Culture of Consumerism in Bangalore - By Rakesh Kumar

When India opened up its economy in the early 1990s, people had an
inkling that things are never going to be the same. But the changes
that came about in Bangalore were beyond anyone's imagination. What used to
be a sleepy laidback small town in South India is now globally well
known as the hub of outsourcing and the Capital of IT revolution in
India. With high pay packets and increasing "disposable income" came the
Culture of Consumerism.

Traditionally, consumption has been seen as either a material process,
rooted in human biological needs, or as an ideal practice, rooted in
symbols, signs, codes. Consumption is embedded within systems of signs
and symbols, of making and maintaining distinctions, always
establishing boundaries between groups.

I have tried to look at the culture of consumerism in Bangalore and how
it is affecting the way in which the different groups in Bangalore
interact and perceive each other.

Change in the Government's Culture:

The consumerism culture in Bangalore is obviously brought out by the
larger political policies. The Liberal economic policies of the Govt.
have played a direct role in creating new employment opportunities,
allowing unrestricted production of goods and services and of course by
allowing free inflow of Foreign Companies and brands.

The pre-90s socialist governments promoted frugality and protectionalist
policies. Guest Control Act of 1976 could be seen as example here and
many state governments were pro-prohibition of alcohol. Regulations kept
foreign investors out while licensing and Red-tapeism discouraged
domestic investors. Contrast this with current governments that leave
no stone unturned to woo investors, foreign and domestic alike. We have
examples of governments ignoring mass uprising (NBA, Singur) to attract
investments and develop infrastructure. Special Economic Zone viewed by
some as a great tool for economic upliftment is criticized by others as
the worse form of social oppression due to issues like displacement,
non-application of labour laws etc. Pro-liberalisation policies of
governments (both at Central and State level) played a great role in
the current Consumer behavior patterns in Bangalore. The growth of
Bangalore's consumerism culture can be traced back to advent of LPG
(Liberalisation, Privatisation and Globalisation) in India.

Consumerism in Bangalore

Though consumerism is a worldwide phenomenon, it takes on distinctive
characteristics in Bangalore. The city is growing and changing so fast
that it is constantly creating divisions in the city. There are
different cities within the city and some stark glaring boundaries. So
we have those who have jumped on the bandwagon of consumerism (new
Bangalore) and those who haven't. Among those who haven't, there are
two groups - One who cannot afford it owing to their small earnings (Other
Bangalore) and the others who are from a different generation (old
Bangalore) and who detest or dislike it. It obviously isn't a clear
boundary based on age and income but tends to largely follow the
pattern. I spoke to few people belonging to these different groups to
understand their take on Consumerism in Bangalore - by whatever name
they know it.

Old Bangalore - Mr. Narayana M M, migrated to Bangalore in 1979. He was
employed with MICO, considered the best paymaster in Bangalore those
times. The only monthly expenses he can think of in those times was
House Rent, Grocery and Kerosene Bill, Water and Electricity Bill. The
only expense that fell out of the necessities category was an
occasional movie and no eatouts. When I query him about the Consumerism culture in
Bangalore, he tries to be very diplomatic (the old Bangalorean that he
is), but quiz further and there is a hint of disdain toward this
culture. He says, "People have to spend money carefully. It makes no
sense to spend too much money unnecessarily on articles you could buy
for cheaper price elsewhere. It is their arrogance and showy nature
that is making them spend money at will." Obviously the consumerist ideas of
Brand Value and High-end Marketing make no sense to him.

But he also has a positive take on the changes in Bangalore. "People
are becoming more 'modern' in their outlook and doing away with old rituals
and superstitions. People are living more comfortable lives today. When
I was working in MICO, a huge majority of us used Bicycles to commute
though we were one of the best paid groups in the city. Today even
college kids have motorcycles." He endorses these changes.

This shows that consumerism is not simple acts of buying but it is a
barometer of others perception of lifestyle, not only the economic
lifestyle but social and educational factors included. It influences
the way of thinking and the way people are perceived.

New Bangalore - Ms. Jincy Joseph works 12 hours at least on most
weekdays. 15 and 16 hours days are not what you call very rare. With
such hectic work life, she is always looking forward to the weekend. As
corny and as stereotypic as this might sound, it is the reality for
many young professionals in Bangalore working in the IT & BPO sectors in
Bangalore. I can vouch for this with my 24 months of work experience.

Jincy contrasts her current spending habits from her childhood - "Those
days even an Ice cream or a cake would be big treat for us. Now I have
no account of my spending which is high though I set aside my savings."
She agrees that 'society' is becoming very materialistic and friends
and family do not have time to spend with each other. The general
justifications of the high-spenders are "I slog like crasy the whole
week and need to enjoy at least during weekend." and "This is the time
when I can enjoy while there are not many responsibilities."

