Till a few years ago people in Agra often used to wonder who will be the new tenants of flats in numerous high-rise buildings coming up in various parts of the city and from where will new residents of colonies mushrooming in far-flung areas come from.
Obviously there has been no mass influx of aliens, nor have sections of people been uprooted in other neighboring districts and settled down in Agra. The physical transformation of the city that has taken place is fuelled by the intense desire of the younger set to patronize a new life style, assert independence and cherish one’s own private space. Big joint families have splintered into nuclear units where both members aspire for a higher socioeconomic status. The age of under- statement is over. Expressive life styles bordering on gaudy exhibitionism occasionally, that depend on comforts and luxuries while making a social statement, are the order of the day.
“Life-style changes have been the result of growing purchasing power of the people and as goods and services have become affordable people do not mind splurging once in a while. Earlier people saved to spend, now they first spend and later work out the economics. We have seen this trend not only in the automobile sector, even housing and purchase of electronic goods have benefited from the liberal lending facilities of financial institutions,” says educationist Neelima Paliwal of Gopal Kunj.
Agra’s fashionable bazaars in Sadar, Sanjay Place or Raja ki Mandi are packed to capacity with a wide range of consumer goods offered at seductive prices. With so many schemes and lucky draws it is “really difficult to get away from the temptation of buying, at times even when there’s no particular need for a product,” says housewife Meena Ulrick.
“When I got married 50 years ago my parents allotted a separate room for me in the big house that we had in the older part of Raja ki Mandi. Now I have arranged for separate houses for my two sons who have their own vehicles too,” says businessman Bankey Lal.
One of the key indicators of city’s changing life-style culture is how people spend their evenings.
“While mornings generally continue to remain almost similar to what they used to be except there is little more accent on yoga and exercises, it is the evenings that have acquired a new meaning and flavor. Social outings, booze parties, club meetings, shopping in the malls, visiting friends or attending cultural programmes and theatre shows are now keeping people busy in the evenings. Eating out after a ritualistic visit to a Hanuman or Sai Baba temple on Tuesdays or Thursdays is another expression of this new age culture,” says Sudhir Gupta of Vijay Nagar colony.
The bourgeoning middle class with comparatively better spending power is definitely becoming upwardly mobile. Cities like Agra with their rich legacy of history and culture are on the threshold of breaking into a modern world. “When women confined to the four walls of their houses venture out for work or for socializing changes are bound to occur. Till about 25 years ago only relatives visited our homes, now every other day friends, business partners, kitty party members, some body or the other keeps dropping and we too interact a lot with others. All this necessitates changes in the house design, décor, facilities, well you’ve got to have something to show off or talk about, be it the furniture, the jewellery or clothes, or things you picked up from the road side vendor,” explains Pushpa Jha of Shamshabad road.
Agra is just beginning to acquire an urban dimension to its essentially rural ambience which cherished community living and sharing common resources. “Most mohallas and basties till recently had only community taps and toilets. Now as people are beginning to move out to colonies in their own independent houses, the need for private space, personal bathroom, drinking water tap, is being acutely felt,” says Vikas Dinkar Pandit of Khandari colony. Now people don’t go to the market to buy Subzi because the Subziwallah comes calling at their gates. The home delivery service of consumer goods has in a way reduced opportunities for interaction with the mohalla people, Pandit adds.
Agra folks have been spending liberally on improving living standards, experimenting with architectural designs, use of materials, electrical fittings. A lot of thought goes into all aspects of living in style which is reflective of the changing times. “If some houses or flats turn out to be museums because of the excessive addiction to express creativity through art objects, it is ok, as long as one is doing it for self expression or to make a statement,” says Nritya Rana, an art and theatre person of Namak ki Mandi.
Another expression of the changing life style mores is the penchant for maintaining lush green lawns and gardens with exotic species of flora. Big houses in Lajpat Kunj, Surya Nagra, Nehru Nagar, Vibhav Nagar or Jaipur Houses have well maintained green patches. The Flat owners too have potted and hanging plants breaking the monotony of the concrete environs. “When members of various kitty parties meet they have more to discuss than just jewellery and clothes. Plants, herbals medicines and even yoga are being discussed these days by women, many of whom are now updated about happenings across the world,” according to Saroj Hazela of Vijayshri Apartments in Vijay Nagar colony.
The younger generation obviously has more money and facilities today than their parents. This could be seen in the wide range of motorbikes, mobiles, trendy outfits including designer shoes. More money is spent on IT- enabled services than on books, which is just as well in view of the globalization impact. “The kids spend quite lot of time in cyber cafes to chat, post profiles on social networking sites or plain access information for their projects. Many families in the city now have their own internet connections making it easier for the women of the house to be part of the global community,” says Rashi Goyal of Friends Paradise apartments. Apartment culture has necessitated continuous mixing and interactions which make for a complete and fuller social life, Rashi adds.
Eating out frequently and going to the gym regularly are other pointers of the changing life patterns in the city of the Taj Mahal, which in the past couple of years has seen a dramatic turn around for the better in every field. “They have enough but want more and better. This is perhaps what triggers development,” sermonizes Surendra Sharma, a hotelier of Agra.
