Insight in the lifestyle pattern of youth at Manipal, India

A survey conducted by Aniketh Dsouza gave an insight about the lifestyle, gadget and internet usage by the youth in Manipal, India. The city of Manipal is the hub of education in India and is a home to 20,000 students every year. This survey gives fresh insight in the lifestyle pattern of youth in India.

The infographic:

Source: http://anikethdsouza.com/marketing/infographic-manipal-youth-survey-results/

Becoming local is becoming cooler

Gone are the days when wearing “I LOVE NY” tee was a common cool among the morning joggers at Juhu (Mumbai) or Bessi beach (Chennai); I always thought it’s a foolish act. Still few pot bellied grey hairs / dumb heads feel proud to be a part of that utopian love affire with NY at the chaotic yet unique India (I generally ask them “If you love NY soooo much then why you are here yaar!) .

The youth in India are becoming confident to show off their roots. The confidence is getting smarter expressions through various artists, designers and intellectuals…

Here’s few amazing graphics and tees from Neil Dantas (http://www.thedoers.blogspot.com/) to express his thoughts and sentiments for Mumbai, the melting pot of culture, curry and various social semiotics . You can view his Facebook page to have an idea of the growing fan list.





(Designs copyright to Neil Dantas)
see more works of Neil at his facebook page "neildantas" or contact him at : neildantas@gmail.com


Few products by the young and creative designers of Playclan(http://www.theplayclan.com/store/index.html) are here. Right now, Play Clan is a small shop in an alley on the first floor at Select Citywalk Mall in New Delhi. Playclan states that "The creative clones see it growing into a large community. Be a part of the clan. Contribute an idea or interesting thoughts or artwork and see it in the store. Be a clone."



(Designs and photos copyright to Theplayclan)
Contact play clan at: play@theplayclan.com

Thanks to http://masalachaionline.blogspot.com/ we saw the intereting "tribal influenced artworks" of Kavita. Kavita Singh Kale has her roots in the hills of Kangra and studied painting at the College of Art , Delhi. Later she garnered a post grad diploma from NID in Animation film , that had a significant influence on her artistic grammar. Heres an work of her:



(artworks are copyright to Kavita)
More works can be seen at her site: http://undergroundworm.tv/kavita/


Kaustav SenGupta
INgene

Indian youth and "Tat-toos" : a farm fresh report

Kaustav SenGupta
INgene
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Under the Skin

anushreemajumdar
Posted: Jul 09, 2009 at 0004 hrs IST

While the world was tuning in to watch the memorial service of Michael Jackson at the Staples Center, Los Angeles, tattoo artist Lokesh Verma was hunched over a client’s back in his Delhi parlour, painstakingly recreating the King of Pop’s anti-gravity lean made immortal in the video of his 1987 hit Smooth criminal. “One of my regulars came with an image of Jackson and wanted it on her back as a tribute to him. It was quite an experience transferring the image on to skin,” says Verma, 26, owner of Devil’z Tattooz in Vasant Vihar. If you thought MJ was an offbeat choice of body image, don’t be surprised. This summer Delhi’s young body art lovers aren’t settling for the usual butterfly, Om and satanic images. Quirky is the new buzzword, everything else is passé.

Sonal Lewis, 23, got her first tattoo done by Mumbai-based artist Vikas Malani a few days ago, and the image was like nothing Malani had done before. “It is a half woman-half tiger. It looks as if the woman is coming out of the body of tiger. I used to be a dancer and was nicknamed “Cat” in my dance class. The idea was to get something completely unique, something feline and wild but not vicious, something essentially like me. We’ve heard of mermaids, my tattoo is a tigerwoman,” says Lewis.

Mike Cowasji, who’s been running Mike’s Body Art studio in CR Park for the past six years, is excited about the kind of designs Delhiites have suddenly developed a penchant for. “Previously, it used to be a small tattoo as people played it safe. Now, they want big tattoos. I’ve been doing a lot of black and grey washes, bringing out different shades of black, with water effects, images of mermaids, dragons, phoenix and even pagan symbols,” says Cowasji, 40. As an artist, he enjoys the new challenge to think big and ink big as well.

