India's burgeoning middle class is a trope that appears in much recent discussion of the country's economic rise. Variously estimated at between 100 million and 400 million, depending on how they are measured, they're central to the story of contemporary India and their ranks are indisputably increasing as the country's economy grows.
But who are these people, and what values do they represent?
We know them as consumers powering India's economic engine to the point where India's growth has been largely unaffected by the recent global economic downturn. Any casual visitor to the many shopping malls that have sprung up across the nation has seen this buying power at work in shops and food courts that are packed day and night. These people have money, and they're spending it. As incomes rise, spending patterns shift, with the new middle class spending a decreasing share of its budget on basic necessities such as food and clothing and an increasing share on consumer goods, health, education and, depending on their level of affluence, everything from scooters to automobiles.
Having bracketed the middle class as consumers, many analysts and even politicians point out their apathy and disengagement from the political process, citing low turnout rates during elections compared to the poor, who vote in large numbers.
But are things changing?
The recent saga of Baba Ramdev and his disrupted fast in New Delhi has revealed at least a portion of the same middle class as his principal support base. Finally, we're getting a fascinating glimpse into the values and aspirations that animate at least some of this newly-risen bourgeoisie.
Amitabha Pande, a retired senior civil servant and astute observer of the Indian scene, described to me via e-mail Ramdev's followers thus: "There is a whole new class coming out of the non-metro cities and towns who are increasingly assertive of their verna [...]
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