What is the Need of the Hour – Roti, Kapda, Makaan? – Ever heard your parents say that today’s generation has everything easy and they had to work even to fulfil their basic needs of “Roti, Kapda and Makaan”!
The concept of “Roti, Kapda, Makaan” translates into the need for money that has been prevalent across generations.
Even with the decrease in the value of money due to inflation and world issues. The generations can barely meet the ends to satisfy their needs.
A salary of Rs.1,500 fed a family of four, a salary of even Rs. 50,000 is not enough for a family of two.
There has been a tremendous shift in the basic needs across generations. With the base factor still being the need for money.
Our Previous Generations
Our previous generations led a simple life with limited access to food and social life. With a large family and limited income, they seldom were able to meet ends.
Having large families amounted to spending more on the needs of every family member. It started with the cost of birth, to the children’s education and settling them down (business/job) and finally their marriage.
As a result, the people of the older generation never even had the chance to save money to buy anything more than the basic “Roti, Kapda and Makaan”.
Additionally, the older generation only spent the money available to them. Net banking was never an option, and to make any payments, you needed to have sufficient cash with you.
As a result, you only spent money that was available in cash at the time. Little money often led to minimal spending; consequently, the people had limited desires and needs.
Further, having a house of your own was considered a significant status symbol as people who lived in rented apartments or houses were looked down upon.
As a result of living a simple life, the older generation believed in only owning the things that kept them alive. Food (or Roti) to eat and feed themselves and their family. Clothes (or Kapda) to protect them from the weather and a house (or Makaan) for shelter.
For the previous generations, things that made their lives easy were considered luxuries, not necessities. Implying that only if a family fulfilled their basic necessities did they think of buying other luxurious things like cars, food equipment or air conditioners.
New Reforms in 1991
The new financial policy or financial reforms introduced in 1991 by the then Finance Minister Dr Manmohan Singh opened the gates to Globalization in the country.
With Globalization, the younger generation of that time had global exposure to many amenities and luxury items.
Additionally, to help the country’s economy, Globalization also increased the people’s spending power. As a result, they could afford luxury items more quickly and effectively.
With the ease of availability and purchasing power, the reforms and global exposure started transforming the people’s basic needs.
Where cars, air conditioners and kitchen electronics were considered luxuries and too hard to buy or even find before Globalization, they became part of most households in the country.
Liberalization and privatization
Further, with the liberalization and privatization norms introduced in the same financial policy of 1991. The facility of loans became readily available to the general public.
With the increased number of loans and availability of credit cards, people started spending money. They did not have while paying it in small amounts.
For example, with the availability of a car loan, if a car costs Rs. 5 lakhs, then the customer only had to pay a minimum of 10% as a down payment (Rs.50 thousand) and could pay easy EMIs over a fixed tenure for the rest of the car.
Access to a car loan implied that a person had to pay the entire Rs. Five lakhs for a car before the easy availability of a car loan could now pay Rs. Fifty thousand and purchase a car.
The availability of loans and credit cards led to people spending money that they did not have to buy things they did not need. Which helped make their lives more comfortable. Consequently, whatever people bought, they paid for it later through easy instalments.
Major Changes
The shift in the people’s basic needs that started with the financial reforms of 1991 reached its peak point by the year 2010.
In the age of newfound technology and increased jobs to manufacture and sell these technologies, the life of the people changed completely.
The life of the people became comfortable, and they moved towards necessities that made their lives easier and more comfortable.
The basic needs became the necessities people already have because of their parents’ hard work when they were young.
Good quality “Roti” or food was provided in most households, and it became fancier with the introduction of fancy restaurants, cafes and lounges.
Where “Ghar ka khana” or home-cooked food consisted of plain vegetables, bread, pulses and rice in the earlier times, it changed to fancy and fast food not only at the arrival of guests but as evening snacks for the people of the household.
Similarly, the “Kapda” or clothes were just plain clothes stitched by our grandmother or mother. Mostly, they were passed on from the older brother to the younger brother to save cost and use the cloth for their entire life.
Availability of clothes
With the changing times, the availability of clothes was never a problem. But it was replaced with the need to wear good quality and branded clothes to blend in with the societal fashion sense. As a result, the wearing of brands became a status symbol, with some brands earning the tag of high-end brands owned by the selective cream of the society. In contrast, others wore the more common brands differentiating themselves from society’s cream.
Further, the “Makaan” or house used to give shelter to oneself and their family and was built basically with standard architecture and basic amenities.
For example, some houses only had rooms and a kitchen in the verandah with no washroom in the house as everyone shared the common washroom of the village or society.
