Roti, Kapda, Makaan aur Mobile. Gaadi bhi?

Gone are those days when Roti, Kapda aur Makaan (food, cloth and shelter) were the only basic necessities. Last ten years has marked significant changes in the life style of an average Indian and even below average Indian. Think of a man who somehow got isolated from this world 10 years from now and suddenly he returns today. For him, suddenly everybody has a mobile phone and a major portion of the society is capable of owning a car and planning to buy one.

Is mobile no more a luxury item? No, now it is a basic necessity. Is car no more a luxury vehicle? Don’t know, let’s see. 10 years back or may be even earlier, car used to be a status symbol which was meant only for the high class. Because of the stiff competition between national and international automobile companies and better banking services; now a middle class Indian is capable enough to buy a car. Story and journey of mobile phones is more successful and has reached greater heights. We have basic mobile sets starting from Rs 800 to web-enabled mobile sets with audio-video playing and capturing facilities which costs up to 40,000 Rs. A mobile set for everyone in the society and that’s why mobile phone shifted from luxury item zone to basic necessity zone. It’s wonderful to see how the mobile and mobile services have connected everybody irrespective of the bank balance. Credit goes to the visionaries.

But the change in the lifestyle is so fast that it’s been difficult for most of the Indians to acknowledge it. Like, soon after the successful launch of Tata’s Nano demo car, my mailbox was full with mails mocking the 1 Lac dream car. Cartoon strips of a man asking for Nano car in exchange for a scooter, a kid preferring Nano car for a toy car, house maid coming by car and much more were flooded on the internet. I saw insecurity in the talks of the people who still think that car belongs to upper middle class. Sorry, my dear friends, it does not. Soon, car will be a basic necessity. We are on the right track and trust me, we are not riding fast. After all, we are incredible and unstoppable Indians.

-Jasdeep Mandia