Move over malls
M. RAGHURAM
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What is this mall culture all about? Though it is fun, it is costly too. And so what do we do about it?
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PHOTO: P.V. SIVAKUMAR
Popcorn culture: At the mall.
There is perhaps no medium sized city which does not have a mall of its own and it is common for the young minds to throng to these places and spend time with their friends and cousins in its sterling interiors. It is `groovy and fundoo’ to be in there and spending some `quality time’.
Chain of fun
Malls are a number of shops in assorted themes, a chain of eateries right from a common chaat shop to the international Pizza chain which survive side by side.
Even the common sugarcane juice vendor has a cane churning machine that looks like a large size photocopier.
The pristine interiors, fully air-conditioned, brightly lit and many more attributes could be found in the modern malls to the liking of the youngsters.
Cost stops
The aroma from the popcorn stall fills the air and you run to grab a carton but the prohibitive cost shocks you.
It is at least six times costlier than the ones you get in the corner shop or in city fairs.
The common can juice costs three times more and assorted candies come at a premium price and nothing less than Rs. 100 per sale.
Sunday visit
In the cities, families make it a common practice to visit a mall on Sundays with one agenda `everybody for himself’ lady of the house goes shopping with a cart, the teenage girl goes into the large super market or boutiques and loses herself to the family for the next three hours, the teenager boy either vanishes into one of the multiplexes or into the game arcade, their pop has other things on his mind as he strolls down into chic restaurnts and watches a cricket match that is played at the other end of the world.
Is this what family outing has come to be?
Paying more
The people who have burnt holes in their pockets say that a family outing into the malls cost them dearly as each outing may cost nothing less than Rs. 3000, each ticket in the multiplex costs not less than Rs. 150, carton of popcorn and a 200 ml tumbler of coke costs Rs. 65, a piece of pastry costs a whopping Rs.45-50 and the list goes on and only up.
The real world
It is not the intention of this article to advise youngsters to act against their will, but the mall culture looks very artificial and gives sense of false prestige and affluence and young minds can be influenced easily.
But the true world is outside, the crowded city buses, the bills to pay, failing power, limited domestic water, loads of homework to do, help parents with household chores, ironing, washing, gardening and many more chores.
Guide them
Drawing a line between the artificial environment and the realities needs to be shown to youngsters which has to be done by their peers, teachers and parents so that youngsters do not lose sight of the reality in the melee of finding pleasures at the malls.
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