Change in generation
With the change in generation, these basic houses turned into luxurious flats, apartments, villas and even mansions depending upon the budget of the individual making them.
Even though the houses were reformed to accommodate more facilities, most of the land was converted into dwellings and housing. A shift was seen in the living scenario of the people implying that rented accommodations became normal and were not frowned upon anymore.
With increasing job opportunities, people had to relocate and leave their hometowns.
Therefore, increased jobs led to people living in rented accommodations. As a result, it became the norm in society, and people stopped judging others based on whether they owned a house.
Need of the Hour
Moving from one generation to another, many changes in the basic needs were seen.
The basic needs of Roti, Kapda and Makaan still existed but as status symbols. The luxuries of the older generations became the new necessities as they helped the people live a more effortless and comfortable life.
Additionally, with the emergence of social media and the new wave of technology. Some more (never heard of before but cannot live without them now) needs to be made on the list of life’s necessities.
Close your eyes and think about 2010 and how your life has changed since then. Is it not strange that a small piece of equipment in your hand has become your world and as essential as the air you breathe.
Yes, you guessed that right, the famous “Mobile Phone”. The emergence of mobile phones and, more specifically, Smart Phones changed the lives of the people on earth forever!
If you add mobile phones and the internet, it will automatically become an essential part of the necessities of today!
Both mobile phones and the internet service a lot of purposes in the lives of people of today. No one can live without its numerous uses, irrespective of societal status.
Mobiles and the internet – a hub of knowledge
Mobiles and the internet are knowledge hubs and are used for educational purposes. They also play a significant role in upholding the country’s economy by aiding businesses to work more effectively and efficiently.
They have helped establish personal relations by bringing people from across the globe closer through social media and video calls. Helped in business expansions across the globe with multi-national companies operating worldwide. With the help of subsidiaries without any hassle due to integrated data systems and continuous reporting and monitoring.
In addition to the benefits that mobiles and the internet provide us for, they to become a necessity. They are also a status symbol in society.
For example, a person carrying a high-end Apple or Samsung mobile worth lakhs of rupees or having unlimited Wi-Fi access is considered financially strong and part of the upper class of society.
So, owning a particular mobile phone brand helps an individual connect to the world but also helps society determine their status and financial stability.
Why the Change
When the 1991 economic reforms took place, the shift in the necessities of people could be seen gradually. Only after the age of “social media” was a sudden shift in people’s needs.
With influencers and celebrities leading over social media. It became essential to show off or convey your private life and activities to the world.
Due to peer pressure and not wanting to miss out on what the world was doing. People (especially the current generation) shifted their basic needs to the current trends of society.
For example, the current generation chooses to live in the moment instead of saving money for their children like our parents or previous generations.
The necessities became having status in society, wearing designer labels. Owning high-end brands of mobile phones and cars and going on various vacations to beautiful and extravagant destinations.
Current education
The current education grew before their age, and they are more or less addicted to their mobile phones or tablets. It has become their second nature to compare themselves with the world. As a result, they do or get everything that today’s world is following or is “trending”.
Additionally, in a country that is majorly influenced by celebrities from Bollywood and the cricketing world. Fitness took a new meaning for the current generation.
Most youth today are addicted to going to the gym, and fitness has become a basic necessity for many people in the country.
With the gym becoming a necessity, so did all the supplements and protein shakes that are part and parcel of the “gym world”. For every gym-goer, the necessities of life include all the equipment and food supplies related to their exercise and fitness regime.
Conclusion
It can be seen that the necessities did not change over the years, but the reason for them being necessities took a turn.
“roti” was supposed to feed people, so they don’t starve. It became more of having different kinds of food and cuisines and having fun with your food. It is true that “healthy eating” has also become a necessity nowadays. Implying that food is not required to fill up your stomach but also to lead a healthy lifestyle.
Additionally, where “kapda” was supposed to protect oneself from external conditions. It is now needed for fashion statements, brand value and societal status.
Further, “makaan” is a necessity that is still important for almost everyone. The reason for owning the first home is to provide shelter and luxurious life for oneself and their family. Still, buying subsequent houses is a means of investing in a property and increasing your asset value. The basic need for a house thus converts into social status. The means to increase the income would facilitate the fulfilment of other social status or “basic” necessities.
Further, there have been many additions to the necessities of life for the people of today. Anything and everything that facilitates comfortable and easy living forms part of the necessities of today. From cars, kitchen appliances, home appliances, gyms, and electronic gadgets to even the internet. All form part of the necessities of life without which none of the people can live or imagine their life.