THE SURGE TO SPLURGE
Earn more, spend a lot
more. Work hard, party harder. This is the hot number the young are
rocking to. Bitten by the spending bug, the focused and fun-loving Gen-X
swears by its life kit, which includes splashing out on body workshops,
eating out and acquiring the latest gizmos.
Sukhdeep Kaur
reports.
Youngsters
speeding away in swanky cars with blaring music or dancing away at clubs
and discotheques into the wee hours…the present generation is surely
high on cash and aish (fun). The former is no prerequisite for
the latter as going Dutch is the latest fad in the partying genre.
A casual chat and this
tall, not dark, but effortlessly handsome guy comes across as an
archetype of the Generation X. Good money, a heady combination of brawn
and brains and a go-getter attitude with oodles of confidence to boot.
Anil Rana (26) is a
regular at a premium gym and can be seen pumping iron with unfailing
punctuality. He puts the figure he spends on health and fitness to about
30 per cent of his monthly expenses. What other youngsters loosen their
purse strings on may vary but fitness ranks high on the spending list of
most of us, he claims.
His friend, Shweta, who
has recently left her call-centre job to take up a course at ICFAI
Hyderabad, also chips in to say that gyms are equally popular with
girls. One can’t help but agree, as many a young maiden can be seen
sweating it out with equal vigour in various fitness clubs. "But we
lag behind guys when it comes to shelling out cash on many other
things," this 22-year-old is quick to add. No secret this, as it is
increasingly believed that gossip and splurging are no more the sole
prerogatives of women, men do it better and how!
While the debate on which
sex spends more remains inconclusive, certain spending areas are common
to both. For this "work hard, party harder" generation, taking
time off to unwind from their gruelling work schedules of late-night
shifts, travelling, meeting deadlines is as important as taking home
hefty pay packets.
"Undoubtedly,
parties, clubs and movies are a huge drain on our hard-earned
money", says Rana, who has spent considerable time in Gurgaon,
where, he feels the new "youth culture" of India is at its
visible best. For most of the high-earning youngsters, it is juggling
tough working hours with nightlong partying. Call centres, banks,
multi-national companies, media…almost every big player in the
corporate world is a part of this cultural churning. "They pay you
well and make sure you get enough of the party circuit," he adds.
What youngsters spend on
makes for an interesting and intriguing list. Gaurav (25), for example,
has an enviable collection of DVDs and VCDs of Korean, Chinese and
Japanese flicks. A great singer, he also boasts of an assortment of
music albums. Most of these prized possessions are secured in his
laptop, his best buddy. Back to India after completing Master’s in
International Marketing Management from the University of Leeds, UK, he,
too, subscribes to the fitness mantra of his peer group.
"But, I frequent the
gym to channel my energy and not for a fab body," he begs to
differ. He smiles when asked where else did his money go. "Not on
the usual stuff others my age do," he candidly admits. So is it not
on peers, branded clothing, cars or gadgets? "No, mostly on my
first love – music. Most of my free time is spent collecting movie and
music videos, catching up with friends or simply browsing the Net. I
have also put together a book on famous quotes on management," he
adds. As you flip through the pages of his book, the futility of trying
to put this generation into definite slots dawns upon you.
"Squandering, reckless party lovers with no moral frills" is
not a description most of them fit into. The attributes of creativity,
intellect and focus on future plans are equally well ingrained in them.
When it comes to being
bitten by the spending bug, college girls merit a place of distinction.
They are tops in anything and everything that has to do with fashion,
eating out, movies… you name it,
they love it.
While what most
fashionable teenagers spend on is anybody’s guess, those who
beautifully tread the fine line between fun and books are also not far
behind when it comes to having a great time.
Divya, a second year
sociology (hons) student of GCG-11, is a reserved, charming and
scholarly girl who comes across as one who would know little about what
to do with her pocket money …only till she warms up to you and allows
you a glimpse of her expense-metre. What this 19-year-old saves on
fashion accessories goes into buying books, audio cassettes, shoes, an
occasional trip to the beauty salon, eating out in fast food joints or
in the college canteen and, given her scholarly background, on Xerox
copies of class notes. Also a gym regular, she loves to pamper herself
with a steam bath and likes attending Shiamak Dawar’s dance sessions,
salsa classes and has now found her new love in Kathak.
Fitness mania: Youngsters are spending a packet on their health.
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Her buddies — Imreet,
Aarohi, Gunja, Anuradha and Manju — make one big fun group ready to
have a blast anytime. Aarohi is Miss Studious blessed with creative
skills, Impreet is a wannabe model with all the trappings of one waiting
to set the ramp on fire, Anuradha is Miss Vivacious and Gunja is
"somewhat serious". What these girls have in common is the
desire to live life to the fullest. They pool in money for their outings
and indulge each other with cuddly gifts. This generation no doubt
believes in spending their way to having a great time.
Be it cyber cafes,
multiplexes or an idyllic Barista or Café Coffee Day, today’s
youngsters do not miss their fill from the recreation cup. All such
hangouts are thriving on this cash-rich, compulsive spending generation.
The list is endless…from branded sunglasses, hi-fi woofer systems and
amplifiers in cars to I-pods, guys never seem to have enough of
fast-changing electronic gadgets — cellphones being one of them.
Cutting across all
economic and social lines, a mobile phone is one accessory no urban
youth is seen without. They are no more flaunted as style statements but
figure in the "must-have" list of even high school students.
Some youngsters go for a new handset every three months. According to
Shweta, "For guys, car and bike accessories also rank high in the
spending realm."
Spending habits change
with time, says Abhishek Thakur, a 24-year-old young businessman.
"When you are trying to gain a foothold in a business or
profession, especially at a new place, rent, bills and telephone and
travelling expenses take centre-stage. There is little time and
inclination to spend elsewhere," adds Thakur, who in his college
days was into sports and gym and loved to hang out with friends or catch
a latest blockbuster at a multiplex.
According to Rana, it
helps professionally if you have a good personality. No wonder then that
another major spending area, according to him, is clothes and
accessories. Then there is the ever-rising expenditure on petrol. If not
a car, most students manage to have a bike or scooter by the time they
reach college or high school, adds Thakur.
Spending on girlfriends is
no more seen as chivalrous as girls nowadays earn the same if not more,
many college students averred. Showbiz continues to be the biggest draw
for youngsters as beauty salons and grooming courses are witnessing
brisk business.
The growing popularity of
talent hunt shows means boom time for those in the business of selling
dreams and youngsters are willing to put all they have to make it big in
the glamour world.
The classic dilemma, which
Karl Marx had put at the heart of all economic problems – where to
spend, how to spend and how much to spend – is faced by today’s
youth.
The young spenders are
being bombarded with a number of options. With the market offering a
mind-boggling variety of consumer goods, youngsters are taking their
pick of the best.
This ‘take-me-as-I-am’
breed nonchalantly pleads ignorance about masterpieces in fiction and
non-fiction, though most of them have had their share of Nancy Drews,
Harry Potters and Mills and Boon. It’s Internet, mobile phones and
cineplexes for them while art, theatre and culture are interests they
would love to indulge in but not if they have to dig into their pockets.
"Most youngsters are wise enough
to tackle their urge to splurge. Money is just a means to see life in
all its vibrant hues," Thakur sums it up.
— Photos by Pradeep Tewari
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