Everything in my life has been due to liberalisation,” says author Hindol Sengupta. From getting admission into an American-run missionary school, to getting an internship at AP (and consequent jobs at Reuters and IANS), Sengupta’s story of both access and exposure rings true for countless other middle-class children growing up in the ’90s and naughties.

In his book, by speaking of the instance of his mother hating the erstwhile ‘have-nots’ (her domestic help) owning a cell phone before she owns one, author Hindol Sengupta highlights India’s consumerist culture taking over its better social sense. Pic/AFP Photo