Young India by Pallav Nayak

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SUNDAY, AUGUST 24, 2014

New Delhi

YOUNG INDIA BASED ON YOUTH SURVEY 2014

youthandtheirmanyfacets

CONSUMERISM: BIG ON BARGAINS

% Say they are

always on the lookout for bargains

% Visit a cafe

India’s youth succumbs to and denies brand obsession in the same breath. But what everyone loves is a ‘good deal’

with a friend of opposite sex

>>P04

RELATIONSHIPS: LOVE ALL

Say they’ve cheated on their partner

% Think

They are open to relationships in the name of experiments. Their beliefs, however, are full of double standards

pre-marital sex is no longer a taboo

>>P08

TRADITIONS: VALUES AND MORE

ILLUSTRATION: MALAY KARMAKAR / RAJ K RAJ / SOUMYA KHANDELWAL

% Say they

Claim they pray regularly

Most youngsters claim they pray regularly. But those in bigger cities are less faithful than their counterparts in smaller cities

Equal opportunity 57 in nation building 83

prefer to live in a joint family

>>P12

SOCIAL MEDIA: ALWAYS LINKED-IN

% Say they

access a social networking site daily

In-person interactions are passe, and the young is just an imaginary version of who they are. Nobody’s yet to unplug to connect

A HINDUSTAN TIMES-MaRS POLL A new generation of youth is evolving: One that believes in the idea of India. They are in search of a hero who they believe could turn India around for them Sandipan Sharma

Y UTH SURVEY 2014

■

sandipan.sharma@hindustantimes.com

o you think there is a clear caricature of Indian youth in front of us? They love winners — Narendra Modi; do not idolise losers — Rahul Gandhi; fear the invincible and the invisible — God; and chase the increasingly improbable — a virgin spouse after trying to get off with someone else on the sidelines of the arranged nuptial bed, a pleasure only a few find publicly acceptable. We are convinced they are addicted to Twitter handles, bona-fide citizens of the republic of Facebook; that their favoured, you may argue only, form of interaction is through the social media, where they live in the world of makebelieve and 140 characters. The 2014 HT-MaRS Youth survey on the youth of India reinforces most of our beliefs and reestablishes many of our value-judgments. No surprise there, you could say, based on anecdotal evidence and political pulse. Look again. There amidst the crowd of confused desis (not American born, the alphabet has progressed beyond ABCD) is a new generation evolving: the one that believes in the idea of India. Contrast the results with the 2013 survey. It had Barack Obama written all over it as the biggest political icon for youngsters. Now the defining grammar and idiom is of Modi. This could be a logical culmination of the quest that was betrayed in the 2013 result: need for a strong leader and yearning for somebody who could modify our genetic defects like corruption and terrorism. Now that the youth have found one, the American O has given way to the

pleasure of a homegrown idol. When youngsters start taking interest in politics — considered an anathema till recently but now an online trend — it is a clear sign that their intellectual energy is being channelised in the direction of nation-building. Modi’s place of pride in the urban legend — 65% youth across cities find him an inspirational figure — suggests the young have found somebody they believe could turn India around for them and, more importantly, they are willing to back him. ‘Life is shor t, oppor tunity fleeting,’ Hippocrates said. So, is this a tipping point in India’s history, an encore of the Jai Prakash moment? Perhaps. You have a generation that believes in a hero, in his dreams and slogans; a generation that believes that somebody is ready to take them past their history of 67 years. A generation that believes problems and corrupt politicians can be fixed. Anna Hazare let them down after the tumultuous sloganeering and Tricolour-waving of 2011. Arvind Kejriwal — whom 13% still idolise — let them down after the high of 2013. Will their current hero lead this confused, angry, demanding generation to the promised wonder that was and could be India? And let’s not even begin to talk about Rahul Gandhi, Sushma Swaraj, Nitish Kumar and a whole lot of other politicians who we thought will lead us to the next generation. Opportunity is fleeting. Past year’s icon Obama has slipped into oblivion. Amitabh Bachchan, the favoured Bollywood icon from the previous survey, doesn’t even find a mention this year. You can add one more trait to the caricature of the young Indian: patience is short, adoration is fleeting. Heroes of 2014 beware!

Say social media helped their love life

>>P16

POLITICS: CHANGE AGENTS STEP IN

Of BJP voters were influenced by Modi

% Of Cong

An increasingly engaged young is leading the call for change in India. For them, content is more important than age

voters were influenced by Rahul Gnahdi

>>P18

ASPIRATIONS: PURSUING HAPPINESS

Say they are very happy with life

% Say they are

Global or local, for India’s youngsters, dreams mean hard work, and early start is already a step ahead in the game

worried about their future

>>P20

ICONS: SUPERHEROES SUPERCLUB

Vote Amitabh Bachchan as Indian film icon

Step aside Kejriwal, PM Modi is Indian political icon. Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif continue to rule hearts

% Say Modi is

the biggest icon of Indian politics

>>P22

METHODOLOGY: The survey was carried out among 5,214 urban youth in the 18-25 age group in 15 cities across India — Delhi, Lucknow, Jaipur, and Chandigarh in the north, Kolkata, Patna, Ranchi in the East, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Pune and Indore in the West, and Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad and Kochi in the South.

H I N DU STAN T I M ES , N EW D E L H I S U N DAY, AUGUST 24, 2014

p htspecial

A HINDUSTAN TIMES-MaRS POLL

YOUNG INDIA

YOUTH & CONSUMERISM

Big on bargains, always ILLUSTRATION: MALAY KARMAKAR / RAJ K RAJ / SOUMYA KHANDELWAL

56%

Youngsters in Delhi made some unaffordable purchases this year. Nationwide, 50% men indulged in such purchases as compared to 52% women.

GOOD-DEAL HUNTERS

Men

`2,499

`2,624

AHMEDABAD

CHANDIGARH

PUNE

DELHI

MUMBAI

`2,277 `2,301 `2,151 `2,257

JAIPUR

CHENNAI

`1,933

INDORE

Women said they are always on the lookout for bargains while making their shopping decisions. Men, too, aren't too far behind on this. 30% of them said they're always looking for a cheap deal

`1,616

`1,756 `1,768 `1,844

`2,020 `2,075

LUCKNOW

32%

`1,439

`1,651

RANCHI

Average total monthly pocket expenses of youth in Ahmedabad. A youngster in Delhi, in comparison, spent `2,277, while one in Kolkata spent only `1,439

`2,152

Women

COCHIN

PEOPLE TEND TO STEREOTYPE, OFTEN IN A SEXIST MANNER, THAT WOMEN GOSSIP, SHOP, THAT THEY ARE SPENDTHRIFTS ETC. THE TRUTH, HOWEVER, IS VERY DIFFERENT

2,624

`1,876

(Figures represent average monthly spend)

PATNA

A young Indian woman is more likely to splurge on personal care and grooming, but a young Indian man will lavish himself on cellphones, gadgets, movies and coffee shops. Stereotypes about what the Indian youth consumes and how they spend their money might get a jolt with the findings of this year’s edition of the HT-MaRS Youth Survey, which was conducted among 5,000 respondents in 15 Indian cities. The survey found that a woman spends `442 per month on an average, while a man spends `329 on personal care and grooming. On an average, men spend `276 per month in coffee shops and fast food joints while women spend `240. On movie tickets, men spend `379 while women dole out `331. Men, once again, spend considerably more on cellphones at `462 per month on an average but the data for women is `400. “There are a lot of things in and around us that we attribute to gender differences, and hold them against women. People tend to stereotype, often in a sexist manner, that women gossip, women shop, women are spendthrifts, and women are dumb. The truth is something different, and the survey results throw light on that,” says 25-year-old Nishtha Singh, an alumnus of the Indian Institute of Management, Lucknow, and the owner of a handicrafts company. The survey also breaks myths about the geography of spending. The most “extravagant” youth are not in Delhi or Mumbai but in Ahmedabad, where young people spent an average of `2,624 monthly on themselves. Delhi’s youth spent `2,277 and Mumbai’s `2,257. The least “materialistic” youth are in Kolkata, where the spending was around `1,400 on an average in a month. “Brand projection and availability play an important role in the consumerist aspirations of the youth. And in Kolkata, I feel, these are weak. That’s perhaps a major issue why consumer brand penetration is less in the city,” says Sreyan Ghosh (24), an architect from Kolkata, who is doing a post-graduate course at the National Institute of Design in Bangalore. India’s youth seem to spending more and more on one thing though: cellphones. In 2012, the average amount spent per month was `318, in 2013 it was `348, and this year it increased to `435. Enough to call them spendthrifts?

GUESS WHAT? THE BIG SPENDERS ARE NOT FROM THE BIGGEST CITIES OF THE COUNTRY

HYDERABAD

abhishek.saha@hindustantimes.com

Overall personal expense

BANGLORE

Abhishek Saha ■

YOU THOUGHT WOMEN SPLURGE, MEN SAVE. REALLY?

KOLKATA

FROM THE AISLES A young Indian woman is more likely to splurge on personal care and grooming, but a man will lavish himself on cellphones, gadgets, movies, etc.

BRANDS AND MORE

Students

64%

47%

Students

Part-time employed

54%

Part-time employed

Fully employed

55%

Fully employed

38% 40%

Say they want to be rich enough to buy anything

Say they like to flaunt high-fashion brand

Students

34%

Part-time employed

30%

Part-time employed

Fully employed

31%

Fully employed

Say they are always on the lookout for bargains

52% 38% 47%

Want to keep up with the latest fashion trends

H I N DU STAN T I M ES , N EW D E L H I S U N DAY, AUGUST 24, 2014

p htspecial

A HINDUSTAN TIMES-MaRS POLL

YOUNG INDIA

I N T E R V I E W S A N T O S H D E S A I , CEO and MD, Futurebrands

Youth often purchase items identified as status symbols Paramita Ghosh ■

paramitaghosh@hindustantimes.com

The survey has thrown up different responses to consumerism. India’s young are happy shoppers but protest they are not being consumerist. There will be broad similarities of consumerist behaviour but the specific characterestics of that behaviour will be different. While consumption has become a big determinant of identity, the youth is not always conscious of it.

