GANESHKUMAR RAJESHWARRAO SELUKAR Vs. MAHENDRA BHASKAR LIMAYE

JUDGEMENT

(1.) Man is what he consumes. It is generally stated that one becomes a consumer from the time of his birth but, in reality, the journey begins much earlier. It extends from before the cradle to beyond the grave. A mother and her child are inseparable in the womb. Medical treatment received and commodities consumed by the mother, such as food, water, medicine, etc., enure to her child. Consumption is shared between the two, making them joint consumers. Similarly, even after one dies, consumption continues in multifarious ways. From donation of organs to the needy, to families conducting funeral rites and rituals annually, consumption is a reality that cannot be ignored, especially in an interconnected and interdependent world.

(2.) 'Consumerism' is therefore, one of the most integral aspects of human life. How then does one define it? It is indeed a rather difficult task to comprehensively do so, as every act or omission of an individual might attract the definition, given the impact it may have on others. Perhaps, its essence is best expressed in the words of Mahatma Gandhi, the Father of the Nation.

(3.) He elevated a consumer above every other entity, transforming the concept of consumerism through the principles of truth and dharma. He galvanised people from all walks of life to participate in the freedom struggle, by incorporating the spirit of consumerism in the pivotal Indian Independence Movement, through methods such as noncooperation and civil disobedience. One classic instance where politics, economics and social order were consciously integrated, was the Dandi March of 1930, whereby civil disobedience was extended through the Salt Satyagraha opposing the taxation of salt. It can be rightfully said that democracy was won, not only by the strength of our words and the sweat of our brow, but also over the price of salt. Hence, at its core, the Indian Independence Movement can be seen as a citizen-consumer movement.