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The Great Indian Young Middle Class
If you are living in the UK or USA, chances are that every time you lose your credit card, buy an insurance policy, report a fault on your mobile phone, you have probably spoken to someone who is unfailingly courtesy and impeccable English. And the chances are very high that the response satisfied you. Millions of faceless voices toil away nights at business process outsourcing companies across India at the end of a telephone line.
Hungry, disciplined and highly educated, India's next generation of service sector employees are driving the economy to new heights. Earning more in a year than their parents could hope to make in their entire working lives, these 20 somethings are driving their country's growth and they will be the most voracious consumers of the next decade.
India's new call-centre generation is open to international influences. They are socially adventurous and culturally exploratory. They want the designer jeans and the parties. Working in a call centre in India offers millions of graduates a ticket to the good life. With their newfound economic freedom, they are a generation of spenders.
The great Indian middle class is roughly the same population as the entire United States and it has money to spend. In the quest for the better life, the new young Indian seems to find the all-American life accessible and affordable.
The media woos them, advertisers zero in on them, and companies court them. And, why not? According to estimates, 47 per cent of India's more than 1 billion people are under the age of 20. While India has a seemingly limitless supply of young minds that can take the country forward, there’s a wide gap between the old and new generations. But it’s not difficult to strike a balance between the two, as we have a society that has a pre-disposition to respecting older people.
Health of the nation
India is emerging a must-stop for health tourists. Yes, if you are looking to combine a holiday with pending medical care, this is the place. Medical treatment is available for a fraction of the cost in the West and quality is impeccable. It is destination India for those looking for post-operative vacation with elective surgery. The country offers a range of hospitals in line with international standards as well as many wellness centers and spas. But it’s not just the overseas visitor who’s availing the health facilities. Cosmetic surgeons report a surge in liposuction, breast enlargements, tummy tucking, hair transplants and nose jobs. And guess what, a third of the patients are men. Goes on to confirm that beauty isn’t an exclusive bastion of the fairer sex—that’s gender equality for you.
Empowered India
Here’s a country where public interest litigations and election commissioners wield tremendous authority, with independence. The media is also one of the most free and liberal anywhere in the world. India adopted universal adult suffrage in 1951. It enfranchised more voters at one stroke than the entire population of the other two great democracies—Great Britain and the United States.
Be it the hard working farmer in the fields of Punjab or the cyber geek in Pune—contemporary India comes in many shades. The guy who rushes to catch a tipple at the local watering hole after work might just be the same guy who takes time out for prayers everyday and is also at the same time finding a way for farmers to grow better crops. That’s new age India for you! |
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