Apart from new washes and MJ tribute tattoo, there’s a hot demand for ‘Biomechanical’ tattoos, images of body parts drawn with a bizarre twist. So expect to see a lot of eyes and hearts painted on shoulders and bare torsos. While biomechanical art rides high on its morbid appeal in Delhi, foreign tourists, says Verma, usually ask for “elaborate wedding-style henna motifs and intricate Madhubani designs”.

The Gurgaon-based Funky Monkey tattoo studio says the god Shiva has become a hit. “We do about four tattoos every day of the week and approximately seven during weekends. Big pieces of Shiva are in demand and we have a steady stream of women who want their children’s names tattooed as well,” says Hardy Mitra, 40, who started the tattoo studio eight years ago and has new outlets planned in Delhi and Kolkata. Younger girls, who come accompanied by parents, seem to have fallen in love with mythical animals like the unicorn and want one on themselves. The more bizarre, the better!

source:http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/under-the-skin/486891/

A survey by Economictimes @ Indian youth

Economictimes has published the survey report of youth trends in India:

Google (41%) emerges as most preferred source of information for Indian youngsters in the age group of 12 and 18, largely studying in English medium schools, and living in urban India, according to "TCS Generation Web 2.0 Trends' - a comprehensive nationwide study across 12 Indian cities reaching over 14,000 youngsters.

Print (26%) and TV (25%) are the next important source of information.
Kolkata (77 %) has the highest number of students using internet (Google + Wikipedia). Library usage amongst Cochin students is highest nationally (14%) while Bhubaneshwar (45%) and Lucknow (42%) lead in information sourced through television. Mumbai (12% ) youth prefer TV the least.

The nationwide study captures the trends and pulse of the youth across India with a clear focus on information, technology and aspirations.

Social networking trends

Blogging in metros revolves largely around their everyday life. Bangalore is the blogging capital of India, with 66% of studentsbeing part of blogging / social networking scene, against 39% nationally. More students in Mumbai (60%) and Ahmedabad(57%) read about film and celebrity blogs than youth in any other city.

Bangalore and Hyderabad (33% each) students prefer blogging onstudies and school, highest nationally. Orkut emerges the most preferred source for Social Networking nationally.

Mumbai is the only city where Facebookis more popular than Orkut. Cochin (8%) and Bangalore (9%) kids are most attracted to Secondlife, Myspace, and Podcasting.

Educational interests and pursuits

Desire to study abroad is a national aspiration among students. USA is the most popular destination with nearly 40% preferring to study there.

Physical proximity, family ties play a role in choice of education destination. Singapore and Dubai is preferred by one in five students in Chennai and Cochin respectively as top choice for overseas education.

Global Citizens: Young India reflects a strong affinity for Travel. In the Metros, Salary is the highest sought after career expectation. New Skills and Experience score over Salary in Mini Metros. Engineering emerged as the most preferred as an Ideal Career Choice (35%).

IT is second choice. Media and Entertainment comes in fourth in metros while the Mini Metros choose Banking / Financial Services over Media.

Disposable income

Majority get pocket money of less than Rs.500/-per month. Delhi and Hyderabad youth get the highest pocket money (10% of them in both cities get above Rs2,000 pm) in the country.

In Metros, 17% receive pocket money in excess of Rs.1000 per month (Mini Metros: 7%)
Youth ownership trends

Home PC penetration is very high in the Metros (71%), while it is 54% in the mini metros. Bangalore and Delhi ( 77%) have highest PC penetration. Among mini metros, Ahmedabad comes close at 73%. Laptop, though an aspiration, does not seem to have reached many homes.

Mumbai has the highest laptop penetration at 38%, compared to the national average of 19%. Ipod’sand Music player score over the digital camera both in metros and mini metros.

Bangalore has the highest (91%) ipod/ digital music player penetration nationally.

