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Many visible and significant
cultural changes have taken place in India since
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independence. Across the nation,
the lifestyle and leisure time activities of
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the people have changed. These
include modes of consumption, styles of
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dress, uses of synthetic material
or artifacts, modes of transport, and
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weakening of the traditional
interdictions about the consumption of meat,
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poultry, etc. The consumption of
fruits, vegetables and milk products now
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has a much wider base. The Green
Revolution that took place in the 1970s is
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now supplemented by a White
Revolution. The evidences provided by the
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Peoples of India survey and the
National Sample Surveys support the large
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extent of these changes. Where,
on the one hand, ethnic and regional self-
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consciousness or identity of
castes, tribes and minorities or other regional
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groups is increasing, there is
evidence also to support the prevalence of many
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integrative processes within our
society which contribute to the holistic
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consciousness. There is increased
inter -regional migration which makes it
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possible for regional cultural
traits, culinary products, cultural performances,
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ritual forms, styles of dress and
ornamentation to flow to other parts together.
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The consumption profile of India
which emerges from this survey, which of
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a total of 4,635 communities,
believes the stereotyped image of India as
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being engrossed in 'other
-worldly asceticism'. In matters of consumption,
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the practice of non
-vegetarianism is on the increase. Among some
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communities there is a parallel
movement also towards vegetarianism. The
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use of alcohol is in vogue in
some form or the other among about 50 per cent
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of the total communities in
India. Of late, a rise in its consumption has become
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a matter of worry in several
states and regions.
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The emerging consumption profile
of our people indicates, on the one
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hand, the cultural resilience of
the past and the present aspects of our tradition,
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on the other hand, it also
suggests as to how susceptible is our consumption
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behaviour to temptations of gross
and unmindful consumerism. Even though
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relatively small, a substantial
section of the upward mobile population in our
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society may be a victim of the
consumerist temptations. A movement for
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balance and temperance is
necessary. Notwithstanding this fact, the continuity
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of a high level of cultural
resilience represented by a rising middle class,
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now more than 200 million ensures
product and market diversification so
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