Gone are the times when we Indians believed in sticking to one brand, service, product or routine. In last 2 decades we switched over from Maruti, forgot Doordarshan ( National television broadcaster) and Bajaj was not ‘Hamaara’ anymore. We soon realized that CRT television occupied more space and hence justifying an expensive switch over to LCD. But the wall hanging feature of the LCD television did not help doing away with the table or the cabinet below. Its now occupied by the set-up box of DTH, a gaming console and or a ultra hi-tech music system.
With cable television our lifestyle evolved. Dinner that was done between 7-8 pm is now either prepared after the prime time slot of 8-9 pm or served as a repeat-of what is claimed to be a left over- lunch. The fact though is that lunch was quite smartly cooked in extra quantity to save time for the leisure in evening.
Our female counterparts, at least the married ones, loved cooking and doing household chores. Even those with a career, rarely thought of wishing away the basic duties of cooking food, washing utensils or spending more quality time with in-laws, kids and hubby.
However, today when the families appreciate the taste of food-if its worth a mention- goes to the maid, either directly or indirectly. The husband for sure has a soft corner for the maid for feeding him but never forgets to say, “You have trained her quite well. She cooks the way you do.” The wife though in no bargain position with her maid utters some hard words-not when the maid is around though. She goes onto say, “Its not she who cooked. Its me. She just helped.” How could she ever allow the appreciation from husband pass-on to the maid?
Further, on routine and lifestyle changes- Bata shoes are no longer good for any fitness regime. Nike and Adidas are the basic need. 4-wheeler is a necessity more as a status symbol and attuning to comfort over affordability. Though its justified as a more safe choice when moving on road. Today, teens are allowed to drive a car but not a two-wheeler. For bicycles the thinking is, “Buying a bicycle is waste of money and then where do we have apace for it.”
2 gb hard disk was akin to space on moon but we never hesitated to go for 40 gb or even larger hard disks. The reason- “Data back-up is important for me.” Though its only occupied with the Bollywood-Hollywood movies, pornography, songs and pictures.
Shopping from mall is convenient for us. We explain it-“We as a family get the option to choose our own product and that too in one go.” Buying from kiraana is still thriving only because of the ease of home delivery otherwise its a matter of self-respect to buy from kiraana store- “what will people think of us”
Earlier ‘what will people think of us’ was a question to answer when wide/sister/mother wore a jeans; when our daughter/son revolted to marry their love from a different caste; when our kid opted to pursue career in a sport and study further. Today, we worry about- I don’t have a better car, My kids do not converse in English language, We do not holiday once a year, I don’t buy branded clothes etc.
Holiday with family has become a much more planned activity. No more impulsive trips. Further, going for solo trips i.e. without family is also what we have got accustomed to. We took years to get accustomed to
If we try to review the changes within us we can easily conclude that its no longer ‘A loyal, stable, sincere and sticky Indian. Its an ‘looking for new and better choices’ that describes us better whether its for products, services or lifestyle.
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