Madhav is from a middle-class family. His father, Laxmaiah, is a high school teacher, and his mother, Rukmini a homemaker. They have seven children, five boys and two girls. Madhav is fourth in the order, the second and the fifth being girls. Laxmaiah, being a teacher, was interested in educating all the children up to PG. As children grew, the cost of education increased. The governments encouraged opening private schools and colleges to cater to the growing young generation of school and college-going students. They struggled to pay children's tuition, transport fees, books and notebooks from Laxmaiah's salary. Laxmaiah and Rukmini adopted a policy of saving at home. Hence, they imposed a "No-Waste" policy.

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Laxmaiah's No-Waste Policy

The no-waste policy aims to cater to basic needs but avoids using more than necessary for one's body and social needs. It started with the kitchen and the food consumed. Rukmini carefully cooked the required quantity of rice for the entire family, with sufficient curries. The children were trained not to waste rice or curries on plates. Laxmaiah used to purchase vegetables required twice in a week. They did not have a refrigerator. All groceries were purchased for a month. Laxmaiah had restrictions on the dresses. He would buy three or four dresses maximum for every family member. He asked the children to use the other side of the paper without wasting it. He did not encourage the waste paper to be torn and put in dustbins; instead, it was stored and sold to purchasers for reuse in paper manufacturing units.

Laxmaiah opined that several people in society are without food, and our waste will deprive most of them of food and other necessities of life.

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Madhav Implements No-Waste Policy

Madhav was raised and trained in no-waste psychology. He completed his PG and secured a government job, posting in the city as an officer. He thought the no-waste philosophy would help the country's growth and started implementing it at the office and at home.

He had four shirts and pants. He used two dresses per week and did not buy more, as he thought more would be a waste. He wore his old chappals which he had purchased when he joined the college. He used his old scooter to travel to the office.

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Madhav at the Office

Madhav was a strict officer about waste. Whenever office staff came to meet him in his chambers, he would go to the staff member's seat and verify whether

1. The ceiling fan was turned off and

 2. The laptop was switched off.

They were not accustomed to switching off these and going to him. When someone uses two mobile phones, he would ask them to use only one, as they were contributing to national wastage. He would say that with two mobiles, they were wasting money, time and electricity. The money and electricity saved would help others, and time is a natural resource that one can't regain. When someone said one mobile is for the office and the other is for home,  he said 60 to 70 crore people in India use smartphones, out of which a survey suggests that 33% have more than one. You are depriving others of going for smartphones. Having more than one mobile is a luxury. Hence, follow my policy of no waste and switch to one mobile.

When office staff gets a draft for prior checking on paper, he advises them to send it via e-mail to avoid wasting paper and time. After final corrections, it can be printed, filed and sent.

 When the staff went for lunch and spent more time than the prescribed time limit, he would chide them for wasting precious time in chit-chatting and want them to be in their seats on time so that they would be available for people waiting for them. People come from faraway places to get their problems solved; if the concerned person is unavailable, their time, money, and energy are wasted. The no-waste policy is to be practised with oneself and others. Others waiting for you means you are wasting their time, which is a national waste.

He was strict about maintaining office timings. He did not accept any excuses for being late to the office. The earlier officer encouraged staff to work after office hours. Agents will come and meet them and get their clients' work done. This type of work was against his No-Waste Philosophy.

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 Madhav  Marries Sousheelya

After two years of working, Madhav's parents arranged a marriage to a girl, Sousheelya, from a well-to-do family and the only daughter. She graduated from a reputed university in the state. Her father, who is in the real estate business, arranged for a car and driver to drop her off and pick her up from college. She did not feel any deficiency in her desires.

Madhav and Sousheelya liked each other, and the marriage was celebrated lavishly. About fifty items were provided for lunch. He grumbled with the bride about the food being wasted. His office staff were astonished by the extravagant spending everywhere. They murmured that his no-waste policy was doomed with this marriage.

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Madhav and Sousheelya at Home

Sousheelya wanted to have a home cook to do the cooking and housekeeping. He was against having a cook. He said she could do the cooking. She could have a housemaid to clean the dishes and the house. She knew how to cook, but was not perfect at preparing them. Her preparations were either more salt or chilli powder, leading to curry wastage.

He kept quiet for a month, but did not tolerate the waste and became angry. Sousheelya had not experienced anyone's anger to date. She retarded, "I suggested having a home cook, and now you say I am wasting. The wastage is because of your thinking. We can order curries online from five-star hotels of our choice."

He said that was another type of waste.

She was vexed by the word "waste." She had never heard the word waste in her parental home, where she could spend any amount or throw away any quantity she disliked. It was a different situation with her husband. She wept silently.

 Madhav set up his family in a two-bedroom apartment in a middle-class locality. She thought the bungalow would be spacious and in a posh locality, but she was disappointed with the 2 BHK.

