Time For Indian Consumers To Unite And Assert

Consumers rarely come together to claim their rights. The Mumbai Grahak Panchayat offers an example of such mobilisation that has worked for decades

- VINAY SAHASRABUDDHE

It was World Consumer Rights Day on March 15. As in the past, Consumer International, a global organisation championing such rights, picked a theme this year—'A just transition to sustainable lifestyle'. It would not be an exaggeration to say that the theme reflects concerns India has been voicing for years about climate change and sustainability. It aligns with the prime minister's call for adopting a Lifestyle for Environment or LIFE.

India is home to the world's largest population of consumers. The term itself is a great leveller. From the richest industrialists to the poorest citizens—everybody is a consumer despite their diverse realities. Yet, the community of consumers remains an amorphous entity that is extremely hard to unite and mobilise. In comparison to various other distinctly identifiable social groups like farmers, labourers and students, consumers usually show little regard for their rights and responsibilities.

A rare experiment in organising consumers effectively and protecting their interests to work towards the lofty ideal of consumer justice is the Mumbai Grahak Panchayat (MGP), which is celebrating its golden jubilee this year.

Founded by social and political activist Bindumadhav Joshi of Pune, freedom-fighter-turned-musician Sudhir Phadke and social-worker-turned-municipal-corporator Madhukar Mantri, MGP has evolved as a text-book example of sustainable community organisation.