Sachin=GOD Posted May 27, 2015 Posted May 27, 2015 I was born in a middle class family. I will, in all probability, die in one. But the interesting thing is that, in between these decades, the Indian middle class itself has undergone a fascinating transformation. It is this change that so powerfully captures the way this nation has grown, altering our lives and histories, our language and our libraries. As children, we were never really poor. Yes, my parents had no money. Nor did they have a home they could call their own. But that was not exactly unusual in those days. People rarely owned things. We were lucky. We had a radio. And some books collected over the years. My parents were teachers. Their idea of wealth was to see their children educated, doing decent jobs. I never completed my education but yes, all of us brothers did what we wanted to do. And if my parents were around today, they would have been happy to see the way we did it. We have homes now. We own cars, phones, TVs and, yes, most important, large collections of books and music. By their yardstick, we would be rich. But the goalposts have changed since. By today’s standards, we get by. Being wealthy is a state of mind. I think I am rich because I can afford to buy the books I want to read, watch the movies I want to see, listen to the music I want to hear. I can travel when I want to, where I want to. I can see the world my parents never got to see. For they rarely travelled. I, on the other hand, go wherever the world invites me. And I see, feel, observe, experience many more things than my parents did because life has been more generous to me. It has given me more opportunities. I seize them with both hands and try to make the best out of them. Yes, I often fail. But sometimes I succeed and these occasional successes help me to escape the mundane everyday life of the average middle class Indian. That’s what enriches me. That’s the wealth I will leave behind for my children as my parents left me the wealth of their memories, the narratives about the India they grew up in. And, Oh yes, the books. The middle class love stories. They love stories about hope and change. They love stories that empower them to live their lives better and enrich the society they live in. I may be living in Narendra Modi’s India, not very far from where Antilla towers, but I am proud to say I understand the darbari kannada better than I understand a debt mutual fund. Baba Amte will always remain a bigger hero for me than Sachin Tendulkar even though I love cricket. And even though I write this column on a laptop, I prefer writing personal letters by hand, using what is still quaintly described as a fountain pen. I still notice poor, homeless people on the street. I still feed stray animals and try to heal them when they are hurt. There are no beggars, no street dogs in my neighbourhood with whom I do not have an ongoing conversation just as I have with those who follow me on twitter. Wealth doesn’t impress me. But I envy those can find the time to do those wonderful things most middle class people do which no one talks about any more because good things are no longer part of popular discourse. Yet it’s middle class India that sets the agenda for the future. The rich may impress the media. They can keep buying and selling companies. They can keep corrupting our politicians, defrauding our banks, grabbing our coal blocks and parking their money in Swiss banks. But India’s moral spine remains unbroken because the middle class still believes in justice, honesty, honour and pride in the values that they have inherited from their parents whoever they may have been. The heirlooms they live with are not crafted out of gold. They are crafted out of knowledge and wisdom and ideals. That is why wherever you look today, it is middle class India that is throwing up the real heroes of our time. Their agenda for change remains intact despite all the heartbreaks, all the disappointments we live with. And, I dare say, some of the shame. So while I am, like most of you, impressed by what our Prime Minister keeps saying and all the reforms he has promised us in months to come, I would still like to believe that the India we will leave back for future generations must be as concerned about its art, its culture and its values as it is about its GDP growth and its budgetary deficit. Politics is not just the art of managing the economy. It is also about inspiring a nation and a people to discover where their true genius lies. I would like to believe it lies in our talent, in the values we have so tenaciously hung on to in a difficult and changing world where the discourse invariably focuses on what the rich demands or what the poor needs. We, the middle class, go largely unnoticed. We are not rich enough to influence policy. We are not poor enough to be won over by free water or electricity. So we remain what we always were, invisible. http://blogs.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/extraordinaryissue/we-the-invisible-middle-class/
G_B_ Posted May 27, 2015 Posted May 27, 2015 him middle class? I know for a fact he owns an apartment in Breach Candy in mumbai. He is not middle class. This pseudo should have been called out a long time ago. Middle class for me in todays india whose net worth ranges from 1 crore to 10 crore. (depending on the cities a person lives in)
rkt.india Posted May 27, 2015 Posted May 27, 2015 Pritish Nandy is middle class, really? I wish I could be a middle class like him.
Sachin=GOD Posted May 27, 2015 Author Posted May 27, 2015 I guess I shouldn't have put his name in the OP - at least then people would have read the article, which is rather good, instead of simply criticizing after seeing his name.
Raghav_12 Posted May 27, 2015 Posted May 27, 2015 what is difference between Middle class and Aam Admi ? Are they same? If not how they are different.
G_B_ Posted May 27, 2015 Posted May 27, 2015 I guess I shouldn't have put his name in the OP - at least then people would have read the article' date=' which is rather good, instead of simply criticizing after seeing his name.[/quote'] the first thing i do is read the authors name regardless of what is written. as rkt says i would love to me as middle class as mr nandy. he reminds me of a term in the uk used for left leaning pseudos. champagne socialist.