Coffee is brewing among the youth HT Correspondent ■

letters@hindustantimes.com

There is something brewing among India’s youth: the coffee shop. Don’t rush to assume that they are all canoodling over coffee though. The findings of the survey have thrown light on how young men and women go out and have a good time in the cities. According to survey, 46% of Ranchi’s youth prefer to visit coffee shops alone, without a friend. “Ranchi’s culture is not as liberal as it is in Delhi or Mumbai. Parents in Ranchi are not as open-minded as their counterparts in a metro city. Add to it the socio-economic scenario of the state (Jharkhand). The youth often grows up with quite a conservative mindset and it stays with them much later into their life. And that’s why this trend of not visiting cafes as a couple,” says 23-year-old Abhinav Dey, a financial consultant at PricewaterhouseCoopers and hails from Ranchi. On the contrary, young people in Delhi and Jaipur seldom visit a coffee shop alone, survey says. As many as 51% of Delhi’s youth visit coffee shops with a friend of the opposite gender, while 54% of Jaipur’s young people go there with a friend of the same gender. Coffee shops are most popular among young people in Pune and Bangalore, where there are four visits in a month on an average. The survey has an interesting finding on coffee shops and gender: the percentage of women visiting cafes accompanied by a male friend is more than vice-versa. As many as 42% of women visit coffee shops with a man while only 36% of men go with a woman. A higher percentage of men visit cafes alone (38%) than women do (28%). Also, in the age group of 22-25, both men and women visit cafes more frequently than their counterparts in the age group of 18-21. “In today’s world, the youth is on the move, 24X7, and a quick visit to the coffee shop with a friend is one of the best respites from the tribulations of our busy lives. For that, coffee shops appeal to the modern working woman as well as the socialite in me,” says Kripa Ramachandran, a 23-year-old advocate at the Madras High Court. “But, on the other hand,” Kripa continues, “frequent cafe visits are also a reflection of changing times, of changing socio-cultural practices.”

MORE WOMEN VISIT A CAFE WITH A FRIEND OF OPPOSITE SEX THAN MEN. IN FACT, MORE MEN (38%) GO TO A COFFEE SHOP ALONE THAN WOMEN (28%)

COFFEE AND CONVERSATIONS

Pune/Bangalore 4.1

46%

Ranchi Jaipur

18% Visited a cafe alone

51%

Delhi Jaipur

28% Visited a cafe with friend of opposite sex

Jaipur

1.2

54%

Jaipur Ranchi

21% Visited a cafe with friend of same sex

VISITED A CAFE WITH A FRIEND OF THE OPPOSITE GENDER

36% 42%

MenMen

Women Women

Purchases are often made by youngsters because a particular item is identified as a status symbol, or because it is thought ‘cool’ by the peer group, or because others in the group are buying it or have it. Take the example of an Apple iPhone: it is a prized item not because of what you can do with it in life, but because of what it is — an aspirational product for most youngsters.

theysaid

›

I LIKE GOING TO MALLS, SITTING AT FOOD COURTS, AND LOOKING AROUND FOR STUFF. IF I LIKE SOMETHING, AND THEY DON’T ALWAYS HAVE TO BE EXPENSIVE BUYS, I JUST HAVE TO GET IT. I CAN BE QUITE RESOURCEFUL ISHA BAND, 22, student

›

MY MONTHLY EXPENSES ARE WITHIN `4,000. FOR A STUDENT, RECESSION MEANS NOTHING. I DO OFTEN GO TO A COFFEE SHOP, SOMETIMES EVERY ALTERNATE DAY. I’M NOT THAT MUCH INTO GADGETS CHETAN TALWAR, 20, student

MORE NUMBER OF WOMEN PREFER TO GO TO A CAFE WHEN THEY ARE WITH A FRIEND OF OPPOSITE SEX Average number of café visits in a month (maximum/ minimum)

Do you think the average Indian youth is a conscious shopper?

YOUTH & CONSUMERISM India’s youth have begun to invest in themselves, especially in items of personal grooming. How do you explain this?

Interestingly, India’s youngsters now consider themselves as assets. It’s no more about being from a good family. It’s now about who I am. You are more likely to say I am an IT student, than say ‘I come from a family of doctors’, or that ‘I am a student of animation’. And the instrumental part of that identity is the body or activities around it. And the body is malleable, it can be given shape to, it’s about controlling your destiny, putting best foot forward.

brands. What do you have to say about that?

It is not a question of fashion versus gym — the youth’s dependence on both is a different expression of the same behaviour. Consumption is driven by what they think is personal identity: what they can buy, they will.

At 51%, Delhi tops the survey among youngsters who visit coffee-places with friends from among the opposite sex. Coffeedrinking seems to be on the rise everywhere?

There are still

Gym spending seems to be on par with expenses on clothing or spending on high-fashion

very few public areas for young people to interact, even in urban areas. Spaces are coded. Sitting in the park or going into a five-star restaurant mean different things. In a small-town, going in to a restaurant for dinner also comes with a different set of meanings. If you are seen inside a coffee shop, it’s not the end of the world. It is a private space in a public arena; it is assumed that for a couple sitting inside a coffee shop, not too much money is being spent, even if it is one person spending it. So, the spending on coffee-shops is more to do with the lack of public spaces for young.

The youth in smaller towns and cities that are not A-list cities are also living it up.

The latter are more eager for change... Restaurants in these places reach full occupancy on weekends. ‘Eating out’ means leisure, entertainment, it fulfils many aspirations.

Fashion-conscious men in Ahmedabad own most jeans Sanya Panwar ■

sanya.panwar@hindustantimes.com

From cowboys and farmers to presidents and housewives, people world-over love and wear this versatile piece of clothing that was once at the bottom of the fashion food chain but has now reached the tippity top. In India, ‘denim love’ is nowhere stronger than in Ahmedabad, where men own an average of 6.2 pairs of jeans, compared to a national average of 4.4, according to the survey. But it seems that men in Ahmedabad cannot have enough of them, buying up more jeans than their counterparts in other Indian cities. They were on top even in the last survey in 2013: they bought an average 2.8 pairs of jeans, against a national average of 2.1. On the other end of the scale are men from Kolkata and Hyderabad who seem quite happy to let their old jeans grow into a second skin. On an average, they owned only 2.7 and 2.8 pairs of denims respectively. They purchased less as well, picking up only 1.8 pairs in 2013, the lowest among all Indian cities, barring, surpris-

IT’S ALL IN THE JEANS

6.2 2.7 3.2 1.4 Ahmedabad

Kolkata

AVERAGE NUMBER OF DENIM TROUSERS MEN ALREADY POSSESS (maximum/minimum) ingly, Chandigarh, a cash-rich, modern aspiring city where its young men bought only 1.7 pairs of jeans last year. And if you thought that fashion was the forte of only the urban, natty crowd, you will be pleasantly surprised. Edging out biggies Delhi (4.3), Mumbai and Chennai (4.9, each) were Pune and Patna, where the men currently own 5.7 and 5.6 denims respectively. They also bought 2.4 and 2 pairs in 2013. Again, it’s men from smaller cities such as Ranchi, Cochin, Jaipur and Indore, who owned

Chennai

Indore

AVERAGE NUMBER OF DENIM TROUSERS PURCHASED IN PAST ONE YEAR (maximum/minimum) between 3.4 and 4.4 pairs of denims, that seem to be more fashion-conscious than those in the metros Kolkata, Hyderbad or even Bangalore (3.9). Young men from Chennai bought the maximum number of denims last year at 3.2, which is one pair more than the country-wide average. Both Delhi and Mumbai averaged at 2.0 on this count. Indore’s young purchased the least number of denimwws last year at 1.4.The survey sample included only men in the age group of 18-25 years.

Vanity fare: How many cosmetic brands do young women own? HT Correspondent ■

letters@hindustantimes.com

When it comes to make-up brands, young Indian women actually aren’t using that many; they are sticking to just about four. And that would include everything from your high-end lipstick, foundation, blusher and mascara to day-to-day beauty products like moisturiser and lip balm. On an average 18 to 21-yearolds have 4.2 cosmetic brands and purchased 3.2 in the past one year, the HT-Mars Youth Survey 2014 revealed. Those in the 22-25 years bracket more or less imitate the trend and own 4.3 brands and bought 3.6 in 2013. When it comes to choosing between value for money and top-end brands, young Indian women seem to be divided. “I don’t spend hundreds of rupees on the latest lip gloss; I stick to products that suit me. But I don’t mind spending on products that help avoid bad skin or acne. They are expensive; but it’s money well spent,” says engineering student Ekta Khatana, 19. But 22-year-old Navjot Kaur swears by branded cosmetics. She says that she isn’t one of those who ‘own over-stuffed

MAKE-UP YOUR MIND

5.9 2.3 4.8 1.8 Delhi

Chennai

AVERAGE NUMBER OF COSMETIC BRANDS WOMEN CURRENTLY POSSESS (maximum/minimum)

make-up bags’, but actually uses all the cosmetics she buys. “I never go nail paint-free, even for a single day. But I splurge on hair products and eye make-up more,” says Kaur, a selfproclaimed high-maintenance law student from Delhi. The data doesn’t reflect how many women, and of what age, use branded lipstick every day but it does throw some light on what seems to be the great north-south divided when it comes to the love of cosmetics. Turns out, women in Delhi (5.9) and Mumbai (5.8) love their

Chennai

Indore

AVERAGE NUMBER OF BRANDS PURCHASED IN THE PAST ONE YEAR (maximum/minimum)

make-up more than women in Chennai (2.3) who have the least appetite for cosmetics. In the average number of brands purchased in 2013, Delhi and Mumbai again rule with 4.4 and 4.8 respectively. Chennai women also bought the least number of cosmetic brands in 2013 - less than two (1.8). Giving it company is another southern metropolis, Hyderabad with a tally of 2.6 cosmetics per woman on an average. Women in Chandigarh (5), Ahmedabad (5) and even Patna (4.9) know their Maybellines from their Lakmes.

