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This Diwali once again showed the ugly side of the urban middle class

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The pollution this festive season shows the middle class is increasingly self-indulgent, with little regard for laws and rules.  

This Diwali season showed yet again the vaingloriousness, bordering on cultural bankruptcy, of the Indian urban middle class.

It is perhaps a characteristic of the new, self-indulgent, consumerist middle class across the world but it is more pronounced in Indian cities.

Pollution and decibel levels were high this festive season, not only in Delhi but even in Mumbai that is offered a blanket of protection by the winds of the Arabian Sea.

Of late, however, decibel levels are almost always very high, whether it is the festival season or not.


Also read: Four years of Narendra Modi have not just failed India’s middle class but also the RSS


Marriage ceremonies of the various middle classes, for instance, are becoming noisier and noisier.

Once, this very upper-caste, upper-class used to look down upon those below them in the social hierarchy, with particular scorn for their ‘noisy and loud’ ceremonies.

Till the 70s and the 80s, the middle class used to shy away from extensive baraats of bridegrooms arriving on horses or cars or decorated chariots.

These days, the already clogged traffic gets a middle-class marriage addition, replete with women, men and children swaying to Bollywood music amid bursting crackers.

There is little regard for laws and rules, and even lesser civic sense to prevent the unruly and callous social behaviour. This utter lack of concern defines the middle-class lifestyle and culture of today.

One of the reasons for this phenomenon is the sharp rise in middle-class incomes, after mid-80s and particularly the liberalised 90s.

The number of double income, even triple income families, has visibly risen. It is estimated that about 40 per cent, or nearly 50 crores, or 500 million people, are in various layers of this class.


Also read: As BJP’s Hindutva grew, India’s pleasure-seeking middle classes looked away


Most of them are white collar workers. A huge number are central government, state government, semi-government as well as employees in public sector corporations, banks, railways and other government of India undertakings. In addition to this, the burgeoning private sector has also created substantial wealth.

With husband and wife, and sometimes son and daughter-in-law also working, family incomes are substantially higher than the average Indian households.

This explosion of affluence has made most of them indifferent to broader social and public issues.

If one travels to semi-urban areas, it is possible to see many families, which would have been in the lower middle-class category just two decades ago, flaunting cars and high-end fashion.

One need not envy or resent them. They have a right like all others to be aspirational and enjoy modern amenities.

There is, however, a big difference between the standard of living, quality of life and lifestyle.

While the standard of living has seen a sharp upgrade with rising incomes, the quality of life has declined.

The opulence in marriages, such as even inviting celebrities by paying them their “fees”, has found its way to other such family events.

Indeed, all such events from thread ceremonies, bhoomi pujas, to kuldaivat pujas have become big-ticket events. These celebrations are held in plush hotels and massive lawns with glittering decor.


Also read: Delhi’s air quality today is as bad as it was a day after Diwali in 2017


One has never seen such self-indulgent, hedonistic lifestyle in the middle class.

 

The renowned sociologist M.N Srinivas had observed over six decades ago that “homo hierarchical” humans in India, invariably follow the aspirational route of Sanskritisation and Westernisation.

Therefore, in terms of expenses and style, culture and extravaganza, historically marginalised caste and tribal groups emulate the rich and higher middle class. It brings about a feeling of equalisation.

The monetisation of life and almost all relationships have brought riches but robbed people of cultural content.

The attendance at musical concerts, art galleries, bookshops, libraries, avant-garde theatres, experimental plays is slowly declining according to organisers.

One does see audiences, but artists, as well as patrons, feel that the environment is not aesthetic.

That brings us to the argument made at the beginning of this piece. Standard of life does not connote quality, and lifestyle does not mean culture.

The callousness toward pollution, ugly traffic and road behaviour signal the collapse of urban life systems, declining quality of education, the mediocrity of public debates, growing intolerance in social life, crass politics.

It is in this cultural (and political) vacuum the ideas of religious, casteist and sectarian fundamentalism grow.

Today, we are witnessing the rise of all kinds of centrifugal tendencies because of this cultural bankruptcy.

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8 COMMENTS

  1. This stupid KETKAR is a congressi chamcha. He forms the chamchas who blabber against middle class while praising their UPPER CLASS MASTERS who roam around in SUVs.. Well not surprised since Baniya/Brahmin Liberals in print, scroll etc are still pissed off that their Janauedhari Pappu isnt the PM..

  2. Thia man kumar Ketkar is a congress’s RS MP. The average journoa that he is, he rubs shoulder with the high and mighty of his party, enjoys all the free perks and privileges that the MP poaition offers him and then dares to blame middle class. Fire crackers are not bused based on any class of peoplw. The poor, the middle, upper middle, rich, neo rich etc blow crackers. Why target middel class. Does Ketkars boss Rahul approve of this idiotic article ? Rahul should clarify. As for Ketkar, less said the better.

  3. The tittle here sounds very inappropriate and unethical.
    I must remind you that a writer as a journalist should be very ethical and professional in his writing, what the writer has did here is sensationalised the topic, the title itself seems so pseudo-elitist.

    Instead of bringing out the lack of seriousness and ignorance towards environmental factors by the citizens and its cause due to deep roots in our festive culture, the writer has taken a short and easy way to present the news.

    Don’t you feel a little bit of shame? Sensationalising everything that you can for attention? Please practice ethical, peer viewed writing. Be a little responsible with what you write.
    Your articles are as toxic as the air itself.

    Regards, a concerned citizen

  4. You are absolutely right.
    I totally agree with your views.
    plastic bottles was invented by the stupid middle class , because they wanted to use and throw water bottles.
    Motor vehicles was invented and used only by these imbecilic middle-class. The so called cfc gasses producing products were invented and used only by the useless middle-class.
    Every time only the so called intellectual upper class understands the meaning of pollution.
    God save ……………..class
    Author please decide whom the god should guide and save

  5. its unfortunate to make comments trageting particular class of people….isnt there any body from upper class making lavish celebrations? why pointing only against middle class or upper middle class? secondly whats the point the auther wants to signify in saying that now upper middle class people are owning vehicles?

  6. Such a shame that people are talking about middle class and high class.. During Diwali or marriage, even High class people and celebrities light the crackers and celebrate d festival. You can search for the picture of Amitabh Bacchan and family lighting crackers, are they from middle class? You can also find bursting of crackers in the marriages of high class people, then why only blame middle class? And how do you decide the class? On the basis of their income and property? You are living in 21st century, stop treating people on the basis of class and for God’s sake stop spreading this kind of hatredness. We know how good Indian media is, you don’t have to prove it again and again.
    Yet another suggestion for you , if burning crackers once in a day makes such a huge pollution, you people better not buy any vehicles for your comfort living.
    Talking about pollution, there are other pollutions too which is done 4 times a day in loud speakers all over the world. You won’t be having any problem at that time is it?
    Stop discriminating people by class, caste or any other means and be humans rather than spreading hatredness.
    Shame on you people

  7. Blaming everything on the middle class has become a fashion these days . Just because now they can afford these things and are trying to living there life a little lavishly everybody is loosing there shit . Until only rich people were using all this facilities everything was hunky dory . Suddenly buying a car or bike is crime now ,WTF guys .we are already decided enough on the basis of religion and cast now u want class also to be a filter .grow up guys grow up.

  8. Brings to mind a recent photograph of a woman joyously lightly highly toxic firecrackers with both hands, wearing a black face mask to keep her safe from pollution.

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