| So you want to buy a television? There's never been a
better time. It's the festival season and there are deals galore. Now take a look. Here's
a decent looking 14-inch colour TV. But wait a minute. That comes free with a 29-inch TV,
which you can get for the price of a 21-inch if you bring in your own set -- with a
working remote -- in exchange. On the other hand, you can get a 21-inch for the price of a 14-inch, but you can get that free anyway with
the 29-inch ... confused? It's called choice, a concept the Indian consumer is still
getting used to after a lifetime of believing choice was taking a pick between a Fiat, an
Ambassador, and later, a Maruti. Today, there are 50 models of cars to choose from. The
consumer is king, lording it over more goods than he can consume. As our cover story tells
you, not only has a liberalised economy resulted in a sea of choices, competition has
driven down prices and drastically improved quality and after-sales service. The consumer
is getting better value for money than ever before, and is now very demanding. This
consumer-is-king credo could be the base for the remaking of India and has strong
political implications, especially for the success of further liberalisation.
"Political parties must understand that these 250 million shoppers are voters,"
says Associate Editor V. Shankar Aiyar, who researched the story over six weeks.
"Their happiness is a sort of referendum on the reforms."
With a new millennium round the corner,
we decided to give you a glimpse of what might be. So from this issue we present the first
in a series, "Faces of the Future". This new section in every issue will profile
people who we believe will make their mark in varied fields: politics, business, sports,
science, cinema, music and theatre. For better or worse, they will make a difference to
our new century.
(Aroon Purie) |
