The Great Indian Middle Class

If you want to see the great Indian middle class at its most colourful and nosiest, where would you go?

Well, I suggest you try one of the various low-cost airlines flight or the airport of any major Indian city/ town. The signs of new-found wealth are unmistakable. Not many years ago, air-travel was a luxury affordable to the rich or to the high ranking executives whose travel was borne by their organizations. Not so anymore. Increasingly more middle class youngsters are opting to save the tedious hours spent in a train journey and instead hop to their destinations in less than half the time – all courtesy of the budget airlines. The laptop swinging IT brigade is ubiquitously present at every airport and in every flight. But more and more families are taking the aerial route for their pleasure trips. And the more the merrier.

As I occupied the last row Aisle seat in an Air Deccan flight to Kolkata, I couldn’t help but hear an unmistakable scratching sound. A sideways glance revealed my neighbor playfully engaged in making the best use of his pen in dowsing the itch in his armpit… gross! A few minutes into the flight and the rush for the restrooms were palpable. I simply could not ignore the queue right behind and around my seat. Multiple seatbelts-on warnings were conveniently ignored as ladies, gents and kids suddenly had a simultaneous urge to relieve themselves. Two boys, traveling with their mom, were creating a ruckus a couple of rows ahead with all the toys they had brought on board. Some of them looked like they had been picked up from the neighbourhood mela when they had been visiting their mama or tau or mausi or chacha. And of course there were the beetle-nut chewing babus at their shining best in starched white shirt and trouser, further accentuated by their flapping Bata slippers!

It is a sign of the changing times. As the 400 million strong educated Indian middle class grabs an increasing share of the new jobs and as the Indian polity embraces Capitalistic Socialism, you can only observe this scenario in other areas. Check out any new shopping mall, multiplex theater, restaurant, etc – and you cannot miss the vibrant Indian Middle Class.