TV, PS2, 10 pairs of shoes, 300 books. Last year, Mumbai-based TV professional Pratishtha Durga de-junked her life to give away all these items and much more. Want to pack your bag for an overseas trip in 15 minutes? Or retire early even if you aren't part of a start-up or didn't win a lottery? A minimalist way of life is catching on across the globe

When the charming Ryan (George Clooney) went about living out of a suitcase in Up in the Air, many around the world wanted to live like him. And when he suavely lectured the people he fired on freeing themselves of excess baggage, some were very nearly convinced.

But only very nearly. It took a few truly courageous souls across the globe to see the virtues of uncluttering their lives so they could live out of a suitcase. Well, two, at best.

Meet Pratishtha Durga, an online promos writer with Colors based in Mumbai, who took the plunge when, in 2009, she lost her mother and had to deal with a failed marriage a month later. "I was suddenly left homeless. My father was struggling with cancer and I did not want to burden my family with my pain. I saw it as an opportunity to turn my life around," she says.



This is when she chose to wipe the slate clean, and begin blogging; www.lifein2suitcases.com was aimed at fitting the most precious possessions of her life into just two suitcases. Durga had embarked on what she called the Big Purge Challenge to get rid of her material and emotional baggage. "More than a project, it's a personal, spiritual journey," she says.

Though her quest was intensely personal, Durga had obviously begun a movement that inspired others to
follow her blog. Says Mercedes de Marchenas, a freelance writer based in Miami, "Durga and I have been following each others' paths.

She organised herself better in the sense that she started blogging about it. I am now participating in her Purge because it fits my purpose so well." Mercedes also notes with satisfaction how one of her friends and her daughter are following her example.

For most people who believe in minimalist living, it is a personal goal. Mumbai-based Durga explains how it functions for her. "I introspect and try to define what's important to me, and then take steps to achieve it.

Material desires are slowly replacing things that truly add value to my life, like spending time with friends, learning new skills, cooking, organising a drawing workshop with street kids, and overcoming fears that have dogged me since childhood." she says.

Different gears on different drives
The triggers are always different. For social counsellor Aditi Bhattacharya of New York city, "practicality was a wonderful entry into spirituality. I entered North America with two suitcases in hand. Books, documents, clothing, my teddy, my toothbrush, pen, paper, a pressure cooker, a plate, glass and spoon went into these two suitcases.

And yet, in barely three years since then, when I had to move apartments, I discovered that two suitcases had expanded to 12 crates of stuff. It was horrible, and I felt incredibly weighed down. I was strangely ashamed, because at least half of that was utterly unnecessary baggage."

This was the point from which she pared down. "It was like going to the gym. I was shedding fat and it felt good," she recalls. It has been a constant endeavour since to discard whatever she didn't need.

Simultaneously, Bhattacharya found that she wasn't buying things quite as easily as before. "I invariably find myself filling a cart with stuff and by the time I hit the cashier, over half of the stuff goes back on the shelves."

Obviously the resolve has to be a strong one, especially since signing yourself in on the project is like
beginning life afresh. "If you don't truly believe in this cause, it can be difficult letting go of your earlier life," says Durga.

She ought to know, given that her life did a volte face after the twin catastrophes of her mother's death and the break-up of her marriage. "One day I was a shopaholic, living a charmed life in Cuffe Parade. A day later, I was homeless, cheated upon, and sleeping on a friend's couch," Today, she has greater control over her life. "It's also important to have a strong support system: friends who help you stay on track."

Mercedes found the greatest
motivation when she and her husband were moving apartments. "We had moved to Miami from Cura ao (Dutch island in the Caribbean) earlier. Since I didn't do the packing at that time, I had carried so much and clung to things I never needed here.

Seven years in one apartment in Miami and we had loads of stuff. As I began to de-clutter my closet, kitchen, bathroom, discipline became necessary and it began to feel good," she says.

Some others use technology to downsize their lifestyle. Twenty two year-old Brooklyn-based software engineer Kelly Sutton has sold most of his possessions and now owns a few clothes, sleeping gear, two external hard drives, a laptop and a Kindle. While this may be an extreme minimalist example, Sutton may just have inspired an alternative tech-driven way
of life.