Source: http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/quickiearticleshow/4864373.cms
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Rahman, Sonu and Lata India's favorites
14 Jul 2009, 1245 hrs IST, Amit Sharma, ET Bureau

NEW DELHI: Indian youth have given the definitive verdict. Double Oscar-winning music composer AR Rahman is young India’s favorite music personality followed by singer Sonu Nigam and the legendary Lata Mangeshkar.

A recent twelve-nation online survey released today has suggested that while a whopping 83% Indian youth love music, this year, there has been a 23% increase in the time they spent listening to music. Overall, the Asian youth increased their time spent listening to music by 25% over last year.

Titled Music Matters, the Asia-wide survey among 8,841 respondents has been conducted by market research firm Synovate. It goes on to add that American rock band Linkin Park, singer Rihanna and Canadian artiste Avril Lavigne are some of the popular music personalities in Asian countries, that are marked by a keen interest in local music and singers who dominate their favorites list.

While his general body of work has been admirable, it could well be Rahman’s work for Slumdog Millionaire that has catapulted him as a hot favorite. So, while Rahman and Sonu Nigam are understandably favorites with Indian youth, thanks to their recent work that has appealed to Gen Y, it is Lata Mangeshkar’s name that comes across as a pleasant surprise. Renditions from the seventy-nine year-old veteran continue to strike the right chords with the country’s young listeners.

Says Bollywood music composer Shankar Mahadevan of the Shankar, Ehsaan, Loy trio; “Lataji has left an indelible mark on music. Her contribution to Indian music is unmatchable. It is therefore no surprise to me that she appears in the favorites’ list. The fact that the youth adore Lataji also proves that they have a keen ear for stellar music.” Notwithstanding the bombardment of techno, pop, rap music, Indian youth are discerning music listeners, still loving the gentle crooner and undisputed czarina of melody.

In what would be music to the ears of mobile phone manufacturers, the survey states that mobile phones are the clear favorites with Indian youth as the devices for listening to music, with 39% respondents preferring them to TV, computers and MP3 players. For the Asian region, computers followed by MP3 Players are the preferred devices for listening to music.

India’s music industry, which complains of constantly eroding revenues (to the tune of 50%) thanks to piracy will take heart from the finding that Indians are some of the most legal down loaders of music from the internet, with 19% paying for downloaded music, as against the 11% average of paid down loaders in the Asia.

But Vipul Pradhan, CEO, Phonographic Performance India, a music broadcasting license society, begs to differ; “The number of internet music downloaders is small in India, as compared to other Asian countries. Therefore the small number of ‘paid’ music down loaders is not of much significance.”

Source: http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/News-By-Industry/Media-/-Entertainment-/Entertainment/Rahman-Sonu-and-Lata-Indias-favorites/articleshow/4775339.cms

why indian youth are targetted abroad - a socio-psychological analysis

Source: Times of India, 5/7/09

socio-psychological trends among Indian youth

Source: Times of India. 5/7/09




Source: Marie Claire, India- June 2009
















Source: The Hindu-Nxg
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Harnessing Indian youth power
25 May 2009, 0434 hrs IST, Rajesh Shukla,

Youth power is believed to be one of the most important assets for economic growth. This becomes even more significant when viewed in the context of a fast ageing population in the developed nations. Consider this: in 2020, an average Indian is expected to be only 29 years old against 37 years in China and the US, 45 years in West Europe and 48 years in Japan. This is the “demographic dividend” that research analysts keep harping about — by 2020, the working age population in India is expected to grow by more than 47 million people.

The power the youth can wield was recently on display during the general elections as they played a crucial role in boosting the UPA’s performance and paving the way for a second consecutive term in governing the nation. However, youth power can be a double-edged sword if it is not managed efficiently. As the working population grows by leaps and bounds, it is imperative that this new generation of workforce is equipped with skills and knowledge if the nation is to harness its human capital potential.

More importantly, skills- and knowledge-accretion need to be in sync with the aspirations and ambitions of the youth. Failure to do so could result in a host of societal problems, and the ensuing rise in unemployment and poverty could drag down India’s economic prospects in the not-too-distant future. The focus should, therefore, be not only on numbers but on quality of this human resource.

