Imagine walking through a marketplace filled with a tapestry of vibrant colors, laughter echoing as vendors introduce exotic products, and people bustling from stall to stall. Now imagine that this space is divided by invisible barriers, separating individuals not by choice but by necessity. This is the fascinating yet alarming reality unfolding in India today, a nation of vast potential yet staggered by deepening economic divides.
India 1: Riding the Crest of Globalization
India 1 is the epitome of progress, a beacon of entrepreneurship thriving on the global stage. It is a realm of affluence where choices are limitless and consumption is unconstrained. According to The Wire India, the top 10% of earners in this segment enjoy an elite lifestyle, marked by access to premium goods, luxe real estate, and a burgeoning digital economy. Yet, while this class deepens its roots, it doesn’t widen—air travel and luxury consumption are privileges that still elude the masses.
What makes India 1’s growth significant yet contentious is its foundation—fueled by high-income tech industries, globalization, and venture capitalists who rarely look beyond high-value sectors. Still, the question remains: who powers this affluent engine? It is none other than India 2 and India 3, who struggle to make their mark.
India 2: The Aspirational Middle Caught in Stagnation
Welcome to India 2—home to the aspirational middle class akin to a vast tidal wave, visible yet restrained. If India 1 dances to the rhythm of Mexico, India 2 resonates with Indonesia. With about 300 million people, they form the crux of consumer spending, yet lack the financial buoyancy to match their desires. Dependent on credit and susceptible to economic shifts, this segment is struggling to hold on to its waning dream.
A dive into their daily life reveals a juggling act of balancing financial aspirations against stagnant wages and rising costs, all while saddled with limited social security. Efforts to advance are thwarted by systemic hurdles, from underinvestment in human capital to obsolete educational structures. Despite the government’s ambitious “Make in India” drive, the manufacturing sector sputters, and with the threat of AI, the risk of job loss looms large.
India 3: The Invisible Majority Enduring Survival
In stark contrast, India 3 encapsulates the story of endurance, often likened to Sub-Saharan Africa. This majority, forgotten yet immense, toils silently in the underbelly of the economy. Here, the talk of digital empowerment rings hollow, offering little more than echoing promises as the marginalized struggle for basic rights and security.
With over a billion people, India 3 is not ideal for high-consumption statistics but showcases the harshest realities. These are the lives lived without stable employment, healthcare, or educational opportunities—a cycle perpetuated by systemic neglect. Overlooked by India’s tech appraisals, their livelihood rests on fragile gig economy frameworks without the safety nets customary to the formal employment world.
Bridging the Divide: A Call to Collective Action
The chasm between India’s three realities—a divide not merely economic but profoundly social—threatens to destabilize the nation’s narrative of growth and prosperity. It is not merely a challenge but a risk transcending metrics and indices. To safeguard innovation and ensure holistic growth, bridging this divide is imperative. The time for action is now; tomorrow may just be too late for India’s over one billion voices to harmonize.
The narrative that India spins globally must be more than one of selective progress spotlighting its elite. As India carves out its future, the spectrum of opportunity must widen, welcoming all aboard its ships. Without addressing these disparities head-on, India’s future could remain as fractured as the economic stories it tells today.
Kavita Kabeer is a writer and satirist.
