During a wedding in the family, Erin was supposed to wear two fancy gowns. Instead, she chose to wear her old and faded comfortable pink T shirt and shorts. She has two of these comfy outfits – pink and blue. After every shower, she washes the set she had been wearing, neatly hangs it out to dry, and then changes into the other one. This has been going on for months.
Erin is only three
years old.
Usually, we talk about
child prodigies who are born with excellent skills in music or languages or
chess among other things. It’s time to celebrate eco-prodigies like Erin who
are born minimalists. In today’s consumerist societies, we find excess production
of garments made from manmade fibres which take forever to decompose. Mother
Earth patiently bears our oppressive habits and, on some days, lashes out in
fury in the form of natural disasters. Its time for us to learn from our
mistakes and take better care of our home planet.
We need more people
like Erin who have a mind of their own and insist on swimming against the tide
and age-old traditions. Yes, Erin does it silently with a zeal that is inspiring.
Which little girl would trade a beautiful gown for an old T-shirt for a special
occasion? Erin comes with a strange and timely special message for all of us.
Not all heroes wear
capes, and not all little princesses wear gauzy gowns at weddings!
(Photo courtesy: Siona D'Cruz)