H I N DU STAN T I M ES , N EW D E L H I S U N DAY, AUGUST 24, 2014

p htspecial

A HINDUSTAN TIMES-MaRS POLL

YOUNG INDIA

YOUTH & RELATIONSHIPS

Preferences versus beliefs ILLUSTRATION: MALAY KARMAKAR / RAJ K RAJ / SOUMYA KHANDELWAL

55%

53%

51%

50% 44%

41% 36%

35%

32%

The percentage of participants who said they are comfortable with live-in relationships. In 2013, 44% of the respondents said they are fine with such an arrangement

Percentage of men who said the wife shouldn't be allowed the freedom for flings even if the husband strays. Surprisingly, women, too, don't think any differently. Only 36% women said the wife should be given this freedom

VIRGIN TERRITORY

2013

2014

65%

Students

53%

61%

Part-time students

49%

54%

Fully employed

Say pre-marital sex is no longer a big issue in India

67%

64%

Students

57%

58%

Part-time students

64%

62%

Fully employed

Say they want to get married only to virgins

INDORE

CHENNAI

HYDERABAD

28%

SLEEPLESS IN THE CITY Men

59%

BANGALORE

PUNE

COCHIN

AHMEDABAD

LUCKNOW

DELHI

of respondents in Chandigarh said they’ve cheated on their partner in the past year. Only 21% of Kolkatans said they’ve strayed from their committed relationship

PATNA

INDIAN YOUTH’S WORLD IS DIVIDED INTO TWO — ONE HALF BOUND BY TRADITION AND THE OTHER PUSHING TOWARDS MODERNITY

45% 46% 87%

58%

RANCHI

India’s youth have changed. We witness this transformation every day — in colleges, coffee shops, offices, malls and multiplexes. From the way they dress to the way they talk to what they talk about — it is all different. But scratch beneath the surface and the differences melt away to reveal a generation which still breathes a code India has always sworn by. So, how does the ‘www generation’ straddle these two vastly different worlds — one bound by tradition and the other pushing towards modernity? Their solution is to come up with beliefs that are full of dichotomies and double standards. Sample this: The HT-MaRS Youth Survey reveals an unprecedented 61% believe that pre-marital sex is no longer a taboo. Only, when it comes to marriage, 63% want their partners to be virgins. “Men today are not hesitant about entering into a relationship before marriage. However, they would hardly entertain the idea of marrying a woman who has a past,” says Avneesh Murugai, a fine arts student in Baroda. “It is this patriarchal mind-set that gives rise to crime against women. A man believes that a woman is like his property.” Last year, 56% youngsters in the 18-25 age group said pre-marital sex is no longer a taboo. The figure showed a 5% increase this year. Of those who said yes, 62% were men while 60% were women. “Women in India today are far more in tune with their sexuality. Men will have to up their game and change their perspective to catch up with the new woman,” says Delhi-based psychiatrist Sanjay Chugh. “Earlier there was a certain hesitance when they would discuss issues related to sex even with a doctor. However, today sex is being openly discussed.” The acceptance for pre-marital sex goes down as youngsters age. While 63% of those in 18-21 age segment is open to the idea, the number drops down to 59% in 21-25 age-group. The same trend is apparent when an occupation-wise analysis is done. While 65% full-time students said sex before marriage was no longer an issue, the number fell to 61% in case of parttime students. Only 54% people who are fully employed are of this view. Last year, the same figures stood at 59%, 53% and 49% respectively.

63%

MUMBAI

jyoti.bawa@hindustantimes.com

67% 67%

CHANDIGARH

■

PERCENTAGE OF YOUNGSTERS WHO SAY THEY’RE IN A RELATIONSHIP

KOLKATA

Jyoti Sharma Bawa

IN LOVE FOR EVER

JAIPUR

DICHOTOMY India’s Generation Next is open to relationships and experiments. However, its beliefs are full of double standards and its mind traditional

Women

Should sex toys be made available in India? Watching pornography isn’t a big taboo any more. C’mon, we are in 2014! Homosexuality is an acceptable sexual preference now

26% 21% 32% 15%

43% 43%

H I N DU STAN T I M ES , N EW D E L H I S U N DAY, AUGUST 24, 2014

p htspecial

A HINDUSTAN TIMES-MaRS POLL

YOUNG INDIA I N T E R V I E W A N U J A C H A U H A N , Author

Everyone has a past, and one needs to accept this Jyoti Sharma Bawa ■

jyoti.bawa@hindustantimes.com

Best-selling author Anuja Chauhan talks about relationships, how youth in India interprets them and important takeaways from the HT Youth Survey. She is the author of The Zoya Factor (2008), Battle For Bittora (2010) and Those Pricey Thakur Girls (2013).

Our youth survey suggests that an increasing majority of youngsters have a partner, but they don’t

The name of the game: Experiment HT Correspondent ■

letters@hindustantimes.com

The number of youngsters who accept that they are in a relationship is on an upswing — 49% being the national average. Out of them, however, only 24% say they are “very much” in love with their boyfriend/girlfriend. While the Chandigarh youth top the chart when it comes to cheating (45%), Delhi is not far behind at 41%. In Mumbai, 30% have cheated on their partners while 37% say they have strayed while in a relationship in Chennai. For Bangalore and Hyderabad, the figures stand 29% and 31% at respectively. Cities, which are seen as comparatively more conservative, such as Lucknow (28%), Patna (31%), Jaipur (34%), Ranchi (27%) and Ahmedabad (27%), the number of the unfaithful is significant. Pune, where only 44% respondents accepted they were in a relationship, is at the bottom of the cheats list (25%). More men admitted to cheating (35%) than women (27%). Cheating is also less prevalent in the 21-25 age group (26%) compared to those in the 18-21 olds (36%). While 34% full-time students say they have cheated on their partners, the number goes down to 30% in case of part-timers. Only 19% of those who are fully employed say they have cheated on their partner. Says Mumbai-based sexologist Deepak Jumani, “Earlier, marriage was about finding the best mate in terms of financial security and social strata. Those rules are not applicable any more. Both men and women want to experiment and find compatibility in every sense — emotional, physical and sexual. “Embarking on a relationship does not mean youngsters have marriage on their mind. Whether it is a one-night stand, a casual relationship or living-in, commitment does not have to be on the agenda.” However, the dos and don’ts are far more hard-bound when it comes to the institution of marriage. Of those surveyed, 89% feel straying out of marriage cannot be forgiven (84% men, 94% women) and 25% believe if a man strays, he should let his wife do that too. Out of this figure, 13% are male and 36% women. While 92% full-time students find extra-marital relationships unforgivable, 88% of those who are fully employed and part-time students are against such relationships.

MORE MEN ADMIT TO CHEATING (35%) THAN WOMEN (27%) AND 19% OF THOSE WHO ARE FULLY EMPLOYED SAY THEY HAVE CHEATED ON THEIR PARTNER

HAVING FUN BEHIND THE BACK 84%

45% Kolkata

Women

94%

21% SAY THEY’VE CHEATED ON THEIR PARTNERS

SAY THAT CASUAL SEX OUTSIDE MARRIAGE SHOULDN’T BE FORGIVEN

MADE FOR EACH OTHER, REALLY? SAY THEY LOVE THEIR PARTNER A LOT

26% 25% 18% 22% 24% 49% Men

Age 18-21 years

Women

Age 22-25 years

It can either mean they are more cynical or more romantic. If they are still waiting for love to come their way, they have set up a very high definition of love. Maybe they believe it is not love yet, it is still waiting for them out there. I would choose to believe that. However, the survey does reveal that youngsters are far more forthcoming and frank while talking about relationships, as reflected in these answers.

theysaid

›

DIVORCE IS NOT AN OPTION EVEN IF YOUR MARRIAGE IS NOT WORKING. THERE ARE PROBLEMS IN EVERY RELATIONSHIP. YOU CANNOT SIMPLY RUN AWAY FROM THEM ALL. JUST MAKE IT WORK

AARUSHI DHUNNA, 21, student

›

INDIA’S MIDDLE CLASS IS VERY PROUD OF ITS MORAL VALUES. YOU MAY SEE A KAREENA KAPOOR MARRYING AN ALREADYMARRIED SAIF. SUCH THINGS ARE VERY RARE IN AN OTHERWISE NORMAL WORLD

VIDDHI ARORA, 21, student

Men

Chandigarh

necessarily love them. What does it speak of about India’s youth?

Full-time students

Women

Employed

YOUTH & RELATIONSHIPS Do you think the young in India is confused or have double standards: they don’t mind having a fling outside a relationship, but expect their partner to be a virgin; they are fine with premarital sex, but a majority say divorce is not an option even if the marriage is not working.

I thought the youth today was very chilled out and understanding that people will have a few relationships and they will e ve n t u a l l y s e t t l e down with one person. Everyone has a past and one should not set unrealistic standards for the other person. You should expect your significant other to be faithful to you from the day he/she

met you. How can someone be faithful to you without having met you yet?

Indian youngsters, especially men, are often accused of being commitment phobic. What could it be attributed to?

Men these days think they are big catches and run away from commitment. They feel women are out just to snare them. They must be pricing themselves very highly, which is very funny. Girls today are prettier, smarter and more intelligent than boys. We see girls outshining boys consist-

ently in Class 12 results. Even at parties, you see girls who are gorgeous and these unshaven, unkempt boys. Boys really need to up their game.

What would be your message to India’s youngsters.

I don’t think youngsters should try to please anybody – neither their parents nor their family. They should go with the person who makes them happy and not try to make anyone happy. If you want someone who is decisive, honest and loving, you should not tone down your standards. At the same time, you should ensure you are worthy of that kind of love so that you can give the same in return. There are a lot of cynical people out there who will say you can never get the exact combination of person you are looking for – someone who loves you, who is worthy, who earns well etc. But you should look for that person.

