably. The love for organic items in the market has boomed to such an extent that people don't mind paying a few extra bucks to ensure they’re consuming naturally grown or produced products.

We want to start eating the way our ancestors once ate—we’re slowly adopting new ways of cooking and eating, based on old traditions.

The demand for earthenware has increased—they're back with a bang!
People have switched back to using oils they had once given up, choosing traditionally used oils over the more commercially marketed ones—for example, switching back to groundnut oil to other refined oils, as their mothers or grandmothers once did.
The demand for handmade goods has risen. People have started valuing handmade and eco-friendly products—for example, wicker baskets are back, as well as handmade jute bags, handwoven garments, etc.
Many people I know are making ghee at home, just like our grandmas used to. I mean, wow! That’s how they’re bringing back the essence of sensible living.
People love everything homemade. Many have even started businesses from home—be it art, food, or clothing.
Vegan cosmetics are surely hitting the high skies. We want to use products that are harmless to the environment and to ourselves. We want to feel good about what we use.
Ghar ka khana is on top of the list. Modern people now prefer home-cooked meals over restaurant food. We’ve started packing lunches, dinners, and snacks—just like our moms used to do when we traveled. Even water cans are back! Instead of buying plastic bottles from shops, people are carrying their own from home. (Being eco-friendly, sustainable, and sensible.)
Eco friendly and sustainable women sanitary products are in demand as people have realised the amount of harm it causes to the environment, hence re-usable cloth pads are back.

All I can say is time tested methods are being more trusted.

In fact, these days, companies are using this nostalgia-driven strategy to increase their sales—making every product appear eco-friendly, homely, harmless, and sustainable. Some companies are genuine, but others are simply trying to fool us for higher profits.

I personally had an experience with an organic vegetable and fruit dealer who once told me, “Business chalana hai, poora organic kabhi nahin hota,” meaning, “I have to run a business, not everything is organic.” This shocked me because they claimed to be 100% organic and sold in many apartment complexes. At some point, we really don’t know what to consume without hesitation.

Maybe this confusion is what’s driving people to follow their grandma’s style again.

Now talking about how we lived without technology...

I mean, was that heaven or what? Life was so simple and free of complications. Playing meant physical activity. I remember playing badminton, hopscotch, and pakda-pakdi for hours on the street during my school days.

TV used to be a simple box of entertainment where the whole family could sit and watch something together. Unlike today, where you need to filter content so much to find something that’s family-friendly. (So complicated, man!) There are barely any good shows these days you can enjoy with everyone.

Somewhere deep down, we all want to go back and live and play the way we once did. Life felt wholesome, didn’t it?

Here’s a small poem I wrote when I missed my simple childhood:

Netflix & Insta-Free Era

On the sofa, scrolling through Insta reels,
Didn't realize how an hour had passed—what a steal!

Got up to get my delivery from Amazon,
And waited for a discount on Myntra from the sale marathon.

Didn't want to cook—there was just one tomato,
So I ordered from my favorite place on Swiggy or Zomato.

Tried to find a good movie on Netflix or Prime,
And spent my whole day on a screen—small, large, or wide.

Just on a hectic day,
With my better half and friends at a Café Coffee Day.

Talking about childhood days, I realized,
How our lives have gone online—digitized.

From shopping to eating food,
From entertainment to the work loop.

I try to think hard and feel,
How life once was—simple and real.

When TV meant Channel V or Star Plus for fun,
And meeting in person meant true connection begun.

You had to look through markets wide and vast,
For that perfect dress—meant to last.

It wasn’t Zara’s flair or Vero Moda’s claim,
It was quality tags and our hearts to tame.

We’ve almost forgotten in these modern times,
How to live without screens and online rhymes.

I wish, I so wish, I got a day or two,
To relive those screen-free days I once knew.

Life was good and simple,
That’s the life I want to live—in ample.

I know there are organizations and communities today working toward bringing back that old, healthy lifestyle to make our present and future better. That truly gives me hope for a better tomorrow.

Writers Patrika