India’s economic planners have time and again focused attention on the youth. The first Planning Commission in 1952 recognised the vital role that youth can play in the development of the nation. In 1985, after the UN declared it as the International Year of the Youth, Indian policymakers set about preparing a National Youth Policy, which was adopted in 1988, which was then revised in 2003. Despite this, few initiatives were taken to translate these policies into action on the ground.

A significant initiative has recently been launched by the National Book Trust which has proposed a ‘National Action Plan for Readership Development among the Youth (NAPRDY)’ on the occasion of its golden jubilee celebrations. As the first major step envisaged under the proposed NAPRDY, NBT and NCAER are undertaking a ‘National Youth Readership Survey-2009’, a national survey of over 35,000 youth covering all the states and UTs among in rural and urban India.

The survey will cover major topics such as demographic profile, patterns of use of information sources, readership status, attitudes, determinants of readership, etc. This initiative is expected to provide policymakers and other key stakeholders, including the corporate sector, key insights into the attitudes and usership trends among Indian youth.

But before addressing the youth issues, it’s necessary to first arrive at a definition of youth. Sociologically speaking, youth refers to a ‘category’ rather than a ‘group’; the difference being that a category has diverse or heterogeneous elements unlike a group which is sociologically similar in its composition. Youth relates to an age group that is transiting between childhood and adulthood and may comprise of a conglomeration of sub-groups with differing social roles, expectations and aspirations.

However, there is no uniformity in the definition among different countries. The UN defines youth as those in the age-group of 15-24 years. The UNICEF defines youth in the age bracket of 15-30 years. On the other hand, India’s National Youth Policy (NYP, 2003) considers all individuals in the age-group of 13-35 years as youth population. NYP further states that all persons within this age group are unlikely to be one homogeneous group and divides into two broad groups: 13-19 years (adolescent age group) and 20-35 years.

Understanding Indian youth: Census 2001 provides valuable information on age, sex and education levels of population and some insights on youth.


The total youth (13-34 years) population is 390 million (38% of total population) and is expected to rise to 440 million by 2020.

70% (271 million) youth reside in over 600,000 villages.

72% (282 million) youth are literate.

41% of literate youth are 13-19 years old, 23% are 20-24 years old and 36% are in the 25-34 years old. There is no significant difference among males and females.

59% of literate youth are male. Little over 7% (21 million) of literate youth are graduates and above, 53% have passed higher secondary (12th class).

62% of graduate youth are male.

India is comfortably placed to reap the benefits of this demographic dividend for at least the next 12 years. But as mentioned earlier, size alone is not sufficient. The quality of human resource is an important aspect. Indian youth need to be equipped with knowledge and skills to compete globally. As a recent BusinessWeek article pointed out “the primary ambition of young Indians from the smallest villages to the largest cities is to ‘become rich’.”

But the gap between expectations and reality is too wide — and some would even say unbridgeable. According to trends revealed by NSS (National Sample Survey, Government of India):

Indian households spend a minuscule 3.58% of their total household expenditure on education which translates into Rs 73 per month for rural and Rs 230 per month for urban in 2004-05. This has marginally increased from 2.42% in 1993-94.

In real terms, expenditure on education by households increased both in the rural and urban India between 1993-94 and 2004-05. The rural household’s education spend in 2004-05 was roughly about 44% of what urban households were spending on education in 1993-94.

In 2004-05, rural households spent roughly about the same amount on education and on consumption of pan/tobacco and other intoxicants. Significantly, education featured way down on the list of priorities, and just above entertainment, in terms of household expenditure.

The expenditure on tuition fees and private tutor fees, as subsets of education expenses, reported highest growth. On the other hand the expenditure on library charges has gone down.

The above figures are definitely a cause for concern. A strong culture of reading is a prerequisite for any society that expects to compete in a fast globalising environment. Television, the Internet and other communication have raised the expectations of the youth. And unless this gap between aspirations and abilities is adequately addressed, it could turn into a ‘problem’ rather than a ‘resource’, so don’t waste the opportunity.

Source: http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/4573461.cms?prtpage=1

Indian Youth Lifestyle - my article in CQ mag

An article of mine came in CQ mag: