Can We Live with Just Two Sets of Clothes?

During the course of the 16 day  Devi Suktam Yagna recently, Om Swamiji ji made a remarkable statement. He stated that, essentially, he owned two sets of clothes: the robe that he was wearing and another black robe. He was thinking of replacing his current robe after 5 years as it got a bit damaged during the yagnas. In just a few words, he gave us a masterclass in simple living.

What would happen if more of us started living with just two sets of clothes? Can you imagine?

One effect would be that we would dress much better. Yes, you heard me right, we would dress much better if we had a smaller selection of clothes. We would simply buy better clothes, perfectly suited to our body. We don’t know a large variety of clothes to look good. We can even wear similar clothes every day and look great, just like some self-realized people that we know.

Another effect would be that we would breathe cleaner air. Textile mills are big energy guzzlers and generate a lot of toxic air. Synthetic fibres are generally based on petroleum-chemicals, depleting the earth’s natural resources. If have more clothes than we need, we are simply creating more air and water pollution. When we throw away old clothes, we create more of the same. 

Yet another effect would be: improved water quality. Textiles mills dump a lot of waste into rivers and oceans. Also, mass production of low cost clothing has led to the throw away culture. Waste clothing finds its way into landfills, polluting our water bodies,

Can we   live with just two pairs of clothing? 

Yes, we can. Trust me, we can and I tried it once, with hilarious results.

During our engineering studies, we had a number of humanities and social sciences courses. In one of these courses, we studied a book called Walden, written by the American philosopher, Henry Thoreau. I was very impressed with this book, because it described how Thoreau simplified his life to its bare essentials, so he could dig deeper into what really mattered to him. 

He lived in a small cabin by Walden Lake that he constructed himself. He had two sets of clothing, one for visiting days. He dug very deep into Indian philosophy, reading the Upanishads and other sacred books. He inspired me in many ways, just as he inspired many others, including Gandhi.

I tried my experiment in simple living, shortly after graduation, when I found a job in New Delhi. I bought myself two sets of clothing and wore a new shirt every day; the other shirt was always in the wash. 

Around this time I got engaged. My in-laws to be started visiting me to get to know me better but they did not visit every day. Guess what? It was every alternate day! They saw me wearing the same clothes every time they came over. Maybe, they assumed I had just one set of clothes.

My father-in-law to be was deeply impressed with this simplicity, that, too from an IIT graduate holding a good job. My sisters-in-law were less excited about this. My brothers-in-law never said a word although they are immaculate dressers. My wife to be was an optimist, like many Indian girls. She thought she would change me after marriage. Unfortunately, she took on an impossible task,for there are far too many things wrong with me for one wife to fix.

She is still working on it, after decades of marriage. I have a much bigger wardrobe now, as she picks a lot of clothes for me. However, I still pick the first shirt I see in the wardrobe, and put it on, if it is comfortable. I like older clothes, as they get more comfortable and user-friendly after a few washes. I keep looking out for my old clothes before my wife throws them away; it’s a constant battle.

I am very lucky to live in present times, the age of The Jeans Revolution. Have you noticed how jeans have taken over the world? They have certainly taken over my world. I can wear them in the hot summers and the cold winters; I discovered they work well even at minus 20 degrees Celsius. They are good for casual wear and they are even accepted for formal occasions. I even wore one at a wedding function, with a jacket and a tie. They work everywhere and reduce the environmental damage to our planet.

Two sets of jeans and a couple of shirts. 

That’s all we need to look presentable whenever we step out of the house and this applies to both men and women. Add a pair of jogging pants as night wear, along with some inner wear, and we have a complete wardrobe to live out our lives.

Anything more than that is just a luxury.