Through consumption people are trying to make up for things their
fast-paced, busy lifestyle denies them. They are trying to compensate
for the intangibles with the tangibles. Valentines Day gifts to show
your love, you were working too long on your anniversary and a diamond
ring will compensate for it. The advertisements too aggressively
encourage and reinforce such thoughts. TATA SAFARI Dicor - Reclaim Your
Life, they are so convincing. Status, prestige, esteem, love, and even salvation- in a consumer
culture, all of these intangibles are available in the marketplace. And
people are spending on it.

The Other Bangalore - Auto drivers are one group who are not major
players in Bangalore's consumerist setup in the sense that they do not
directly participate in it. But they are in constant interaction with
the consumerist Bangalore. The two have a love-hate relationship where
they can't do without each other but are at odds with each other many
times over the fair fare payable. Passengers crib that auto drivers
behave like they are doing a favour and charge unreasonable amount and
on the other hand auto drivers complain that "they spend 400 rupees on
tasteless Pizzas and Rs. 500 on movies but grudge us a 20 rupees tip."

I catch Mr. Kumar, an auto driver who came to Bangalore 20 years ago,
near Forum Mall (considered by many as temple of consumerism culture in
Bangalore) as he is waiting for his next passenger. He gushes with
excitement "I have seen foreign only on TV, but Bangalore has become
like a foreign country. Anyone can come here and survive, the place
welcomes all."

I asked his opinion on the changes in Bangalore, "The IT/BT/BPO people
spend like crasy. Software is the problem. House rent is skyrocketing,
inflation is rising in Bangalore and the people causing it are the
software people." Probe him further and he complains about loosing
morals and ethics. According to him, "These people don't care for the
customs and traditions. They live the way they want to."

In this city where exists hundreds of sub-cities, people are drifting
further away based on their consumerist culture. For a large segment of
the population the IT boom means nothing, Liberalisation means nothing
- except maybe higher cost of living. They perceive New Bangalore to be
the harbringer of their hardships and miseries. The New Bangalore's
consumerist culture stalks them the most - to see their leisurely
luxury spending while they themselves are living a foot to mouth existence and
finding hard to make ends meet.

This has led to reactionism of different kinds. Take for instance the
Kannada Rakshana Vedike's protest against the Indian Railways for not
employing Kannadigas, or their blackening the English Boards of
commercial establishments, or renaming Bangalore to Bengaluru by the
government. The Other Bangalore seems to be having an economic and
cultural insecurity on account of this Culture of Consumerism.

The Other side of the story - I would like to reiterate that the new,
old and other Bangalore isn't a clear boundary based on age and income
but tends to largely follow the pattern. There is appreciation among
these groups of the positives in the others and at sometimes an
understanding of their own system's shortcomings. Speak a while with
anyone from New Bangalore who spent their childhood in Bangalore,
before these drastic changes and you will find emotional charged nostalgic
feelings. They miss their old city where summers were cool, traffic
smooth, slow paced laidback life when you knew all your neighbors in
the streets etc. Some are themselves very critical of this Consumerism
Culture. Ms. Bhavya G J says "Am riding around Bangalore and it scares
me what is happening to the city. Money is simply pouring in and people
are drowning in its gaudy and I seem to be drowning in it too." There
is this feeling that they can't hold on to the old and are going with the flow.

The great India middle class dream has always been to own a house
before you retire. In pre-liberalisation world, home loan was not an easily
available option, certainly not easy as it is now wherein banks call
you to give you a home loan. Consumerism Culture helps young people own
their own house pretty early in their career. It is emotional and
economic comforts like these that come with the Consumerism culture
that the Old Bangalore is appreciative of.

The common feeling is that there is no way one can stop the changes the
city is undergoing. Every group is just doing its best to cope with the
change. Some accept most things open armed, while others try to close
out most of these, each group dealing with the same change in their own way.
The Consumerism Culture difference lies in the style of grappling with
the change.

The great Karl Marx Conclusion

According to Karl Marx the base of any society is it's mode of
production and this base determines the super-structure which supports
the base. The base conditions the super-structure and the cultures of a
society can be related to the super-structure. So if Karl Marx is to be
believed, the mode of production or the economic conditions in
Bangalore are determining its Consumerist Culture. Though it is probably
simplifying the issue, the argument holds strong in the context of
Bangalore's Consumerist Culture.

Consumerism is big business in India. There will be 628 million
middle-class Indians by 2015. And already, their net income has doubled
over the last 10 years. Obviously, every multinational company now
wants to sell in India. Analysts say we are only getting started. The
government could soon allow FDI in Retailing. Bangalore's Consumerist
Culture has been very vibrant in its 'nascent stage' itself, one
wonders what the future beholds. It could also be the initial phase of change
being the toughest.

One could only hope that this culture does not lead us on the
disastrous paths few societies have been on before they learnt their lessons. Man
ultimately aspires better living and I am not sure how big a part
materialistic aspirations should play in it.

There is no judgment associated with this. In Bangalore, this is how it
is now. Rakesh Kumar.N