With our top designers advising and training even the most basic weaver and craftsmen's clusters in styling and urban adaptability, folk fashion has finally become contemporary, comfortable and chic
Pop patriotism has been around for probably a decade but it is only now that our young people have internalised it in spirit. So national symbolism is no longer a matter of hoisting flags or wearing desi wear, like a badge of honour or uniform; it is about the sensibility and confidence of being comfortable with their identity and being a global Indian than an Indian global citizen.
Understandably, the market has risen to the challenge. And be it the hashtag campaigns for sari or handloom or the elite involvement in the promotion of Indianness, the consumers have never had it better. The most significant impact has been on fashion and design. With our top designers advising and training even the most basic weaver and craftsmen's clusters in styling and urban adaptability, folk fashion has finally become contemporary, comfortable and chic. From scarf knots to ikat jootis, jewellery to funk. Even online portals are in a rush to sell geo-specific products. In fact, the handloom sari boom has happened online much before Union Textile Minister Smriti Irani posed in Bhagalpuri silk. Online sales have significantly revived the gossamer Chanderi and Phulia sari industry. Meanwhile, khadi is into its second wave, venturing from the student-activist to the corporate workwear space. It is expected to take over our collective fascination with linen.
There is an ethno-classic revolution in the home interior space as well. Not in the 80s' sort of way, when it was about building collections from cottage emporia, but in the uber cool way of lighting up even a bachelor's pad. Now the kitsch art surrounding an auto, rickshaw, trucks, trunks and tin kettles make for a cool statement piece in our homes just as elephants and florals are back in popular design, from motifs, to furnishings and crockery.
However, it is in the food and beverage space that the ethno-revolution is most palpable. Be it the spurt in home-grown organic companies (which adroitly package themselves as priced cheaper than MNCs and ploughing back benefits to the country), ayurvedic and herbal wellness concepts or the fusion platters of tony diners, food has been the most powerful expression of how we have redefined ourselves. If it was about pursuing authentic French, Italian, Mexican and Japanese flavours some time ago, this year's Independence day specials feature tricoloured parmesan gnocchi with vine cherry tomatoes and fresh basil with home-grown spices and even tricoloured macaroons. Why, there are even cakes shaped like the Parliament building! Finally, we are having our cake and eating it too.