Divorce ‘unacceptable’ even if marriage is not working HT Correspondent ■

letters@hindustantimes.com

In any discussion with foreigners about the ‘regressive’ practice of arranged marriage, Indians always have a safe plank to fall back upon: the extremely low rates of divorce in India. “How come love marriages cannot achieve that?” being a favourite repartee. India, especially urban India, has much higher acceptance of love marriages nowadays but one thing that has not changed is low tolerance levels for divorce. In the HT-MaRS Youth Survey, 53% youth from 15 Indian cities said divorce is just not an option. Why would a youngster want to stick in a relationship which is not going anywhere? The answer is simple: marriage in India is between two families, not just two individuals. “Relationships are transitional. There is no social sanction needed to get into one or leave it. Marriage is between two families and not two people. You need familial approval and you end up hurting a lot of people if you opt out of it, especially if children are involved,” says 25-year-old Zeeshan Siddiqui.

TILL DEATH DO US APART

53% 54% 55% Students

Part-time students

Fully-employed

SAY THAT DIVORCE IS NOT AN OPTION EVEN IF MARRIAGE IS NOT WORKING OUT “I have had a few relationships till date but marriage will be for keeps. I will do whatever it takes to make it work.” While 52% of men say divorce is unacceptable, 54% of women share the view. Marriage remains a sacrosanct institution and divorce still comes with a stigma. As 21-year-old Arushi Dhunna says, “Divorce is not an option even if your marriage goes wrong. Problems arise in each and every relationship – it does not mean you move out of them. In case of marriage, you just have to make it work at any cost.” In the 18-21 age group, 55% of those surveyed shared her opin-

ion while the number was 52% in the 21-25 age-group. While 55% of those fully employed were against seeking a divorce, the figure stood at 52% in case of part-time students. Fiftythree per cent part-time students said divorce is not an option. Delhi-based student, 21-yearold Vidhi Arora explains it thus, “Middle class society still feels that they may not be very rich but they have their morals. That’s the reason why divorce or straying out of marriage is a taboo. You may see Kareena marrying Saif, but you don’t see such couples in middle class India. It is just like any other relationship.”

Homosexuality finds acceptance while live-in not a taboo anymore HT Correspondent ■

letters@hindustantimes.com

A gentle wind of change is blowing away the Indian youth’s petty prudishness. Be it accepting homosexuality or live-in relationships, more youngsters are displaying a greater openness towards these issues in what is still a largely conservative and traditional society. While much of the change has been driven by western influences and growing economic opportunities, the judiciary has also played a positive role in legitimising changing social mores like live-in relationships. And homosexuality, that butt of all jokes, is slowly but steadily finding acceptance. The results of HT Youth Survey prove it – if last year only 44% were comfortable with the idea of a live-in, the number this year is 46%. The numbers are far more positive in case of homosexuality. While only 37% thought it was an acceptable sexual preference in 2013, the number is 43% this year. The change is obvious only among the young, though. “My peer group can accept

LIVE-IN TOGETHER

41% 50% 41% 45% 18-21 years

18-21 years

SAY THEY ARE COMFORTABLE WITH LIVE-IN RELATIONSHIPS

22-25 years

my sexuality. They know who I am and they are okay with it. But I just don’t have the guts to go home and tell my family about my sexual preferences. I have relatives who happily poke fun of gays. You think they can accept me?” asks 21-year-old Syed Z. While 41% in the 18-21 years age group are accepting, the figure stands at 45% in those 21 and beyond. Both men and women are equally accepting (43%). The acceptance for homosexuality decreased as youth went from being students to fully

SAY HOMOSEXUALITY IS AN ACCEPTABLE SEXUAL PREFERENCE

employed – 45% students found it an acceptable sexual preference while only 40% part-time students thought so. In case of those fully employed, only 38% of those surveyed took this standpoint. “Your sexuality is your personal choice. Nobody should be allowed to dictate whom you should love and why. Law and society needs to be changed to accommodate a very large percentage of people who are forced to live in the closet,” says Yukti Arora, an 18-year-old Delhi University student said.

H I N DU STAN T I M ES , N EW D E L H I S U N DAY, AUGUST 24, 2014

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A HINDUSTAN TIMES-MaRS POLL

YOUNG INDIA

YOUTH AND TRADITIONS

ILLUSTRATION: MALAY KARMAKAR / RAJ K RAJ / SOUMYA KHANDELWAL

A nation of young faithfuls

DIVINE INTERVENTION The percentage of youth who pray increases as they grow older, but those in bigger cities pray less compared to the young in smaller cities Vishakha Saxena ■

vishakha.saxena@hindustantimes.com

India’s youth pray regularly and their faith in the almighty increases as they grow older: for a nation of several religions and millions of gods and goddesses that’s not surprising. The HT-MaRS Youth Survey, which was conducted among more than 5,000 respondents in 15 Indian cities, found faith firmly entrenched among the young. Ranchi and Ahmedabad appear to have the most faithful young people: in these cities 67% of the youth said they pray regularly. In Cochin, 40% of youngsters said they pray regularly: compare that to the national average of 56%. “India is a very religious country. Even the most successful entrepreneurs tend to be very religious,” says author and commentator Gurcharan Das, who wrote ‘The Difficulty of Being Good: On the subtle art of dharma’, a book which analyses the epic Mahabharata. As many as 85% of Indians in the country follow Hinduism, a religion which has 33 crore gods. This kind of diversity makes space for everyone to worship a god of their choice. “Our notion of religion is kind of a way of life and not based on fundamentalist belief,” says Das, who believes that in India the concept of faith is far more liberal. There is, however, a clear demographic divide. Youngsters in tier I cities like Kolkata, Pune and Bangalore pray less compared to their compatriots in Ranchi, Lucknow and Indore. According to experts, people in smaller cities tend to be more traditional which makes them more religious. In major urban centres, they tend to get absorbed in many other things and thus tend to spend lesser time on religious practices. “Prayer never worked for me,” says Sanket Vijay, 22, a student in Delhi, talking about how he isn’t religious despite his family’s beliefs. Interestingly, the survey reveals that the percentage of youngsters who pray regularly increases as they grow older. As many as 62% youngsters between 22-25 years said they were religious as compared to 50% of their counterparts in the 18-21 age bracket. Some say the reason behind such a trend would be that with increasing burdens and setbacks, people tend to look for something to hold on to. Given how religion is ingrained into India’s social fabric and is liberal enough to allow everyone to “live and let live” the trend seems to be here to stay. As Das puts it, “no god can afford to be jealous.”

ABOUT 85% OF PEOPLE IN INDIA FOLLOW HINDUISM, WHICH HAS 33 CRORE GODS. THIS DIVERSITY MAKES SPACE FOR EVERYONE TO WORSHIP A GOD OF THEIR CHOICE

WITH A PRAYER

THOSE WHO SAY THEY PRAY REGULARLY 69%

67%

63%

90%

60%

56%

50%

48%

45%

41%

40%

PUNE

COCHIN

in the 18-21 age group said they want to get married in a traditional way, complete with all the rituals and ceremonies, rather than go to a court to formalise it. The numbers are almost similar among men and women, 85% and 92%, respectively

38%

said they would call off a marriage if dowry is involved. Chennai's respondents scored the most on this count: 71% in the city said they won't go ahead with it. Indore (22%), Chandigarh (25%) and Patna (28%) populate the bottom half on this scale

70%

of the total respondents said one should never smoke in front of elders. The need to maintain strong family bonds (79%) and always listen to elders (68%) too got a thum bs up from India's youngsters

AHMEDABAD/ LUCKNOW/ RANCHI DELHI

INDORE/ CHANDIGARH /MUMBAI JAIPUR CHENNAI

A KNOTTY AFFAIR WILL MARRY A PERSON

Respondents age 18-21 yrs

32% 48%

Women

Selected by self, with no objection from your parents

22%

Women

Selected by self, even if parents object

Women

88%

Prefer religious rituals over court proceedings Respondents age 18-21 yrs

Respondents age 22-25 yrs

47%

46%

35%

Men

BANGALORE HYDERABAD/ KOLKATA

Respondents age 22-25 yrs

90%

Selected by parents without question Men

PATNA

6% 3%

Want several ceremonies during marriage celebrations Men Women

37% 39%

Will walk out of a marriage if dowry is invovled

ALL IN THE STARS

31% 38% 28% 41% Men

Women

18-21 years

22-25 years

Say they strongly believe in astrology

42% 52% Men

Women

Say they believe in power yoga to keep body fit

H I N DU STAN T I M ES , N EW D E L H I S U N DAY, AUGUST 24, 2014

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A HINDUSTAN TIMES-MaRS POLL

YOUNG INDIA I N T E R V I E W R E N U K A S I N G H , professor of sociology, Jawaharlal Nehru University

Women and girls are seen as transmitters of tradition Poulomi Banerjee ■

poulomi.banerjee@hindustantimes.com

If you thought India’s young is drifting away from all things traditional, think again. Professor Re n u k a S i n g h o f D e l h i ’s Jawaharlal Nehru University talks about the constant struggle in the mind of a youngster caught between modernity and values that make us Indians.

How traditional is today’s youth? Also, do they believe in preserving Indian traditions?

For them, divorce still the last resort Vishakha Saxena ■

vishakha.saxena@hindustantimes.com

Marriage is made for forever and divorce is the last and bitter option, India’s youth believe. As many as 67% believe that women should try and save their marriage before opting for divorce. As many as 79% women agree with the opinion compared to 56% men. The findings come from the HT-MaRS Youth Survey, which was conducted among over 5,000 respondents in 15 Indian cities. Sociologist Nandini Sardesai and Shilpa Phadke, assistant professor at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, say the findings are not surprising considering the stigma associated with divorce. A common belief is that a ‘divorced daughter’ would bring embarrassment and unhappiness to her parents. According to Sardesai, economic instability is another big reason behind women wanting to save the marriage despite being unhappy. “If I can be economically secure then damn the man, no?” The survey also reveals that as young people grow older, they lay stress on the need to make the marriage work. India ranks among the countries with the lowest divorce rates, with only one out of 100 Indians opting for divorce. Despite that, the number of divorce cases is steadily going up in the country, especially in urban areas. Dr Nisha Khanna, a marriage counsellor, regards this as a positive sign. “Increasing divorce rate is a good thing because sometimes two people stick around for the sake of society and kids, which is not right. A couple should be together only if they want to,” says Khanna. “Forced togetherness leads to dysfunctional families which in turn lead to dysfunctional kids.” Visiting a therapist is another taboo. No matter how educated they may be, many Indians still feel odd about visiting a doctor or a therapist and discussing their personal matters with a ‘stranger’. It’s no secret that the Indian society is strongly patriarchal and thus, the onus of making the marriage work often falls on women. But, according to Dr Khanna, the pattern seems to be changing and an increasing number of couples are trying to make the marriage work together. The results though may not always be successful. “Sometimes the problem is not the marriage but of those involved who are unhappy and blame the marriage for their unhappiness.”

