The wonderful thing about status symbols is that, with the right actions – usually purchases, though not necessarily so – they allow social and class glass ceilings to be broken with the least amount of blood, sweat and shards being shed. Harrumphing folks might disapprove. But the recent reported trend of tier-2, tier-3 towns – like Nadiad and Karimnagar, so exotic-sounding for the brown sahibs and mems of SoBo and SoDel – going on a high-end consumption spree is as revealing as it is heartwarming. A visible, external symbol of one’s social position can serve to fashion one’s social positioning. Being seen listening to classical music – or, for that matter, rock music with its tag of ‘internationalism’ – can do wonders for one’s street cred. Also, being seen reading ‘literature’ can very well lead to enjoying ‘literature’. The same holds with the purchase of a Louis Vuitton luggage set, or the traditional display of a Lamborghini in a Siliguri garage.
This is not about ‘keeping up with the Joneses’ – it’s about telling the Joneses that their ability to appreciate the fine things in life is not god-given. So, let a thousand boutiques and showrooms bloom across non-posh India. If Christmas can be celebrated with full-blown gaiety and single malt in Khan Market or Park Street, let it be celebrated with equal pomp in Aligarh and Ayodhya.
