On this day in 1991, Manmohan Singh stood up in Parliament to present an audacious budget that represented an ‘idea whose time had come’, the idea of India as an economic power. In the 25 years that followed, Indians embraced the bounty of choice — in the ways we lived and the things we desired. This special issue looks back at that period of radical disruption, and how it shaped the new Indian.

Be it the rise of of superstar Shah Rukh Khan – whose on-screen journey maps the growth of the Indian middle class – to the life-changing impact that a single music channel, MTV, has had on the thoughts and aspirations of those growing up in the 1990s, it is interesting how the opening up of the economy translated itself into the various segments of Indian society. Suddenly, the marketplace was full of choices, advertisements showed products that were not only unheard of before but well within the grasp of the common man. Television was not only a box for news and limited entertainment, but a portal into different worlds and an introduction to the concept and eventuality of glocalisation.

The Indian skyline transformed significantly, dominated by mushrooming glass and steel towers; in the bedroom and even out of it, sex was no longer a dirty word or a taboo topic – ironically, the ’90s were more freeing than now; and instead of restricting themselves to doctors and engineers, today’s 25-year-olds talk about liberal arts, negotiating economic freedom and social pressures much sooner.

Through these stories, we track the changes – some radical and some more spread out – that were effected by Manmohan Singh’s iconic budget.



One of Us

To track the on-screen journey of Shah Rukh Khan is to map the growth of the Indian middle class, which came of age after the reforms. But he is not just the star who mirrored a need for wealth and success, he also taught us to find our better selves – through love. Read more…

The Food of Love

In the world before pizzas and eating out, choice was limited and Mummy was the Michelin chef. Our tastes have changed immensely, but we have not. Read more…

The World Came Home

Perhaps, the most tangible way in which India felt the change was through television. Yet, the more the industry has grown, the more it has splintered us. Read more…

How MTV Changed My Life

There was only so much one could do in small-town India of the 1990s. Then a channel came along and got us talking about life. Read more…

The Shrinking of Bombay

India’s financial capital was a global city long before 1991. Liberalisation changed it in other insidious ways. Read more…

Singapore in Sonepat

In the 1990s, the glass-and-steel tower transformed the skyline. But how have our cities fared in the age of soaring ambition? Read more…

Dotted for Extra Pleasure

Post-liberalisation, sex was no longer a dirty word and choice extended to everything — partners, condoms, platforms and even consequences. Read more…

Serving the Nation, One Bikini at a Time

Advertising was once easy — you only had to remind the public that their choices were limited. But post-1991, greed became good and a new economy quickly rose, powered by hundreds of slides. Read more…

Bold and Beautiful

For a young girl, growing up in the 1990s was electrifying – it taught her how to be an Indian woman in a modern world. Read more…

Spoilt for Choice

Here are the iconic MNCs that first established themselves in India. Read more…

Investing in the Future

Kisan Ratilal Choksey was an early bird on the stock market scene in India, and from his perch on Dalal Street, he witnessed the markets open and flourish. Read more…

Four 25-year olds talk about negotiating economic freedom, social pressures and the loneliness and anxiety of being the children of liberalisation. Four 25-year olds talk about negotiating economic freedom, social pressures and the loneliness and anxiety of being the children of liberalisation.

The Winner Takes It All

A generation of youngsters born in 1991 grew up in a world very different from that of their parents. Four 25-year olds talk about negotiating economic freedom, social pressures and the loneliness and anxiety of being the children of liberalisation. Read more…

Out With the Old, More of the New

In the early 1990s, new brands entered the market and disrupted the status quo of the old war horses, who could either change their tune or bow out. Read more…

Freedom Calling

On July 31, 1995, the first mobile phone call in India was made in Calcutta — an event that surprised the rest of the country and transformed the lives of many. Read more…

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