India's HENRYies

No I am not talking about Henry Ford or Henry Kissinger or Henry David Thoreau for that matter. I read a very interesting article at the below source which referred to HENRY as "High Earner Not Rich Yet" and it made me wonder if the Indian middle class especially the ones reaping the benefits of IT boom is stuck in this particular category.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-06-18/the-problem-with-henry-may-derail-u-s-recovery.html

The Indian IT industry has contributed a great deal in increasing the disposable income in the hands of middle class Indians but in the process did it create a new middle class who probably do not realize it themselves. They are definitely high earners but yearning to be rich or in essence to be wealthy. Being wealthy is still an aspiration for most of working IT force. The growth in income has brought more material comforts. To detail an instance, while growing up as a kid, we lived in a middle class colony where in the entire colony of about 200-300 residents there was one Maruti 800 and whenever the car was in the street children used to gather around to get a glimpse of what's inside and run along until it has accelerated its way past the street. Those were the days when owning a scooter made for a comfortable existence. You were not dependent on the Lord Rickshawallah who was the master of his own existence and could care less about what you thought of him.

Things have changed today. Perhaps you would not find any such middle class colony without a dozen i10's or swifts ( May be there will still be a Maruti 800 somewhere in the colony). Cars are no longer a fancy but something that you expect to own over time. The independent rented houses have given way to apartments though not the skyscraper kind. But in all of this transformation what possessions would classify someone as a middle class has come to change.Today owning a car is something that would not classify you as rich. May be an independent house does make you upper middle class. The increase in Income only seems to have elevated the standards of middle class but has not been able to create the illusion of wealth. The struggle still remains the same. If it was about owning a scooter back then, its about owning a car now. If it was about meeting expenses back then, it is about meeting the auxillary expenses - paying for that year end recreational trip etc. But the sense of wealth has still eluded the middle class. But the hope still floats that the High Earners  would become rich one day and in that hope the middle class struggle continues as before....

LiveWire 2012

LiveWire is the cultural festival of Ascendas, the software park that I work at. Last friday, I had attended one of those evenings at the insistence of friends. Never really been a fan of live events - the loud blaring performances generally turn me off. This was a different experience. Something that I liked. May be it was the company of friends that made it more enjoyable. I had stayed back watching the solo singing and dancing competitions. The performances were really something beyond my expectations. The singers I realized were more of performers than singers. They focused not just on singing but also engaging the audience.

There were dances covering the entire gamut from Kathak, Bharatnayam to plain old Allu Arjun dances. Men and women were equally good and it felt like watching some reality show minus the drama. Perhaps that made it more fun.

What is it about Live Events that make them so exhilarating? Is it the crowds that surround you or your ability to lose yourself in the crowd and feel one with them? Or is it the believability of the performances happening live before your eyes that make it more exciting? I have listened to people vouch about Metallica shows, AR Rahman's performances and how they have thoroughly enjoyed them. While I was at college I had witnessed a live show by Lucky Ali. I really liked it but what made this more enjoyable was perhaps company of like minded friends. We appreciated a few performances, made fun of a few, laughed whole-heartedly and in-all had a fun filled friday evening. May be I should start seeing more live performances and see if it is something that I might learn to like.

Shanghai - Movie Review

There was a lot of hype surrounding "Kahani" - the Vidya Balan starrer as a thriller. I was a tad disappointed. The movie was a plain drama with an interesting twist in the end. To call it a thriller would be an overkill. But Shanghai delivers what you can expect out of a thriller perhaps not in a sixth sense way but definitely somewhere up above kahani. The setting for the plot is contemporary which you would be reading in everyday newspapers if you were in India. The struggle between the land seeking corporates and the native resident holding on to what is his. Be it Posco in Orissa, Tatas in West Bengal or any of the national infrastructure projects the process on securing land remains one of biggest challenges given the vote bank politics and rampant corruption.

In the case of shanghai, its about a seemingly progressive party trying to throw its weight between setting up of an International business park and a seemingly socialist leader fighting for the rights of the residents. The attempted murder of the socialist leader which leaves him on the death bed is where the real movie begins. It brings to light the different stakeholders and how they react to the situation. The loyal followers trying to secure justice, the investigative team whose verdict seems to be a foregone conclusion, the police trying to find someone to pin it on and the political parties doing everything to keep their heads high. The suspense lies in figuring out who's behind all of this.

The characters in the movie are realistic and flawed as you would expect them to be in real life. These are characters driven by basic human tendencies and emotions and people you could relate to in your everyday life as against the larger than life characters we're accustomed to watching in movies - The investigative officer brilliantly portrayed by Abhay Deol struggling between his own personal ambition and conscience; The loyal followers led by Kalki kochein trying to ensure justice is meted out and would stop at nothing; The small town pornographer/videographer Emraan Hashmi going through a transformation during the course of the movie to ensure that those who laid ways to his friends death meet their rightful end.

The movie also has other characters who have been given sufficient footage to ensure that the plot progresses smoothly be it the epitome of Indian administrative bureaucracy played by Farooq sheikh trying to close out the case with minimal damage, the actual assailants who tried to murder. It also brings to light the current state of coalition politics where each partnership is need based and you move on as soon as you find a much formidable partner.

The end in itself does not come as a total surprise but has enough surprise element to keep the audience interested. The other likable fact of the movie is that it leaves of lot of things unsaid and leaves it to common sense. The raw nature of the visuals and the loud celebrations are something that you can relate to in your everyday life. A special word on the performances - I think Abhay Deol steals the show with his understated performance playing the role of of a Tamil investigative officer. He portrays conflicting emotions naturally wishing it wasn't him who has to deal with these in fact hoping that postponing them would make them go away.  Emraan Hashmi plays a Rajput who comes over to the city running away from the troubles he has in his home town and trying to make ends meet. It is a role you would never expect Emraan to see in. Every time he flashes a smile you can see his stained teeth and laugh at his butler english. The movie is serious except for the light moments created by Emraan Hashmi but then you don't go to watch a political thriller expecting comedy. Do you?

Who are you?

"Never forget what you are, for surely the world will not. Make it your strength. Then it can never be your weakness. Armor yourself in it, and it will never be used to hurt you" - from Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin