Description

Who is Gen Z? India’s Alternative Generation is the first qualitative study of Indian Generation Z values, attitudes and lifestyles conducted in the Indian socio-cultural context. Drawing on primary research with young Indians across metropolitan and Tier 2 cities, the book introduces the GIF Framework, Generational Influencing Factors, a theoretical model that explains how any generation’s values are shaped by the convergence of contextual catalysts, societal realignments and individual value systems. The book maps four generations of Indians through this framework and argues that Gen Z’s defining meta value, Alternative Thinking, is the rational and coherent response of a generation shaped by COVID-19 and India’s rise as a global economic power. Published posthumously, the book represents the final intellectual project of Dr. Bhaskar Das, one of India’s foremost media and marketing thinkers.

About Author

Dr. Bhaskar Das was one of India’s most respected media, marketing and advertising professionals, with a career spanning four decades. He rose from management trainee to President and Board Member at Bennett Coleman and Company Limited, publishers of The Times of India. A perpetual learner and educator, he completed two PhDs: in media management from Pune University in 2009, and in social listening and integrated marketing communication from JIS University Kolkata in 2020. At the time of his passing he was pursuing his third doctorate at GLS University Ahmedabad, researching the values, attitudes and lifestyles of Indian Generation Z. This book is the culmination of that final intellectual journey. He was a sought-after columnist, speaker and strategic thinker, known for his staccato wit, his paradoxical observations and his refusal to become obsolete. He coined the terms FOBO, GenZen, LIMO and Alt Generation. He passed away in January 2025 at the age of 72, leaving behind this book as his final gift to the industry and the generation he spent his last years trying to understand.