The arrival of the “People’s Car” (equivalent US$2,421) — Nano — on Indian roads “is a symbol of the coming-of-age of mass consumerism in the developing world,” says Andrew Buncombe of The Independent.
“India’s roads are broken and inadequate, the country is overcrowded and there is a middle class of anywhere up to 300 million people who might be tempted to buy a Nano. The equation simply does not add up; the result would be chaos.
“Yet the roll-out last month of this neatly-designed 625cc vehicle has implications that go far beyond India’s roads. As much as any single event can do, the production of the Nano marks a potential tipping-point for the entire planet.
“In India, …the new car is just one example of a consumer revolution that is sweeping the nation. Shopping malls are being built at a dizzying pace, each targeting a different slice of the consumer market – from the decidedly utilitarian complexes that might house a very basic supermarket and an outlet of KFC to the positively luxurious marble-floored malls of high-end designer stores, restaurants and art galleries.
“In 2000 there were just three such malls in India; today the estimated total is 350.
“Whatever lingering image India may have as nation of ascetics, since the reforms of the early 1990s began to develop the economy, middle-class Indians have embraced consumerism with a rare passion.
“Take a weekend trip to one of these malls and you will see whole families, couples and young women spending the entire day in this clean, intoxicating environment and go home laden with bags from expensive stores.
“On their way home, such families may well stop at traffic lights where a malnourished child (an estimated 700 million Indians still live on less than $2 a day) will be hawking copies of Vogue.
“In their new book, Newspeak in the 21st Century, media critics David Edwards and David Cromwell cite American psychologist Tim Kasser, who says: ‘Existing scientific research on the value of materialism yields clear and consistent findings. People who are highly focused on materialistic values have lower personal well-being and psychological health than those who believe materialistic pursuits are relatively unimportant’.”
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Photo above courtesy The Hindu: Chairman of Tata Motors, Ratan Tata hands over the key of the first Nano car to Ashok Raghunath Vichare in Mumbai last month.
Swaraaj Chauhan describes his two-decade-long stint as a full-time journalist as eventful, purposeful, and full of joy and excitement. In 1993 he could foresee a different work culture appearing on the horizon, and decided to devote full time to teaching journalism (also, partly, with a desire to give back to the community from where he had enriched himself so much.)
Alongside, he worked for about a year in 1993 for the US State Department’s SPAN magazine, a nearly five-decade-old art and culture monthly magazine promoting US-India relations. It gave him an excellent opportunity to learn about things American, plus the pleasure of playing tennis in the lavish American embassy compound in the heart of New Delhi.
In !995 he joined WWF-India as a full-time media and environment education consultant and worked there for five years travelling a great deal, including to Husum in Germany as a part of the international team to formulate WWF’s Eco-tourism policy.
He taught journalism to honors students in a college affiliated to the University of Delhi, as also at the prestigious Indian Institute of Mass Communication where he lectured on “Development Journalism” to mid-career journalists/Information officers from the SAARC, African, East European and Latin American countries, for eight years.
In 2004 the BBC World Service Trust (BBC WST) selected him as a Trainer/Mentor for India under a European Union project. In 2008/09 He completed another European Union-funded project for the BBC WST related to Disaster Management and media coverage in two eastern States in India — West Bengal and Orissa.
Last year, he spent a couple of months in Australia and enjoyed trekking, and also taught for a while at the University of South Australia.
Recently, he was appointed as a Member of the Board of Studies at Chitkara University in Chandigarh, a beautiful city in North India designed by the famous Swiss/French architect Le Corbusier. He also teaches undergraduate and postgraduate students there.
He loves trekking, especially in the hills, and never misses an opportunity to play a game of tennis. The Western and Indian classical music are always within his reach for instant relaxation.
And last, but not least, is his firm belief in the power of the positive thought to heal oneself and others.