He took her on his scooter, with Sousheelya's right hand tightly holding his waist and her left hand on his left shoulder. She enjoyed the closeness of their two bodies and the thrusts with jerks of the road. She enjoyed travelling on the scooter with him for some time, but felt unhappy riding on a scooter. She asked him to purchase a car. He said, "The car is a waste when we can do it with a scooter."

She wept silently.

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Sousheelya gets a Villa and a BMW car.

She was not interested in staying in a two-bedroom apartment, so her father purchased a villa in a posh gated community. She told Madhav that they would move to the villa. He was against shifting because it would be a waste for two of them.

She asked her father to provide a BMW car, which she got the next day. She appointed a driver.

Madhav did not like this luxury car with a driver. He told Sousheelya that she was wasting money. Why do we require a BMW car and a driver when we can go by scooter? It is a sheer waste of money. It is against my policy of no waste. You are simply wasting money on unnecessary wants.

She countered and told him it was not a waste of money; they were for their comfort. Travelling in a BMW car without jerks is healthy, with no spinal cord pain. You will be able to answer calls while travelling with the driver. You need not worry about your driving on the road. You can mind your business and think of improving it for the benefit of society.

With a scooter, you are down in bed with spinal cord problems on these potholed roads and are tired after coming home. With BMW, we can enjoy the evenings and weekends together by visiting parks, posh cinema halls, and places of interest. Sousheelya's thinking was different and was the opposite of his no-waste policy. He felt it was a waste of money, depriving the other people in society. He said he was against such wastage.

She said, "By using a BMW car, I am helping several people in society with employment in manufacturing, sales, repairs and maintenance, etc." You are misinformed.

Madhav was adamant about his no-waste policy and said, "I am not shifting to a villa and travelling in a BMW car. We will stay here and use our scooter."

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Sousheelya Leaves for Villa

Sousheelya was vexed by his no-waste thinking and told him, "I am leaving you and want to enjoy my life. I can't live like a wage-earner with all the money I have and you earn. Your mind was infected with no waste; you will never come out of that thinking. Earnings are a waste unless you spend them on your comforts.

 With your thinking, "You'd better leave this job and go to the forest and live there, where everything is free, and there's no need for money. There is no waste. That is the best-suited place for you. You do not need a wife and society."

She said, "Bye, I  am going to the villa."

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Madhav was Alone

At the office, all the staff learned about his wife leaving him and started discussing his no-waste policy. People were careless about his orders. They did not switch off fans or laptops when coming to his room. They were casual about maintaining office and lunch timings.

With his wife leaving him and no one caring for him, he was dejected and applied for a month's leave from the office.

Madhav was lonely in his flat, thinking over the words of his wife.

He rested in the bedroom, switching off his mobile and lights and closing all the windows and doors. He preferred to be lonely, covered from toe to head under a blanket. Sousheelya informed his parents about the developments. They came and learned about his depression. 

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Madhav Changes His Policy on Parents' Advice

His parents, Laxmaiah and Rukmini, explained that their no-waste policy began when they had seven children, including two girls, and his father was the only earning member. He had to maintain the entire family, the children's education, and the girls' marriages within his salary. Hence, adopting a no-waste policy at home was necessary for the family's development.

You are in a better position as an officer drawing a hefty salary, and your wife is well-educated, social, and comes from a well-to-do family. As a husband, you need to look after her needs. You have sufficient money now and do not need to impose a strict no-waste policy on her. You need to save for the future of your children's education in India and foreign countries and set up an industry. The present-day young generation is preferring a limited number of children. Hence, you don't have pressure on saving as we had.

With his father's words, Madhav understood the age gap and changes occurring socially, nationally,  politically, internationally, and technologically. He thought Sousheelya had advanced thinking, and he needed to change with the times.

He went to the villa and said, "Dear Sousheelya, I apologise for imposing the no-waste policy. Please, forgive me."

Sousheelya felt guilty for leaving him and said, "Dear Madhav,  I am sorry for leaving you. I should have shown patience with your no-waste policy, and you would have changed with the money we have and society."

She took him into the bedroom and hugged him, and he kissed her. Thereafter, they enjoyed themselves together.

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Madhav Back at the Office

Madhav was to report for duty after completing one month's leave, and all the office staff were eagerly waiting to see him.

At 10:30 a.m. sharp, a BMW car with a driver came. A person dressed in a Prince of Wales suit and brown Italian shoes stepped out, went to the officer's chambers, and sat in the officer's chair. To everyone's surprise, he was Madhav. 

 All the staff came to his chambers and wished him, 'Welcome back and Good Morning, Sir.'

He responded, 'Good Morning,' and asked whether they had switched off their fans and laptops before coming here. They were bewildered and left for their seats.

He attended to his files.

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