The changing trends of lifestyles in India

The lifestyle and buying trend in India has undergone a pragmatic shift in the last 20 years or so. It is not just urban India which has ushered in the change, but also rural India, where technology has transformed the lives almost completely. This immense change in the lifestyle of the Indian man, has been brought about due to the single decision to open up to International trade, and undertake policies which could be called as the Liberation Privatization and Globalization model, that had been ushered by the present Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh, the finance minister in 1991.

India, with its huge population and consumer oriented policies, soon became the destination of choice for the global investors. Soon, India was introduced to fizz cans from global majors like Pepsi and Coke besides a huge list of articles from the West. This, along with rising per capita income brought about a change in the spending pattern of the middle class Indian, both in the rural and urban areas. Television shows, which had been blockbuster hits in the West, are found to be telecast in Indian homes in their ‘desi’ avatar. There has been a shift towards the free flowing nature of lifestyle which is practiced in the west.

Yes it is apparent that a paradigm shift is taking place in consumer behavior in India with a confident growing middle class asserting itself– this is a shame as this is eroding the pure culture, which once was the pride of Indians with the delusional aspects of a debased and spiritually empty Western model. India has been exposed to the full blow of western culture, so much so, that today, children are shy or unwilling to touch the feet of their elders, which used to be an involuntary action in times gone by!

This may seem innocent to those who are concerned solely with making profit. But, in order to make a sustainable, holistic and rooted progress in India, which will be able to realize the projected 30 year boom, it will require sensitivity to cultural idiom. If this subtle, yet extremely vital metaphysical notion is understood by those who are responsible for progress in India, it will certainly result in permanence of all round progress and not progress in fits and starts as is seen today. Western capitalism is near dead and the admittedly paradoxical new wave of Indian social(ist) capitalism has begun and this alone can propel India to the very top of economic prowess.

Life in Dal Lake. Paradise on water.

Lifestyle, simply, a way of life. The concept has undergone immense changes over the years. Sometimes, it changes as rapidly as along the generations, and sometimes it manages to remain the same, standing through the acid test of generations and remaining the same for years at long.

Lifestyle is what defines the community. Marauding along the fence, separating change and constancy, lifestyle is what makes a society, and fills the void that exists between them.

Lifestyles differs from one part of the world to another. The people in one corner of the world will be amazed to learn about the lifestyles followed in the other sections of society, across the globe.

Here I have the chance of bringing together some of the different lifestyles across the world. The form of lifestyle that struck me as the most adventurous one is the lifestyle of people settled on boats and contented to live their entire life on water. This is a tradition that has been preserved in still water across several generations. It is still very evident and well known in certain parts of the earth, like Kashmir.

The essence of Kashmir is unmatchable in spirit. With all the political disturbances and commotions that have crowded Kashmir’s lifestyles, it has managed to retain the culture over the years. Kashmir, in a few words, is the pride of India. Totally secluded from the rest of the country, the state has a glorious reserve of rich culture.

 We can almost see an entire settlement, families settled on the boats. These boats are especially designed to house the members that reside on it. Life sure is unsteady on boats, but it is a whole new level of adventure. Houseboats form one of the most exquisite features of lifestyle in Kashmir. This tradition commenced during the British rule, when the foreigners sought to life on the boats as hotels as they were prohibited from buying lands. The concept today is far different from that.

In today’s world, houseboats are a place or medium of a strong rusty romantic atmosphere. Apart from the residents themselves, the tourists have accepted the idea with open arms. Houseboats on the Dal Lake have become one of the best tourist attractions. Not only is the accommodation available, but there are shops and similar businesses operating in the middle of the lakes on the boats. Life on water bodies is made self sufficient and comfortable for everyone who chooses this form of lifestyle.

The best exhibition of culture and lifestyle is presented through the life lived in floating, on pieces of wood that assures you safety in the middle of the waters. Houseboats have been made popular through a variety of events that managed to spread the culture to the world. In 1966, one of the greatest in the music industry, Pandit Ravi Shankar, taught George Harrison to play the sitar, a musical instrument, on one of the houseboats on the Dal Lake. As I speak, the great Ravi Shankar’s recent demise indicates a sense of loss to the world of music. May his soul rest in peace.  

One of the oldest lifeboats in Kashmir, named as the Inline Royal Sovereign.

I have always wanted to live an adventurous life, and this is one of the lifestyles I have fancied! We all learn so much about these exotic places, but for myself, these innovative ideas have always enthralled me! This is a great lifestyle, to be living on a form of physical feature that some people have a phobia of, trusting those few pieces of wood of the houseboat, enough to rest ourselves on those, and keeping faith in our fellow residents. This is indeed a simpler form of lifestyle, away from the din and commotion of city life, getting us closer and closer to the most natural creations of nature. 

The epiphany, through life in the waters, is what captivates me!