Lessons in Sustainability from Avva

Sustainability may be pitched as a modern trend, but is actually deep-rooted in the very lifestyle of several older generation Indians. Anupama shares the story of her Avva, Lakshmi Rajappa, and how her Avva has made sustainability a natural part of her lifestyle. Be it composting, reusing, or upcycling, she regularly practises all these and many more, with an intention to be resourceful. Indeed, it is the simple everyday things that you do differently that make a world of difference.

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Ecosystem Restoration, Upcycling, Plant-based, Conscious Consumerism – Our generation has definitely heard these buzzwords a million times in the last few years. With the recent uptick in influencers advocating for sustainable fashion and the like and Instagram trends and social media activism, these concepts may seem very progressive and contemporary. So did I, until I mentioned it to my grandma (Avva) who laughed at me and followed it with my favourite words.

“Let me tell you a story…” This is the story. Her story.

Avva grew up on a farm in a tiny village south of Trichy in Tamil Nadu. They grew bananas and rice on the farmland and kept cows for milk. She truly understands the value of ‘living off of the land’. She carries that spirit throughout her life.

My grandpa had a transferable government job. Wherever he was posted and whenever the house had a small backyard, Avva grew common vegetables from lady’s fingers, tomatoes, bitter gourd, cluster beans, brinjal to chillies and coriander. These vegetables helped her save money on groceries and more importantly, as she says, “it is the reason I’m still this healthy and strong”.  She saved kitchen waste, collected them and at the end of every week, used the waste as compost for the rest of her garden. A truly self-sustained system, long before she had access to the internet or even knew what ‘compost’ meant. She ‘just knew’ it was good for plants.

At 67, she still walks everywhere. Two kilometres in the sweltering summer heat of Chennai is light work for her. She walks to buy groceries and flowers, she walks to the medical store, she walks to the temple and she even walks just for exercise! If she can’t walk she takes the local bus. “I hate the ACs in cars,” she says to my uncle distastefully, “It’s fake air”.

Avva is also an expert at upcycling and recycling. She takes old saris, shirts, and leftover material from tailoring shops and creates the most beautiful bags, pouches and most recently- masks! Her skill in picking up the patterns and combinations out of scrap is unparalleled. To this day, I still use bags and purses she made for me years ago! She made my college bag, my school pouch, my oven mitts, she even sent custom-made masks over post during the pandemic. Anytime I think of throwing away an old shirt or a torn dupatta, I think of her reaction “No! Give it to me, I’ll make something out of it” and save it. Recently she began making origami from newspapers – her recent passion ever since she discovered YouTube tutorials on the subject.

Avva has been anti-plastic ever since I remember. She uses the cloth bags she makes instead of plastic ones offered in shops. She segregates her waste. She uses a metal can to get milk from the milkman instead of buying pre-packaged plastic packets.

“There are a dozen more examples,” she says earnestly, “I just can’t remember them all at one go”.

Avva probably has the lowest carbon footprint out of everyone I know. She truly embodies the ‘sustainable lifestyle’ without even realizing it. She just thinks she’s being resourceful with what she has. “Why would you buy a pencil box for 200 rupees when I can make one for you in two hours?” While her comments are endearing, what is truly inspiring is her attitude. She believes that ‘sustainability’ is not something we have to alter our lives completely to achieve. It’s simple everyday things that you do differently that make a world of difference. It is switching out your plastic bottles for reusable metal ones. It is trying out the electric bikes parked outside college instead of driving a scooty. It can be anything from buying second-hand, repurposing items, using less water to listening to your dad when he yells “turn off the light!”

Sustainability may be pitched as a ‘wake up call’ for humanity and something that has been trending over the last decade but it is actually a lifestyle deeply rooted in many older generation Indians. I am sure my Avva is not the only one with her environment-friendly life hacks. There are millions of Avvas and Thathas out there with their jugaad that make the earth slightly more livable. We’ve just got to listen to them. So the next time you talk to your grandparents, ask them their sustainability tips and implement them in your life!