Prakash Kumar

It once was. India, has a rich culture and people irrespective of income levels by and large have lived peacefully. Not really known for high tolerant levels but still there is an undefined place for the rich and poor. However, historicaly, the middle class somehow lived sandwitched between the two- it always will be, but there is a paradign shift in the fabric of middle class now. Now middle class is not just middle. It is upward middle. Critic will say otherwise but I am talking about the vast majority and not the underpriveldged in the class.

Owning a hatchback sedan, definietly owning a 2 wheeler, owning a house in mid-size city, at the cusp of taking a home loan and fulfilling the ambition of mortage in Class-A city, a mindset which says get educated and bring greenbacks, open and invest (not yet trade) in online Demat accounts, flash credit cards, shop at big departmental stores rather than mom-pop shops, see movies at a cost of around Rs150/- per movie, dream about IIT/IIMs, go for live ins, roam with girl(boy) friends and celebrate valentine days like a Diwali – these are some of the traits which have settled in a typical middle class junta. Its nothing wrong with it, but isn’t this something which was kind of reserved with the upper class – Oh, yes, It was.

But then it was then – it is not then it is now. Things have changed albeit for betterment of the buregoise and the best which has changed is the mindset when the fairer sex is competing and winning on level playing grounds and gone are the days when working in a public sector/government was consider niche. The near equality of sexes in most walk of life was achieved with the growth of the middle class wherein fairer sex participated in all walks of life which its male counterparts were otherwise doing. Notably studying outside of their home town. These are very simple traits but they have been totally missing when the HIG’s dominated and the LIGs sulked.Middle class has grown tall and many stories of professionals setting up their own companies and doing the rounds. Time is not far when the Indian middle class will be shoulder with its high income counterparts.

While this paradigm was setting, the high income group pretty much sat on its past laurels and engaged in wordly pleasure. Today, that section of society barring exceptions are bereft with state of the art knowledge and do not have the world class educational laurels which are well and truly the repository of great Indian middle class. IIT, IIMs and other premier Insitutes have churned out hundreds and thousands of world class leaders over the last several decades. The alumni and the contacts which today a middle class professional can boast of remains unparalleled.

What’s next? – This is the tough part. So far the middle class has acted selfish and have mostly been engaged in its own richess – accumulating wealth at a frenzy pace by virtue of maintaining a miserly standard of living and have limited to no contribution to bring about societal changes. Few have – but as always the discussions is about the vast majority. If the middle class of today has to get the due recognition they have to become leaders in the eyes of society – today they are just confined to the their honcho touch in close quartret of friends and family (extended family in some case). More NRN and similar entreprenuer brains needs to come forth and set up insitutions of excellence and start participating in missions and tasks which helps the society rather than themselvees. Benefits to self will eventually come as goodwill will stem in. Some of the millions of successful professional amassing wealth overseas, need to come India for business prupose and engage Federal authority to bring about change – and not just make an annual trip for festivities and family gatherings.

Few will also have to join bureaurcracy and politics-which today has become a fiefdom of the incompetents and greed. Corruption in each walk of life, red tapism and white collar culture has ruined the fabric of business in prestigious institutions and a complete transformation is required. No one else can do this – than those who knows how to manage society. Donations and helping the poor and unprivledged needs to come because unless everyone grows – the Country growth no matter what the GDP number will say will always be questionable.

Time is ripe for the Great Indian Middle Class to take the leap – which their High Income Group counterpart missed. This is an opportunity for payback – This is not a time to rant success stories of individuals in family gathering over the pillars of labour arbitrage, exchange rates, body shops and in some cases “chop shop:” These are something which needs to be dispensed with – We need to bring about the success stories to the masses. Come on – Build India.