INDIA RANKS AMONG COUNTRIES WITH THE LOWEST DIVORCE RATES, WITH ONLY ONE OUT OF 100 INDIANS OPTING FOR DIVORCE

STICKING TO TRADITION Men

77%

Women

SAY THEY WANT TO MAINTAIN STRONG FAMILY BONDS

68%

67%

SAY THEY’LL ALWAYS LISTEN TO ELDERS

67%

SAY THEY PREFER A JOINT FAMILY

HOLDING ON TO INDIA’S ESSENCE

56% 68% 55% 70% Men

Women

Is there a difference in how girls and boys react to traditions?

Women or girls are seen as transmitters of tradition to the next generation, so their roles also become very significant. One has

theysaid

›

WE NEED TO DO AWAY WITH REGRESSIVE TRADITIONS LIKE DOWRY SYSTEM. OUR NEGATIVE ATTITUDE TOWARDS REMARRIAGE FOR THE OLDER PEOPLE TOO MUST CHANGE. MEN AND WOMEN SHOULD HAVE EQUAL FREEDOM TO FIND THEIR OWN PARTNERS MUDIT SOOD, 22, law student

›

I COME FROM A LIBERAL FAMILY. HOWEVER, CERTAIN THINGS SUCH AS BEING CLOSE TO THE FAMILY ARE INGRAINED IN ME. ALSO, I PREFER SOME TRADITIONS SUCH AS THE INDIAN NAMASTE TO A HANDSHAKE. MADHURIMA CHAUDHURI, 21 student

83% 69%

I think this will vary from region to region and specially in the rural urban divide. Social and class backgrounds also play a role. But generally speaking, you could say the youth today are trying to synthesise tradition and modernity and modifying them according to context.

18-21 years

22-25 years

AGREE THAT MANY INDIAN TRADITIONS NEED TO BE PRESERVED

YOUTH AND TRADITIONS to see to what extent women have changed their role. So today if you have a working mother, she’s going to have a different impact on the children. And even though they violate it occasionally, they still maintain a pro-family ideology. Now this would vary with their social and class backgrounds, but generally speaking, women are the ones who are transmitting the culture from one generation to another. Now, the men have also come into the picture. So eventually both men and women are going to be responsible for transmitting culture and traditions.

rural areas are generally more traditional than their urban counterparts. That’s because their contexts are very different, situations more limited and exposure is less.The orthodoxy is stronger in rural areas. So obviously the impact will also be different. You see here you have a mixed c rowd , yo u are exposed to so many different traditions, there are multiple

Who is more traditional: the youth in cities or those in smaller towns? Young people in

realities. So you absorb so much from each other’s traditions as well. If you take the example of Delhi, our political capital, you have people from all over the world who are residing here. So there is lot of assimilation happening from each other’s cultures. The pace of change is faster in a metropolis than in a rural area.

Which are the Indian traditions that need to change and what role does the youth play in bringing about this change?

I think you have to leave behind these inter-religious tensions, inter-caste tensions, inter-class tensions. Young people are the ones who are known for actually believing in instant utopias, they want to change the world overnight. And they are the force, they are the power and if they have the will, they are the ones who are going to bring about change in our society.

Against the system always, but never too much of rebels HT Correspondent ■

letters@hindustantimes.com

As many as 68% of India’s youth say they always listen to elders and 70% would never smoke in front of them. The youth are no radical rebels, the HT-MaRS Youth Survey points this out clearly. An overwhelming 96% youngsters told the survey they wouldn’t marry the person they like if their parents disapproved of their choice. As many as 62% youngsters believe that Indian traditions needed to be preserved. As many as 70% youngsters in the 22-25 age bracket agree that we need to preserve Indian traditions as against 55% in the 18-21 year age gr oup. “Middle-class students are far more conformists,” says Shilpa Phadke, assistant professor at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences. The figures are quite similar when it comes to the youth’s attitude towards family ties and the elderly. As many as 79% of them said they wanted to maintain strong family bonds. “I am not surprised at all by these findings. That the young are some kind of rebels was always a myth. Modernity is a form of intelligent courage, and as we know intelligence and co urage

STICKING TO IT

56% 79% 62% 73% Men

Women

18-21 years

22-25 years

are not related to age. The young expect much from life, that’s just the way they are, they can’t help it, and when you expect things you tend to be afraid, and when you are afraid there is comfort in tradition and family,” says author Manu Joseph. For a generation living in cramped cities, 67% youngsters said they preferred joint families. The figure was highest in Delhi at 80% and lowest in Cochin at 45%. According to Sardesai, youngsters prefer joint families perhaps out of affection for their relatives but they don’t realise the chal-

SAY WOMEN SHOULD TRY TO SAVE THEIR MARRIAGE BEFORE LOOKING AT DIVORCE AS AN OPTION

lenges associated with it. The youth’s affinity towards traditions is, however, most prominent in their acceptance that parents will decide whom they marry. A major reason behind this is that most youngsters live with their families until marriage and they are not economically independent. “They would rather bow to authority than lose these privileges,” explains Phadke talking specifically about the middle class. “Today’s youngsters are the most economically privileged than any other generation ever has been.”

They raise their voice against the biggest evil: Dowry HT Correspondent ■

letters@hindustantimes.com

As many as 38% youngsters in India would ‘break their marriage’ if dowry was involved: the number shouldn’t shock us considering that the practice is one of the worst crimes against women in the country. Last year, 793 dowry cases were recorded across 53 cities. The survey found that opposition to dowry was strongest in Chennai. In this city, 71% youngsters said they would ‘break their marriage’ if dowry is involved. Indore, at 22%, recorded the least opposition to dowry. Sociologist Nandini Sardesai regards these figures as not “too low”, but as a positive sign. “This is a big change in India,” she says explaining how dowry originated. Historically, dowry was meant to be financial security for the bride — a father’s gift for his daughter. The concept of exchanging gifts within families during marriages exists worldwide, but in India gifts have become a ‘demand’. “In a country where patriarchy has an over-arching presence in the social structure, men have gone on to think they have a right over it,” says Sardesai. Demands for dowry range from

DOWRY SYNDROME

71% 22% 32% 44% Chennai

Indore

18-21 years

22-25 years

cash, cars or jewellery before marriage to periodic demands after marriage. A harmless expression of love and affection has over time become an evil that claims the life of a woman every hour in the country. It is thus not a surprise that more young women (39%) say they will call off their marriage if the groom or his family asks for dowry. The figure stands at 37% when it comes to men. According to experts, dowry is still entrenched because women lack economic stability and there is stigma attached to divorces and

SAY THEY’LL CALL OFF MARRIAGE IF DOWRY IS INVOLVED. THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN MEN (37%) AND WOMEN (39%) IS NOT MUCH IN THIS RESPECT

broken marriages. This is apparent in the survey results for tier II cities like Indore and Chandigarh where 22% and 25% youngsters said they would break the marriage over dowry. Meanwhile, in tier I cities like Pune and Bangalore, the number stood at 47% and 40% respectively. Sardesai blames India’s education and the lack of awareness about dowry laws. “We are still holding on to a very traditional form of learning. Our education system is not bringing about the change in mindset and thinking that one would expect of it.”

H I N DU STAN T I M ES , N EW D E L H I S U N DAY, AUGUST 24, 2014

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A HINDUSTAN TIMES-MaRS POLL

YOUNG INDIA

YOUTH AND SOCIAL MEDIA

Social butterflies flutter online

REAL LIFE VS VIRTUAL PRESENCE 57% of those surveyed say they access at least one networking site daily and look for friendship, news

88%

51%

68%

59%

2014

Pune

64%

63%

52%

Hyderabad

Delhi

43% 53% Chandigarh

67%

53%

Mumbai

50%

60%

66%

55%

Chennai

59% 49% 58%

50%

Ahmedabad

Jaipur

Indore

37% 53%

43% 52%

40% 48%

38% 46%

Patna

Kolkata

Ranchi

Lucknow

IN TOUCH WITH THE TIMES VIRTUAL LOVE: NEITHER Whatsapp 82% BOOST, NOR BANE Snapchat Instagram

Only fully-employed respondents

12%

51% Helped

11% Hurt

The apps most employed youngsters use on mobile ILLUSTRATION: MALAY KARMAKAR / RAJ K RAJ / SOUMYA KHANDELWAL

Vishakha Saxena ■

PATHIKRIT SANYAL, 23, Client servicing executive

2013

Bangalore

The average number of days fullyemployed youngsters spend without accessing any social network. Ranchi's youth score the most on this count: they said they can stay without virtual connection for an average of 3.8 days

›

69%

55%

4.2

I JOINED TWITTER BECAUSE SOMEONE ACTUALLY FORCED ME TO BECAUSE I’M SUPPOSEDLY WITTY. I AM GLAD I DID. IT INTRODUCED THE INTERNET TO ME IN A WAY I COULDN’T HAVE IMAGINED. I AM TOTALLY HOOKED TO IT NOW

ACCESSING SOCIAL NETWORKING SITES DAILY City-wise break-up

youngsters in Jaipur said social media has had no impact on their love life. Compare this to Chandigarh’s youngsters: 57% here said networking has helped their relationships. Only 4% in the city said it has hurt them

theysaid

BABY, I’M #ADDICTED

vishakha.saxena@hindustantimes.com

Social media platforms are increasingly becoming a staple of life for 26-year-old Mridul Verma from Delhi. Verma wakes up to his phone buzzing with social media alerts and sleeps only after he has made his presence felt in the virtual world. Verma’s interpersonal interactions too have taken the virtual route. “I talk to at least 100 people regularly (over social media) in a week or two,” says the entrepreneur who spends hours on Twitter and WhatsApp every day. Of these connections, there are about 12-13 people he calls ‘friends’. “They are closer to me than most school and college friends. We share the same interests, so there’s always a lot to talk about,” he adds. Verma is just one of the many youngsters whose lives have been taken over by the social media. A whopping 57% of the 5,214 respondents to the HT-MaRS Youth Survey — aged between 18 and 25 years — say they access at least one networking site every day, and look for anything from friendship to news and jobs. If estimates are to be believed, India will have at least 350 million internet users by 2016 with around 75% of them logging in from their mobile devices. “More and more people like consuming content the way they do on their Facebook newsfeeds or Twitter timelines,” says BuzzFeed India editor Rega Jha. But that’s not all youngsters look for. Thirty-four per cent of those surveyed in 15 cities say networking websites helped shape their love lives. “I know a lot of people who have found their partners through Twitter. No big deal. You interact. You meet. You meet often. You click. You fall. And boom!” says Pankaj Sinha, an engineer. The connections, however, may not always be for real. The 57% respondents that visit social media websites at least once every day say they have made an average of 29 new connections in the past year. But they met or spoke to only eleven of them on an average, survey results show. Proving a largely virtual nature of the online connections, these respondents call only eight people they are in touch with online their ‘friends’.

