We no longer believe in following trends, rather we create our own. Here is a list of ten major changes that define the choice and attitude of a modern nation
Bravehearts
In an age of consumerism, it was hard to believe in the strength of civil society. But when lakhs of people took to streets couple of years ago supporting the anti-corruption crusade of Anna Hazare, the world described our moment as “Arab Spring” of India. The youth, who was even dubbed as “dented and painted” by the politicians later, came in full force to support the national cause. The movement consolidated the lost glory of “revolutionists” on streets and youth became the new-age leaders. Even a six-year-old, wearing the symbolic “black” courageously vented out anger via national media. The similar protests were witnessed against the infamous December 16 gangrape last year. Delhi’s bravehearts, who raise their voice in a matter of time, also inspire the young force in other parts of country to stand in unity.
Noteworthy change
With times, tunes have changed, literally! Indian musicians are experimenting, composing quirky lyrics like never before. While songs like Masti Ki Pathsahala, Style Mein Rehne Ka and All Is Well describe “cool” attitude of today’s youth, there is enormous use of folk tunes and vernaculars in music with modern interpretation. The out-of-the-box lyrics like Sasural Genda Phool and Ibn-e-Batuta are a hit while Salim-Sulaiman’s adaptation of Raghupati Raghav Raja Ram (Satyagraha) reflects the spirit of Indians who are moving ahead with the world but are culturally-rooted.
Indie-voice
When critics say we are in the golden period of cinema, they have a point. Actors like Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Tannishtha Chatterjee have become the poster faces and films like Ship of Theseus, Dhobi Ghat, The lunchbox, Kahaani, Gangs of Wasseypur are being discussed at length. Even on global platform including Cannes and Oscars, Indian films are winning accolades. Interestingly, the line between indie, parallel and mainstream is blurring in Bollywood.
Out of the closet
She has posed in a Viktor and Rolf body suit and donned the Dolce & Gabbana, but what makes international paparazzi go gaga about her style statement is her saris. Be it a drape in bold prints by Masaba Gupta or an embroidered one by Manish Malhotra, Sonam Kapoor has made it obvious on more than one occasions that if you want to be tagged as stylishly cool, go for Indian wear. And to say that no one is taking an inspiration will be wrong. While a few years back, Indian women flaunted evening gowns or dresses they once collected while on a Europe tour, they are now proudly pulling their zardozi and chikankari saris out of the closet and flaunting them with equal élan.
Traditional wear with a little twist is the modern slogan to stay stylish. Courtesy our Bollywood divas and designers like Manish Arora, who took nose rings to international ramp.
A single track
They are the ‘It’ girls who do not mind travelling in the overcrowded local buses in their ganjis, cargos and branded sunshades. You would even spot them helping the artisans and taking pictures of women engaged in creating fabrics in remote villages of South India. They do not need company, all they care about is following their hearts. Single women travellers are on a rise in India and they don’t travel just for business trips, they have different reasons. Some go for trekking in the Himalayas, some on a road trip to ladakh and some are spotted in some serene valleys, taking a break from their hectic lives.
Molecular makeover
Whosoever pointed fingers at us on our plating and experiments in food from the global world, would surely be regretting her/his comments at present. We have an example of Indian chef presenting raita as an amuse bouche, where the spiced yogurt is served in spherical shapes using sodium alginate as a setting agent. We also got to know about Jiggs Kalra’s Masala library in Mumbai, that’s apparently will be the first Indian restaurant to serve dishes with molecular gastronomy applied to all their dishes. If you followed recently concluded edition of MasterChef India, you would agree that we have come a long way when it comes to plating of our food. Even our dahi papdi chaat is served like it’s an exotic dish invented differently by any of our chefs.
Night rockers!
It’s no more a sin to start your evening at eight and wind it up by the Cinderella hour. There is no dearth of options to keep you up and out till late in the night. We are not talking about the five star options for which one has to dig the pockets deep and save for months. There are concept cafes and joints that come up with interesting concerts and theme parties to offer you choices. And finally some one out there has understood that we don’t get out only to eat, but sometimes just to enjoy a quiet evening, at times even alone with nice music. Some only want to catch up with friends with a few rounds of drinks. So we have an increasing number of street side cafes.
Welcome the new breed
While Rajeev Khandelwal hosted the Nat Geo Super Cars recently, Anil Kapoor is all set to replace Kiefer Sutherland in Fox Networks’ 24. There is definitely a reason behind international broadcasters adding desi flavour to their shows. English entertainment and edutainment channels have for long aired their original foreign shows in the country. However, in a bid to woo a much aware Indian audience and gather a bigger share of the advertising tart, they have started catering to local taste. So be it living With A Superstar, featuring Shah Rukh Khan on TlC or It Happens Only in India with Sugandha Garg on Fox Traveller, Indian television has seen itself gradually blossom into a new era.
Text is the best
Apples and blackberries have meant much more to us than just fruits. The market may be congested with Galaxies, iPhones and Bolds, but the craze for the same hasn’t died. Indians like to go an extra mile. Indian brands like Micromax, Karbonn, Zen, lava, Spice and Intex have comfortably managed to make their way in. Having established themselves in the entry level market, they now even feature foreign locales and models in their campaigns to prove that their products are at par with others. With a price range that starts at Rs 4,000 and ends at Rs 12,000, brands like Micromax and Karbonn have reached the number two spot on the popularity chart.
We like to share
Today’s generation basically likes to ‘share’. Be it their sister’s wedding or their dog’s birthday, everyone looks their best so that they can put up pictures on Facebook or BBM. We have been exploded with social media in the form of Twitter, Instagram, Google+, We Chat or Whatsapp. Majority of our socially-empowered countrymen are busy with virtual check-ins at clubs, Instagramming pictures of stray dogs on streets, composing quirky tweets and sharing how ‘horrible’ their science lecture was. So, you can like a post because you love your father, talk about your solitude or start a revolution through a group.