Key Takeaways from the COC on Conscious Living

Conversation…Cocktails…Conscious Living – You C what we’re talking about here!

It was an evening full of understanding, reasoning, alternatives, choices, trends, solutions and ideas,as we broke down Conscious Living and its tenets.

While conscious living may sound like a choice to many a few, it’s a growing necessity in actuality. From the Wall Street Journal to the cover of TIME Magazine, everybody is screaming about climate change and its impact and how we can begin making a difference, where we win the battle and the war.

Our esteemed panellists, ranging fromindustries like fashion, beauty and lifestyle, deconstructed the terminology and consciously give us some key takeaways:

Srila Chatterjee, Founder, Baro Market stressed on how the key to inspire people into living consciously is education – people need to understand that living sustainably is possible and they have already lived that way before.

Speaking on who is the torchbearer to inspire change, she felt that neither the government nor corporates are the right answer – only an enlightened consumer is truly capable of changing within and spreading the word by his/her actions. Governments have other agenda on the priority list while managing the country and corporates work for profit. Resultantly, this systemic change is going to come from people who care about the planet.

Chaitsi Ahuja, Founder, Brown Living offered the magical combination of ‘People Planet Profit’, which clearly are all interdependent on one another and pave the way forward.

She also felt that when one tries to live consciously in all respects, their‘no’ list may be bigger than their‘yes’ list, meaning that there are several things that you may need to change in your lifestyle which may be difficult initially as compared to the small changes you can make, yet you need to start making those changes and not get bothered by what you cannot do.

NandeetaManchandaa, Founder, ENN Beauty shared that it is crucial to talk the talk, in terms of having the right conversations at home – as parents and individuals if the household chatter is consciously about recycling, rainwater harvesting, solar energy, garbage waste division, it will definitely impact the impressionable young ones, who will soak it in, while being the next gen of changemakers. They will begin to think responsibly and consciously from a young age and make it visible in their actions early on.

Ekta Rajani, Creative Consultant and Stylist opined that there’s been a shift in mindset of attaching value beyond money – one must not only think about where something is manufactured, but wonder, what is the longevity of the product? Shift from indulgent andimpulsive shopping to planned shopping – shop what you need, not what you desire. Needs are conscious. Wants and desires and backed by money and convenience.

Also sharing her thought on wastage, she felt that waste today may be art tomorrow. Changemakers are using waste to make some of the most artistic noise on sustainability – from exhibits to installations to fashion and apparel. Resultantly, it is worth the waste!

In conclusion, ask yourself, how can we be more responsible, more conscious, more eco-friendly, where does the onus lie, where does the buck begin, and how do we all get on the bandwagon to live consciously and correctly to stay on this planet in this lifetime itself.

Nikhil Sangha

Nikhil Sangha is a creative content writer, actor and voice over artist.

He has written social media content and shorts for brands like GQ, Coca Cola, MasterCard, Yes Bank Foundation, TLLLF – The Deepika Padukone Foundation, Bosch, Siemens, Škoda and HRX among others.