The times have changed. I remember the time when I was 14 years old. My aunt gifted me a Sony walkman. it costed all of 350 rupees, and I considered it the most precious of my possessions. I would buy a casette for that walkman every month, by saving on my pocket money. Apart from that the only other "electronic" item that I owned in those days was a Nintendo video game called "Donkey Kong". and I can still vouch for the countless hours of bliss that I had experienced whilst playing with it.
Circa 2011.The minimum gadjet requirements for a typical present day 14 year old is an i pod, an i phone(or blackberry), a latop( or a high end desktop), a PS3 or a X box 360(depending on where his/her loyalties lie) AND a highspeed Internet connection for each of these devices. For the rich, a high end music system and a good car is probably the next logical choice.
Well, the demands are astronomical, but can we really blame them? In this age of "connectivity" everybody is "connected" 24x7. Connected to work, connected to friends, connected to news, even connected to games.This is the age of Omnipresence.
The consumer basket for the homemaker is also not bereft of a varied choices today. Gone are the days when a refrigerator was available in one size, with two or three companies to choose from. Today you can literally choose from hundreds of models made by hundreds of manufacturers. The TV is growing in size,and what was "standard" yesterday, quickly becomes "too small" today. Plasma, LCD, LED: The range is astonishing!
The "family car" has also evolved.From a two car choice in almost the whole of 70s and 80s, the car the companies are now bringing in hundreds of models to choose from. The consumer is tempted to buy cars which cost more than the cost of their houses in many of the Tier II Tier III cities.Shining new leather trapestry, wooden panelling and futuristic gadjetry in the car(ranging from mostly useless to utterly unnecessary) are used as excuses to drive up the prices of car to exhorbitant levels. In most urban families, Car loans are now standard monthly expenses just like Home Loan and the sundry.
Is this progress? Or are we being consumeed by unnecessary wants, created by the deafening din of ads promoted by "evil" multinational giants? All I can say is that behind all this conspicuous consumption is the desire of the common man to rise above the ordinary. Rise above the depressing atmosphere created by the politics of the country playing out unabashedly in front of his eyes. Rise above the discrimination meted out to him everyday in th guise of state, caste and religion. Rise above the depressing newsfeeds everyday which talks about the crimes commited by the powerful against the hapless citizens. Owning the latest 4'' Android smartphone somehow makes you forget about the frustrations at your workplace, and the news looks less gloomy on a 50'' Full HD LED TV!
Circa 2011.The minimum gadjet requirements for a typical present day 14 year old is an i pod, an i phone(or blackberry), a latop( or a high end desktop), a PS3 or a X box 360(depending on where his/her loyalties lie) AND a highspeed Internet connection for each of these devices. For the rich, a high end music system and a good car is probably the next logical choice.
Well, the demands are astronomical, but can we really blame them? In this age of "connectivity" everybody is "connected" 24x7. Connected to work, connected to friends, connected to news, even connected to games.This is the age of Omnipresence.
The consumer basket for the homemaker is also not bereft of a varied choices today. Gone are the days when a refrigerator was available in one size, with two or three companies to choose from. Today you can literally choose from hundreds of models made by hundreds of manufacturers. The TV is growing in size,and what was "standard" yesterday, quickly becomes "too small" today. Plasma, LCD, LED: The range is astonishing!
The "family car" has also evolved.From a two car choice in almost the whole of 70s and 80s, the car the companies are now bringing in hundreds of models to choose from. The consumer is tempted to buy cars which cost more than the cost of their houses in many of the Tier II Tier III cities.Shining new leather trapestry, wooden panelling and futuristic gadjetry in the car(ranging from mostly useless to utterly unnecessary) are used as excuses to drive up the prices of car to exhorbitant levels. In most urban families, Car loans are now standard monthly expenses just like Home Loan and the sundry.
Is this progress? Or are we being consumeed by unnecessary wants, created by the deafening din of ads promoted by "evil" multinational giants? All I can say is that behind all this conspicuous consumption is the desire of the common man to rise above the ordinary. Rise above the depressing atmosphere created by the politics of the country playing out unabashedly in front of his eyes. Rise above the discrimination meted out to him everyday in th guise of state, caste and religion. Rise above the depressing newsfeeds everyday which talks about the crimes commited by the powerful against the hapless citizens. Owning the latest 4'' Android smartphone somehow makes you forget about the frustrations at your workplace, and the news looks less gloomy on a 50'' Full HD LED TV!
