Forget 2015, check what the year 2035 holds for you.....

As the countdown begins for the birth of the new year, 2015, I took a leap ahead to wonder what life in India would be like 20 years hence, in 2035. Predictions for the year are everywhere– they range from the promise of a glorious future to the horrors of a holocaust. But, reality, as always, is likely to fall somewhere in between. 

In the last 20 years, we saw technology redefine the world. The coming years, experts believe, will be no different. Quantum computing, smart clothes, hologramic broadcast and nano technology are set to become household names.

But, even the reach of technology is limited; eventually, we have to contend with some stark realities – climate change, exploding human population (8.6 billion by 2035) and dwindling natural sources –  which will limit the boundaries of human progress.  

With that reality check, this blog tries to peek into what 2035 holds for an average urban Indian.

(Qualifier: This list does not pretend to be a serious or exhaustive compilation, but is mostly the result of a top-of-the-mind recall exercise. This list can be made more extensive and meaningful with your contributions. Look forward to hearing your views of the 'World in 2035'.)

Some milestones that India will touch between now and 2035:

According to UN estimates, in 2028, India’s population will overtake China’s, earning it the dubious distinction of being the most populous nation of the world.

Other kinder estimates suggest that India will emerge as the world’s third largest economy (based on nominal GDP) by 2030.

Masks and gloves will become a part of the school uniform for urban kids. Denser agglomeration in Indian cities will pose huge hazards to both humans and the environment. After years of reckless use of antibiotics, most Indians would have become immune to them, and the superbug will be one of the biggest challenges facing a-sixth of mankind.  

On a conservative estimate, a kilogram of rice will cost Rs.400 per kg. Increasing productivity notwithstanding, climate change, burgeoning population and declining acreage under agriculture will have the obvious consequence – food prices will skyrocket.

Government subsidies will be inadequate to cover the market prices, severely affecting affordability of the underprivileged population. To keep prices down, India will have to significantly step up its food imports, besides working miracles with its food storage infrastructure.

Homes in cities will be fitted with water meters, with consumption charged at a steep, escalating rate.

Personal privacy will be a distant memory. You will be under surveillance from the moment you step out of your shower to the moment you retire for the day (hopefully, not afterwards!).

Biometric testing will become mandatory for all personal identification. We’ll have discarded plastic cards and account numbers and progressed to using biometrics to operate our bank accounts. Ironically, at the same stroke, we will also have regressed to being an ‘angoota chaap’.

With unrestricted and unlimited access to our genetic information, the Government will play the ‘Big Boss’ with its citizens.

Biometric records of potential employees and grooms will be checked with police databases before employment/ nuptial agreements are entered into.

In the name of surveillance, mankind will consume enormous data storage devices, and generate and store massive amounts of useless data.   

Retirement ages will shrink gradually in both the private and public sector with the size of the workforce entering the job market far surpassing the jobs available. 

Employee welfare will be grossly neglected as companies aggressively pursue their elusive profits in a highly competitive business environment.
 

On the positive side, increasing awareness over the indiscriminate use of pesticides will give a big boost to organic farming; greater scale of organic food cultivation will be achieved and organic food products will become more affordable.

India’s space programme will be a money spinner for the government. ISRO would have followed up its highly successful MOM mission with several others and would be generating enormous revenues for the government by helping other smaller nations with their space programme.

As conventional energy sources start to dry up, India will increasingly look to the skies for help - solar power will meet a significant share of the country’s energy requirements.

 

E-tailing would have settled into a mature phase of growth after extreme consolidation. Discounts and easy returns will have disappeared, and footfalls would have returned to the malls heralding the victory of ‘touch & feel’ over ‘click & cart’, at least in some segments (for eg. garments, the largest segment of organised retail in India).

Not sure about Bollywood, but Tollywood films (Tamil movies) will have moved on to the digital medium and almost all small and medium budget films will be released directly on the Internet.


Last, but not the least, services such as googlemaps, youtube, facebook and whatsapp, to name a few, would have long since switched to the subscription-based model.

On the lighter side:

Switzerland will declare ‘Gujarati’ its fifth national language, and ‘dhokla’ its national cuisine. ‘Dhokla flavoured cheese’ will be on the hit list of Gujarati tourists.

Aradhya Bachchan will be cast opposite Rajinikant as the heroine in his new movie.

Ver.22 of the ‘Swachcha Bharath’ campaign will launched under a new name, and celebrities – Aryan Khan and Aradhya Bachchan –  will be found endorsing the campaign with vacuum cleaners and electric brooms. Meanwhile, the ‘aam aadmi’ will continue to enjoy unbridled freedom over his environment.

Some things will, of course, never change:

India’s geo-political disputes with Pakistan and China will remain unresolved.

A vast majority of Indians will still believe in the institution of marriage; Gold will touch Rs.150,000 per  tola, but Indians will not give up their love for it.

Unimaginative and irrelevant education will continue to make our children’s lives miserable.

Mumbai realty prices will continue to defy gravity and Mumbai Metro will still be under construction.