Those who thought India’s young access these sites only to stay connected with their friends and partners, think again. More than 40% of the respondents in the 22-25 age group claim politics is their most tweeted topic, followed by sports, current affairs and movies. The recent mobile telephony surge is one of the biggest contributors to the booming popularity of the platforms including Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and WhatsApp The reason most youth are drawn online today is the ease with which they can log in through their cellphones. And a growing market of internet-enabled cheap smartphones and tablets is offering youngsters the desired convenience and affordability to stay connected. Close to 60% users who participated in the survey say they access social media websites through their cellphones. Just 20% of them access these portals through their personal computers. Messaging service WhatsApp emerges as a clear winner in the survey with 82% responders using the application on their mobiles. Not everyone is enamoured with the social media’s so-called infinite reach though. The survey indicates an interesting trend in southern India, where the use of cellphones and the time spent on social media remains noticeably low, despite technologyhub Bangalore topping the list with most number of social media users. The three south Indian towns that were surveyed — Bangalore, Chennai and Cochin — figured in the bottom five when it came to the number of hours spent on WhatsApp. This shows that while the youth in these towns may access social media every day, they don’t spend much time on it. “It’s probably because they don’t substitute social media with daily routines,” says Amaresh Namburi (28) an engineer based in Bangalore. “They value their real friends more than the virtual ones.” For technology entrepreneur Gagandeep Singh Sapra, this stark difference in the usage may be because of sociological/cultural differences. “There is a lot of focus on family, family values and education,” he says attributing the insight to his travels. “They may be surrounded by tech but, dos and don’ts exist.”

I N T E R V I E W P A N K A J S I N H A , Twitter user with over 16,000 followers

Twitter is addictive. You can enter but you can’t get out Vishakha Saxena

■

vishakha.saxena@hindustantimes.com

Given how Twitter has emerged as one of the leading social media platforms among youngsters, we decided to chat up a Twitter celebrity. Meet Pankaj Sinha, who goes by the handle @askthepankazzzz and has over 16,000 followers.

What do you think makes you click on Twitter?

I tweet about things that people can relate to, even if it’s everyday problems - the humour or the sad

part of it. That’s what gets their attention, I guess.

Any personal favourite Twitter moments?

(With a chuckle) Do they even have a favourite Twitter moment?

So, maybe a favourite tweet?

I think it would be “ye li jiye aapki soch mujhe giri hui mili thi”. It was a very random thought at two in the morning but then it clicked with people. By the time I checked, it had been retweeted about 200 times. Soon, it crossed a thousand.

What do you think brings the youth to Twitter?

I think it’s about getting validation from strangers when you are in the online world. In real life you crack a lame joke and people frown at you. On Twitter, though, you will always find people who share the same sense of humour. That’s why it clicks with people.

According to our survey, some youngsters have said that social media has helped their love lives. Is this healthy?

Why not? People get married through matrimonial websites without knowing each other. At least here they interact, they get to know what level of interests they share, what stuff they like.

What advice would you give to people new to Twitter?

38% No impact Only 18-21-year-old respondents

HAIL THE ARM-CHAIR COMMENTATOR

28% Helped 8% Hurt

Most tweeted topics

64% No impact

46%

Friends

Movies

37% 26%

Sports

24%

Politics

Only 22-25-year-old respondents

40% Helped 8% Hurt

20%

Events

52% No impact

CATCHING UP WITH 'CLOUD' FRIENDSHIPS average number of connections number of new 'connec26 The 33 Average women made since 2013 tions' men made since last year number personally met or 14 The spoken over the phone can be called 'friends' from 10 Who those met personally

number personally met or 10 The spoken over the phone can be called 'friends' from 5 Who among those met personally

AVG NO. OF DAYS SPENT WITHOUT SOCIAL MEDIA (Mean figures)

3.0 2.7 2.8 2.9 2.5 3.1 4.2 Women

Full time student

Men

Age 18-21 years

Student/part time job

Stop spreading hate, yaar. Don’t do it because, you might ignite something that won’t end and you will regret what you’ve just done. And as it continues, people realise they’re getting retweets from it and so it becomes blind hate. Chetan Bhagat, for example. I know people don’t like his books, but the hate against him is beyond me. That is the power of the online world

Anything on coming up with witty tweets? How do you do it?

Age 22-25 years

Full time employed

There’s no formula actually, you know. I don’t even think I’m witty, I know a lot of people who are wittier. The only thing is, I tweet how I talk. So I guess, that’s quite relatable.

So, what’s your favourite Twitter handle?

That’s a very tricky question. I think it would be @shakti_shetty. I respect him for his patience because he never replies to tweets. It’s a very difficult thing to do, because when peopl e want to troll you, they get offensive, make personal remarks. It’s easy to lose your patience or even hit out at people. From what I’ve seen, he never does that.

What would you say to those not on Twitter?

Don’t join Twitter. Please. It’s addictive. It’s like Hotel California. You can enter but you can’t get out.

H I N DU STAN T I M ES , N EW D E L H I S U N DAY, AUGUST 24, 2014

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A HINDUSTAN TIMES-MaRS POLL

YOUNG INDIA

YOUTH AND POLITICS

Change agents talk business ILLUSTRATION: MALAY KARMAKAR / RAJ K RAJ / SOUMYA KHANDELWAL

22% CONSIDERED RAHUL GANDHI AN INSPIRATION, WHILE 62% CHOSE NARENDRA MODI. ALSO, 91% OF THOSE WHO VOTED FOR THE BJP WERE STRONGLY ANTI-UPA

81%

83%

of those who voted for the BJP said they sided with the party because they were attracted by Gujarat's development model. Another 28% said they were influenced by the promise of good governance

71% 69%

67%

63% 63% 62%

BANGALORE

PUNE

RANCHI

CHENNAI

LUCKNOW

COCHIN

DELHI

AHMEDABAD

THE BJP JUGGERNAUT VOTED FOR BJP

VOTED FOR CONGRESS 36%

83%

Primarily for Rahul Gandhi

Primarily for Modi

of those who did not cast their ballot in Hyderabad, said they 'didn't feel like, or felt lazy' on polling day. Of the non-voters in Kolkata, 56% came up with the same excuse. Also, of those who did not vote in Chennai, 27% said no candidate was 'worth voting for'

25%

MUMBAI

71%

75% 73%

CHANDIGARH

of those who voted for the BJP in the elections earlier this year, did so primarily because of Narendra Modi. While 8% of them voted for the party, 9% did so equally for both. Of those who voted for the Congress, only 36% said they were influenced by Rahul Gandhi, and another 44% said they opted for the party

77%

49% 46%

HYDERABAD

India’s youth made a beeline for polling booths in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections to cast their ballot in what Prime Minister Narendra Modi termed “an election of hope”, making their voice heard at a time when the country is stalked by slow growth and high inflation. The HT-MaRS Youth Survey 2014 covering over 5,000 youngsters between 18 and 25 years across 15 cities found that around 3,500 of the respondents took part in the marathon nine-phase polling. Of them, 66% voted for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and allies — together known as the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), which promised of ‘achche din (good days)’ under the leadership of Modi. “The size of BJP’s victory indicates Modi’s presence was a bigger factor than the UPA’s failure. He transformed the BJP. His message was aspirational,” said author and public intellectual Gurcharan Das. “While the Congress talked about subsidies, Modi harped on jobs and growth. Subsidies don’t give you honour and selfrespect, jobs do.” The survey also found that of those who voted for the BJP, 83% did so primarily because of Modi, who tore into the Congress government during campaigning over a series of corruption scandals and policy paralysis. “One area where the UPA showed enormous talent was in halving the growth rate. One per cent drop in the growth rate means loss of 1.5 million direct jobs. A direct job generates three indirect jobs. In India, five people are dependent on one job. So, that means 1% slump in growth affects 30 million people,” Das added. Twelve million youngsters enter the country’s workforce every year, and the slow growth in the UPA regime cast a doubt on their future. IIM-Ahmedabad professor Sebastian Morris said, “Growth collapse definitely hurt the UPA. The Antony panel report (a report prepared by AK Antony on the Congress’ worst-ever poll debacle) talks about high inflation. But, it has to be the slow growth.” According to the HT-MaRS survey, 91% of those who voted for the NDA considered themselves strongly anti-UPA. Another interesting finding was 22% considered Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi an inspiration, while 62% chose Modi.

