And it's no sacrifice. Just a simple word

If mineral water's what you unfailingly pick every place you go, will you voluntarily drink 'normal' water at a restaurant? What if, for one day, you were asked to ride your motorcycle to office, instead of that air-cooled, sun-screened car? Would you turn of your air-conditioner because the city is facing severe power shortage? Will you, ever?

To live within your limited means, in as much, or as less luxury you can afford, is a behavioural pattern which is developed and nurtured with time something that our politicians just don't understand. The entire austerity drive, then, quite naturally seems forced. If a politician is used to a lavish lifestyle, why will he leave the comfort of star-rated hotel and stay in a moderate hospitable environment? Even if a party forces him to skip all that jazz, does it mean that the victim of the party's publicity stunt is happy, and won't complain? Take the case of ministerial bungalows, located in the costliest pincodes, surrounded by lush greenery, and heavily guarded, as if, and with some truth in it, the rich steal from the rich. It's not just the desire to rule, and its failure, that maddens politicians. One of the main reasons why they don't want to face defeat in the elections is that they don't want to be thrown out of these palatial places they get to call their own. Losing such addresses frustrates is worse than losing anything else. It smothers the status the single most important criterion for anything big to happen like blitzkrieg.

Everyone is told to grow to the next level. If you're staying in a three bed room flat, you wouldn't want to shift to a two or one bed room flat. The self-esteem would feel cramped. Politicos, too, have an ego, and what's so hype-able about that? Mamta Banerjee still stays in a flat, travels in a Maruti Zen, wears plain chappals and doesn't complain, because she is used to that lifestyle. She hardly bothers about it, because that's the way she is, and has always been. So, she wouldn't mind traveling in trains, flying by economy, or even commuting in a bus, if needed. But if a government official has always lived in Lutyen's courtyard, travelled in nothing less than a Merc, used business class tickets and indulged in global gourmet, to expect him to shed all of that without expressing angst is to hope for a snowfall in Delhi in August.

I think it is very easy to control cost without putting up such farcical foregoings. Phone calls can be controlled, electricity consumption minimised, official car usage curbed, household expenses brought down and parties and pegs somewhat suspended. The idea is to lead by example, not earn scorn by sham.

The writer is Chief Reporter, MiD DAY, Delhi