NOUVEAU RICHE

The progress of the Nouveau-Riche

THEN or the Stage - I

In the 1950’s and 60’s, a class of people came to be known as the Nouveau-Rich. They were mostly tradesmen who became very rich by selling grocery / vests & underwear / chole – bhature / or bricks & sand etc. These, the Nouveau-Rich loved to show off their money among themselves, made mistakes in manners etc., but were rich ! They gave their children professional education with the backing of capitation fee (seats in medical / engineering colleges in that era were very limited). Being tradesmen / businessmen they were polite towards the salaried officer class, and did not put on airs in public. Among themselves they called the other class as snobs

The salaried class whether employed in the government or industry, was better educated professionals, and sometimes offspring of similarly employed officer parents. Their paths crossed at railway trains or tourist spots. The salaried class did not mix with them and thought of themselves as a class above. Both the classes kept well apart with interaction between them mostly nil.

LATER or the Stage - II.

 By the late 1970’s and early 80’s some of the salaried / contractor class who had become rich by ‘dubious’ methods became the new Nouveau-Rich class, with the remaining salaried class not so ‘lucky’ becoming the slogging class. The genteel class of course went into oblivion.

Both the classes being salaried knew each other, were neighbors or worked in the same office. A feeling of achievement by the Nouveau-Rich gradually became the norm in the society. They put on airs and thought poorly of those not as well of as themselves.

Each family had relatives in each class, but living separately - each lived their own satisfied lives.

NOW or the  Stage – III

We who were young persons in the stage-I or II era, have lived our lives; and are now near retirement or living a retired life.

Now, in the current era – since 2000 and India’s economic reforms - younger persons or our own children or of relatives, have evolved into a new breed of Nouveau-Rich.  They have started their employment at salaries nearly four to five times of what their parents retired at.

These Nouveau-Rich have no concept of living as their parents did, viz., economically.. They buy things only in malls, buy shoes or shirts at ten times the price of what their parents consider fair, acquire flats and gadgets from day one. Look with disdain at eatables and drinking water brought from home during journeys. They think that those not in their category are in the cattle class.

The Nouveau-Rich is not somebody else far off. He / She is in our own home !!

SO …

So the Nouveau-Rich has travelled from some distant person in stage-1, to a colleague / relative in stage-2, to our own family now. This is progress indeed.