83% 83%

PATNA

sandip.bardhan@hindustantimes.com

86%

KOLKATA

■

FINALLY SHAKING OFF THE WELL-WORN CHARGE OF POLITICAL APATHY

JAIPUR

Sandip Bardhan

GOT INKED THIS TIME

INDORE

LOUD AND CLEAR MESSAGE A large section of youngsters voted for Narendra Modi, who promised to usher in good days at a time the economy has hit a slump

44%

Primarily for party

20%

Equally for both

CONSIDER THEMSELVES

Equally for both

CONSIDER THEMSELVES 46%

Very strong anti-UPA

45%

Somewhat strong anti-UPA

Very little/not anti-UPA

18%

Very strong anti-BJP

47%

Somewhat strong anti-BJP

35%

Very little/not antiBJP

| 19

H I NDUSTAN T I M ES , N EW D E L H I S U N DAY, AUGUST 24, 2014

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A HINDUSTAN TIMES-MaRS POLL

YOUNG INDIA I N T E R V I E W S A N J AY K U M A R , director, Centre for the Study of Developing Societies

Taking part in the ‘vote of protest’ was significant Danish Raza ■

danish.raza@hindustantimes.com

Sanjay Kumar, director, Centre for the Study of Developing Societies, thinks there was a lot of resentment in the country over the UPA government’s performance that led to its downfall. In an interview to HT, he also says Narendra Modi got an advantage because the face projected by the Congress party did not strike a chord. Excerpts from the interview.

What are your comments on the

No longer ignorant and disinterested Sandip Bardhan ■

sandip.bardhan@hindustantimes.com

India’s youth no longer shy away from voting and a vast majority participated in the recent Lok Sabha election, contrary to the general perception that youngsters are disinterested in politics, an HT-MaRS Youth Survey showed. A huge 70% of youngsters questioned cast their ballot in the 2014 polls, and just 10% of those who did not vote said it was because they felt “lazy”. “I don’t subscribe to the view that the youth are not interested in politics. It could have been a truth maybe five years ago. But the Delhi gang rape and anti-corruption movements have increased our social and political awareness,” said Epti Pattnaik, 23, who works with a media house in Delhi. “Today’s youth are an informed lot, thanks to the internet. Facebook and Twitter bring news to you at lightning speed. Most of the youngsters, if not all, are well aware of what is going on in the world of politics.” Another 6% of the respondents said they did not exercise their franchise because the candidates were not worth voting for. “I do not have a voter card. However, that did not matter in the 2014 election, as the candidates in my constituency were not good enough. The promises they made did not impress me,” said Vasundhara, 25, a Delhi resident who recently relocated to Bangalore with a consultancy job. “But, in India, we don’t lay stress on serious issues and agenda. Here, catchwords matter.” Of the youngsters who let laziness get the better of them on polling day, the maximum 71% were from Hyderabad and the minimum 4% were from Bangalore. Among the non-voters, 60% said their names were not on the voter list, while 24% said they were out of town. In Patna, a staggering 100% said they were not registered with the Election Commission of India, followed by 96% in Ahmedabad, 95% each in Delhi and Ranchi and 80% in Jaipur. The survey also revealed that all the respondents in Hyderabad had their names registered with the election commission.

70% OF YOUNGSTERS QUESTIONED SAID THEY VOTED IN THE POLLS, AND JUST 10% OF THOSE WHO DIDN’T VOTE SAID THEY FELT LAZY ON POLLING DAY

THE SKIPPERS’ BRIGADE (maximum/minimum) Indore

SAID THEY DIDN’T VOTE BECAUSE THEY WERE NOT IN TOWN

75% Delhi/Ranchi

5% Ahmedabad

SAID THEY DIDN’T 96% VOTE BECAUSE THEIR NAME WAS NOT ON THE VOTER LIST

Mumbai

5% Ahmedabad

96% Cochin

22%

Mumbai

43% Pune

SAID MODI WAS AN INSPIRATION TO THE YOUTH

SAID RAHUL GANDHI WAS AN INSPIRATION TO YOUNGSTERS

overall findings of the HT-MaRS Youth Survey?

It is very clear that large number of youth would vote for the BJP and very few of them would want Congress in power. This goes in line with what people in generalin other age groups- also think. What is to be noted is that among those who have voted for the BJP, large number of them did so because of Modi. The case is reversed in case of Congress party. Among Congress voters, majority of them said they primarily voted for the party and not (Congress

theysaid

›

RATHER THAN BLAMING POLITICAL PARTIES OR GOVERNMENTS FOR OUR PROBLEMS, THE YOUTH NEEDS TO INTROSPECT ON HOW THEY CAN BRING ABOUT CHANGE IN THE COUNTRY. WE CANNOT STAY INSULATED FROM EVERYTHING ANY LONGER PRIYANKA VAID, 24, civil services aspirant

›

ONE SHOULDN’T BE RIGID WHEN IT COMES TO BACKING A POLITICAL PARTY. WHAT IS IMPORTANT IS NOT TO BE SWAYED BY THEIR IDEOLOGIES. INSTEAD, APPRECIATE GOOD PRACTICES IN VARIOUS PARTIES

VINAY SHASHIDHAR, 25, researcher

YOUTH AND POLITICS vice-president) Rahul Gandhi. We might think that Rahul Gandhi is younger than Modi and he maybe more popular than Modi as a leader. But this is not the case.

Out of the total respondents, 70% said they did vote in general election. What does it say about participation of the country’s youth in electoral politics?

This corresponds to the Election Commission data which showed that while the total voting percentage was around 66, voting percentage

among the youth was higher than this figure. It is evident that during general election 2014, the youth showed greater interest than what was witnessed in the last two decades. It was a vote of protest. There was resentment in the country against the way UPA-II was performing. The anti-graft protests at Jantar Mantar sent a message to the youth that they should fight graft. It was followed by the Delhi gang rape and subsequent

protests demanding strong antirape laws. All these created a mood against the UPA.

More than 65 % of the country’s youth look at the Prime Minister as an inspiration. According to you, what makes Narendra Modi an attraction among the youth?

Right from the time Modi began his campaign, he got the advantage of the fact that the person pitched by the Congress party against him was a seen as a weak personality. Rahul Gandhi’s perception was that of a reluctant politician who was never articulate and one who had no say in his party’s functioning. Also, he failed to present a blue print to tackle the issues the country was facing such as price rise and corruption. Modi, on the other hand, emerged as a decisive and firm leader. BJP projected him as a symbol of hope and it worked for the party.

Caught in two minds over UPA’s welfare programmes HT Correspondent ■

letters@hindustantimes.com

More than half the youngsters in 15 Indian cities covered by the HT-MaRS Youth Survey 2014 said they wanted the new government to continue with the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance’s (UPA’s) social security schemes such as the rural employment guarantee programme (NREGA). Fifty-two per cent gave the thumbs-up to such schemes despite some uncer tainty about the direction of these programmes under the Narendra Modi’s government. The UPA’s flagship rural employment scheme has already undergone some changes. Under the BJP government, the focus is on more funds for asset creation, penalties for late disbursal of funds, increased women’s participation and taking the benefits of the scheme to backward groups. “I support the positive changes made to the UPA’s social security schemes. After all, now there is a new government at the helm. Everything will not remain the same,” said 23-yearold Shailza Sharma, a lawyer. “But complete scrapping of

WHAT’S THE PLAN

48% 57% 52% 53% Men

Women

18-21 years

22-25 years

such schemes won’t be a wise thing. These programmes are meant for the poor. And they deserve help from the government,” Sharma, a resident of Delhi, added. The poll results, however, also indicate youngsters are unsure over whether the new government should carry forward these schemes with no firm trend either in favour or against such programmes. A massive 97% of the youngsters surveyed in Jaipur said the BJP government should not scrap schemes such as the

SAID LAST GOVT’S PROGRAMMES SUCH AS NREGA SHOULD BE CONTINUED

NREGA, followed by 77% in Kolkata. However, the response to the UPA’s social welfare schemes was lukewarm in Bangalore and Cochin, where around 25% were in favour of these programmes. “NREGA is a strong scheme. But there are grey areas that need attention. In some parts of Andhra Pradesh, the shift of human resources from agriculture work to a daily wage labourer’s job is hitting the agrarian economy,” said Hari Krishnan, 23, a development studies student and resident of Hyderabad.

Graft, inefficiency sparked outrage, influenced ’14 verdict HT Correspondent ■

letters@hindustantimes.com

A series of corruption scandals and policy paralysis during 10 years of UPA rule steered youngsters away from the Congress, according to the findings of the HT-MaRS Youth Survey 2014. Sixty-two per cent of the youngsters between 18 and 21 years — many of them first-time voters — and 65% between the age of 22 and 25 said they thought the Congress-led government encouraged corruption. “Yes, I think that corruption played a big part in UPA’s downfall. It is the root cause of everything that is going wrong,” said Tanyaa Sharma, a 22-yearold Delhi-based journalist. Corruption in the Congress regime in the wake of the coal scam, the 2G controversy, the VVIP chopper row and the Commonwealth Games mess, among others, emerged as major issues in the run-up to the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. Besides, amid talks of a parallel power centre in Congress president Sonia Gandhi and slow decision-making by the UPA, 56% of the respondents said they thought Manmohan

CORRUPTION METER

92% 38% 83% 32% Jaipur

Indore/Jaipur

(maximum/minimum)

SAID UPA GOVERNMENT ENCOURAGED CORRUPTION

Ranchi

SAID UPA GOVERNMENT WAS NOT EFFICIENT

Cochin

Singh’s government was not efficient enough. The end of the UPA tenure was marked by spiralling prices, high inflation and slow growth that threatened the future of youngsters entering the country’s workforce every year. “It’s a known fact that growth rate plunged in the UPA regime. I won’t say the UPA lacked intent, but they were definitely sluggish,” said Samarth Chitnis, 23, a resident of Indore. “The NDA successfully projected its achievements in job creation between 1999 and 2004.

The youth were enchanted by their promise of an economic turnaround. Joblessness in India is a huge problem.” A large percentage of youngsters in Jaipur and Indore — 83% each — said they felt the UPA government was inefficient, followed by 74% in Ahmedabad. All these cities are in BJP-ruled states. On the other hand, just 39% of the respondents in Bangalore and Pune, and 32% — the lowest — in Cochin said they thought the UPA had failed to deliver. Interestingly, they are all in Congress-ruled states.