Sachin=GOD Posted May 27, 2015 Author Posted May 27, 2015 the first thing i do is read the authors name regardless of what is written. as rkt says i would love to me as middle class as mr nandy. he reminds me of a term in the uk used for left leaning pseudos. champagne socialist. I never read the author's name (unless of course its been shared by the author himself/herself as in this case where I saw this article from Nandy's twitter account) - it unnecessarily prejudices your mind for/against the piece even before reading it.
BeautifulGame Posted May 27, 2015 Posted May 27, 2015 what is difference between Middle class and Aam Admi ? Are they same? If not how they are different. Aam Admi generally tend to be the lower middle class isn't it?
BeautifulGame Posted May 27, 2015 Posted May 27, 2015 Nice article though exaggerating a lot . For example its always middle class who usually be ready to give bribes to get job done
Clarke Posted May 27, 2015 Posted May 27, 2015 him middle class? I know for a fact he owns an apartment in Breach Candy in mumbai. He is not middle class. This pseudo should have been called out a long time ago. Middle class for me in todays india whose net worth ranges from 1 crore to 10 crore. (depending on the cities a person lives in) Ur talking upper middle class for starters (1 crore+) and properly rich (10 crore) in ur supremely absurd range. I guess I shouldn't have put his name in the OP - at least then people would have read the article' date=' which is rather good, instead of simply criticizing after seeing his name.[/quote'] Article is an ego booster from a rich guy pretending to be middle class. Even if I were to ignore the author, how on earth does he club all of middle class as having values of justice/honesty/honor etc ? For starters, we wouldn't have tax compliance issues if our middle class was so hunky-dory. The middle class is simply a reflection of the overall society which is often corrupt, racist, homophobic, superstitious and what not. Its not even invisible for the record. There's bijli/paani/food security for poor just like there's lpg/university fee etc subsidy for the middle class. Yes, one can suggest that middle class doesn't get a fair deal but that is true for the poor as well.
beetle Posted May 27, 2015 Posted May 27, 2015 He is middle class the way Suresh Raina calls himself middle class....drive around in a Porsche ....date filmstars but dil se middle class.
Yoda-esque Posted May 27, 2015 Posted May 27, 2015 1-10 crore is upper middle class,not the middle middle class
amiret Posted May 27, 2015 Posted May 27, 2015 "..But India's moral spine remains unbroken because the middle class still believes in justice, " No. it does not . Most will emphatically declare , that some people have no right to a fair trial or due process.
Clarke Posted May 27, 2015 Posted May 27, 2015 1-10 crore is upper middle class' date='not the middle middle class[/quote'] Again, how on earth is a 10 crore worth individual/household not rich in India ?
Sachin=GOD Posted May 27, 2015 Author Posted May 27, 2015 1-10 crore is upper middle class' date='not the middle middle class[/quote'] 1-10 crore in India is rich even now.
Raghav_12 Posted May 27, 2015 Posted May 27, 2015 Aam Admi generally tend to be the lower middle class isn't it? Okay. That definition settles it. If Pritish Nandy is Middle Middle class, I am definitely lower middle classn and hence AAM Admi. :cantstop:
RedFever Posted May 27, 2015 Posted May 27, 2015 1-10 crore in India is rich even now. This range is including all the assets one own. If any one owns a 2 BHK flat in mumbai/delhi, it probably worth more than 1 crore, so in that sense 1-10 crore can be counted as being in middle class.
amiret Posted May 27, 2015 Posted May 27, 2015 As per National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER) ; In 2012 , being part India's top 1 % meant : households having an annual income of over Rs 12.5 lakh. LINK In 2010 NCAER stated that for the first time high income households outnumbered low income category after a decade of stupendous economic growth . The growing economy has spun a wheel of fortune for Indians, with high income households outnumbering those in the low category for the first time at the end of 2009-10, according to estimates made by think-tank NCAER. India has 46.7 million high income households as compared to 41 million in the low income category, the National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER) estimates on Earnings and Spendings have revealed. http://www.livemint.com/Politics/lbtMzPBzOd4rRTtKt4lx2I/Rich-Indian-households-outnumber-low-income-families-NCAER.html
urbestfriend Posted May 27, 2015 Posted May 27, 2015 him middle class? I know for a fact he owns an apartment in Breach Candy in mumbai. He is not middle class. This pseudo should have been called out a long time ago. Middle class for me in todays india whose net worth ranges from 1 crore to 10 crore. (depending on the cities a person lives in) Just realised I belong to BPL category :((
G_B_ Posted May 27, 2015 Posted May 27, 2015 My values are perfectly fine. The truth is that asset values in india are so out of whack that 1 crore has lost all meaning. My parents bought their apartment in Mumbai's eastern edges for 20 lakh in 1995. Its now 2.5 crore and keep in mind this is on the eastern edges. The city of Nashik a 1 bedroom apartment is now like 30-35 lakhs. 1 crore includes house + other savings etc obviously this is a crude metric. As a graduate starting out is probably not going to have the assets. So i guess there should be a minimum earning criteria. I should say maybe having assets of 1-10 crore or earning atleast 3 lakhs to 30 lakhs (depending on the city) would be classified as middle class. That should cover everybody.
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