H I N DU STAN T I M ES , N EW D E L H I S U N DAY, AUGUST 24, 2014

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A HINDUSTAN TIMES-MaRS POLL

YOUNG INDIA

YOUTH AND ASPIRATIONS

In pursuit of happiness EYES ON STARS, FEET ON THE GROUND Youngsters in the south are more inspired by scientists, while those in the north look up to sports stars

77%

IN THEIR HEARTS VERY HAPPY AT THIS POINT OF TIME City-wise break-up 88% 86%

83% 82% 81% 80% 80% 78% 75% 73% 70% 68%

64% 62%

said they are anxious about their future. More than half of the respondents (51%) who are studying and working said they have no idea how their future will shape up. Among fully-employed respondents, only 35% said they are tense about their uncertain future

63%

of fully-employed youngsters feel the country must take steps to ensure their needs, and aspirations are catered to

theysaid

›

A STABLE FUTURE, WHERE I HAVE ENOUGH TO ENJOY THE BEST OF LIFE, IS VERY IMPORTANT FOR ME. I KNOW IT’S A TOUGH TASK, BUT NOT IMPOSSIBLE TO ACHIEVE IF I PLAY IT SMART. I AM WORKING ON MY TOMORROW TODAY KRISHNA SINGH, 21, student

PATNA

PUNE

CHENNAI

AHMEDABAD

RANCHI

COCHIN

CHANDIGARH

HYDERABAD

MUMBAI

BANGALORE

LUCKNOW

INDORE

JAIPUR

46%

KOLKATA

youth said they are very happy with their life. In 2012, when we asked the same question, the count stood at 61.5%. The figure is lower, 68%, among fully-employed youngsters in the 18-25 age group

PEACE OF MIND 83%

Men

68%

Women ILLUSTRATION: MALAY KARMAKAR / RAJ K RAJ / SAUMYA KHANDELWAL

Osama Salman ■

osama.salman@hindustantimes.com

They are young and they are restless, and they carry their aspirations around unabated. For the Indian youth, dreams and desires are the driving force to a better life. While occasionally straying off the path, young India is aiming higher with every passing day. The HT-MaRS Youth Survey conducted in 15 cities across India sheds some light on what the youth in India want, what they think, and what they aspire to be. Where do India’s happiest youngsters live? A whopping 88% of youth surveyed from Jaipur said they are happy, making them the happiest bunch in the country. The youngsters from the pink city are also the most worried about their future — about 65% of those surveyed expressed apprehension. Ranchi youth came close with 63% echoing doubts over a brighter tomorrow. At a closer glance, the percentage of office-goers who have high expectations from their future is lower than the figures among the student respondents. “As a student, expectations are high,” said Karthik Singh, 25, an executive in a Delhi-based telecom company. “But when you graduate, you move into a new space. It is but natural that your expectations reduce,” he added. However, Shruti Singh, head of content and social media in an advertising firm in Delhi, said when students turn professionals, many a myth is broken, but that does not include “lowering expectations”. “In fact, you make an effort to be better than your peers.” Comparing results of the student and full-time worker survey groups revealed that more students aspired ‘to get rich quick’ in comparison to full-time workers. In what may be attributed to a change of guard at the helm of political affairs in India, the country’s youngsters are currently happier by over 15 percentage points more than they were in 2012 (up from 61.5% in 2012 to 77% in 2014). “This time around the BJP was the only viable option,” said Jobin Xavier, a student at Christ College, Bangalore. “They seem to have a fresh direction and new ideas. India is in good hands,” he added. The youth have put their faith in the BJP, and going by the larger opinion around the saffron

party, are seemingly happy with the election results and the ‘acche din’ that it promises. Men want to party, and 83% said their philosophy is ‘work hard, party hard’. Women, on the other hand, tread more carefully — 68% felt the philosophy would work for them, but about 5% more women (or 55.2%) said they like to plan life, career and other things. “Women are conditioned from the very beginning that they are to get married, raise children and manage the house. This inculcates in them a sense of responsibility and they start planning ahead,” said Zeba Khan, a teacher at Vasant Valley School, Delhi. While 63.5% of women surveyed agreed all aspects of life — work, leisure, etc — should be integrated, only 49.6% men felt the same. The study also revealed that female respondents were more worried about their future despite being happier than the men. Of the 15 cities surveyed, 52% youth in Chandigarh said they are inspired by a sportsperson like Sachin Tendulkar. Youth in Ahmedabad, the home state of PM Narendra Modi, said they are inspired by politicians like US President Barack Obama while in Mumbai, a businessman like Ratan Tata took the spot. As many as 14% youngsters in Pune said they are inspired by a soldier fighting for the country. Youngsters in southern cities, including Chennai, Cochin and Bangalore, were significantly more inspired by scientists like APJ Abdul Kalam than youngsters in most northern cities surveyed. Similarly, the youth in North India drove more inspiration from sports stars. So does this mean the north is all play and the south all work? “This is not a north and south divide,” said Dr Varkha Chulani, clinical psychologist at the Lilavati Hospital, Mumbai. “It all depends on a person’s upbringing.” However, Dr Savita Date, clinical psychologist at Apollo Hospital, Hyderabad, insisted the divide exists. “South Indian houses do lean towards academic careers, while north Indian homes towards glamourous professions,” she said. North or south, cutting across spheres, the youth in India are crystal clear of what their goal is. They are, after all, a force to be reckoned with.

T K O O M M E N , Sociologist

It is important to find the line between need and greed Namita Kohli ■

namita.kohli@hindustantimes.com

How would you describe the shift in aspirations of the youth in the past few decades?

In the pre-liberalization era, where the major employer was the public sector, the aspirations were limited to getting into the civil services or medicine, engineering etc. With the liberalization of the economy, and the enormous expansion of the private

sector, an increasing number of young people are aspiring for jobs in that sector. There’s an accompanying shift in the qualifications that are required to succeed in these fields. For example, today, it is much more important to be an MBA, than to be an MBBS; or to pick up computer skills versus any other skills. These jobs don’t offer the kind of stability that public sector jobs of earlier years did, rather they create a lot of anxiety and insecurity.

However, we must remember that the aspirational structure that we are talking about here affects a microscopic community in our country; a vast majority of our population still can’t afford these aspirations.

How has the structure of rising aspirations changed the ways in which the youth perceives “happiness”?

As psychologists would say, happiness is a state of

46%

Men

49%

Women

Say 'work hard, party hard' is their life's philosophy

Want to get rich very quickly

Men

55% 69%

Women

Have very high expectations from their future

42% 52%

Women

Say they spend extra time to maintain their distinct style

THE FUTURE IS NOW Say they've strategically planned for life, career and other things

Have integrated all aspects of life: work, family, leisure

Respondents 18-21 years

50%

Respondents 22-25 years

55%

53%

Respondents 22-25 years

60%

WHO INSPIRES YOU THE MOST 35%

19%

Sachin Dr Abdul Tendulkar Kalam

14%

Ratan Tata

mind. But, generally speaking, you need at least some minimum level of material comforts to be happy. Today, that level has been disturbed. A couple of decades back, people would start with a small Maruti car, today the aspiration is to own a BMW. This creates a kind of artificiality in conceiving what is called “happiness”. You don’t have to be very rich to be happy, but when a young person sees others, they feel the need to “catch up” with them. At times, this aspiration is harboured without realizing that the required resources is not there to afford the “catching up”. At this point, there’s a tendency to fall into means that are not appropriate to achieve those ends. For instance, what is corruption? It is the gap, the disjunc-

Barack Obama

A soldier Rabindranath SRK or A professor fighting for Tagore Deepika in an the country institute

tion, between desirable goals and the means to achieve that.

Is the youth then primarily driven by materialistic concerns?

Materialism was always a part of life, but today it has assumed a pathological level, known as consumerism. Men and women feel the pressure – of not earning enough to please their family; this creates tension and dissatisfaction within the family. Thus the aspirations are going in a wrong direction. In the pre-liberalisation era, aspirations were defined in terms of what one could con tribute for the cause of “nation-building”. Today, the aspiration is what more can I get from the society. And then there are the banks that provide money to fulfill those aspirations by offering loans; these help people buy things they aspire for, but they also enslave them. It is important then, to find the line between need and greed.

H I N DU STAN T I M ES , N EW D E L H I S U N DAY, AUGUST 24, 2014

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A HINDUSTAN TIMES-MaRS POLL

YOUNG INDIA

YOUTH AND ICONS

The Superheroes Superclub BIGGEST SPORTS ICON

HEROES INC Step aside Kejriwal and Rahul, PM Modi is Indian youth’s political icon. Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif still rule the hearts

14.1%

MS DHONI

53%

SACHIN TENDULKAR

5.6%

9.2%

VIRAT KOHLI

ROGER FEDERER

4.3%

LIONEL MESSI

65%

women voted for Narendra Modi as the biggest icon in Indian politics. Arvind Kejriwal (13%), Sonia Gandhi (10%) and Rahul Gandhi (8%) figured way below in the popularity sweepstakes among women. Jayalalithaa, Mamata Banerjee and Sushma Swaraj got even more dismal numbers

22%

women thought their safety is the biggest issue facing India. Not too many men thought it is a critical issue: only 13% ranked it above corruption and unemployment. Most respondents, across gender, said corruption is the biggest menace India needs to fight

0.9%

men who say Maria Sharapova is the world’s biggest sporting icon. Saina Nehwal fared slightly better, with 2.4% men respondents ranking her on top

57%

BIGGEST ICON IN INDIAN POLITICS

NARENDRA MODI

13% ARVIND KEJRIWAL

36%

SEXIEST MAN ALIVE SALMAN KHAN

11%

29% RANBIR KAPOOR

34% 19%

SEXIEST WOMAN ALIVE KATRINA KAIF

DEEPIKA PADUKONE

SONIA GANDHI

7% JOHNNY DEPP

13% VIDYA BALAN

RAHUL JAYALALITHAA GANDHI

ROBERT DOWNEY JR

DANIEL CRAIG

ANGELINA JOLIE

BIPASHA BASU