Opinion There are no Baby Boomers, Millennials or Gen Zs in India

They’re used in marketing decks, recruitment discussions, and even family WhatsApp debates. But their origins are distinctly American. The “Boomers” emerged from post-WWII prosperity in the US. “Gen X” from the disillusionment of the Cold War. “Millennials” came of age during the tech boom. These markers are born from Western economic, social, and political events.

US-based frameworks don’t account for the complex social, economic and cultural factors that play out in India. An 80-year-old “Boomer” in the US is very different from an 80-year-old in India. This is because India’s story is different. It is a nation where the pace and nature of change defy imported frameworks.

The same household often contains people born in different Indias — an Independence-era grandparent, a liberalisation-era parent, and a child who is fluent in the language of reels.

We need a generational framework that reflects our own reality. One that is shaped by Independence and post-Independence idealism, by black-and-white Doordarshan and colour cable TV, by the 1991 liberalisation and the 2010s internet boom.

A framework that captures India’s own unique and eventful journey over the last 75 plus years.

Here’s an attempt to decode India through five homegrown generations:

The first generation (1940–1960)

Defining trait: Scarcity mindset, frugality, nation-building

This is the generation of Independence and Partition. Of handmade goods, ration lines, and radios. They witnessed wars, food shortages, and the slow churn of the socialist economy. Their icons were JRD Tata and MS Subbulakshmi.

They placed immense value on institutions such as LIC or HMT — brands that stood for trust and self-reliance. For them, ownership meant pride. Travel was rare and mostly by rail. They taught us “jugaad” — not as a hack, but as a necessity.

The middle generation (1960–1975)

Defining trait: Aspirational, but restrained

This is the generation that grew up waiting: Waiting for milk, gas cylinders, scooters, jobs and opportunities. They were used to delayed gratification and their dreams often went unfulfilled.

Icons ranged from Amitabh Bachchan to Rakesh Sharma. Brands like Nirma and Bata dominated consumption. Foreign travel meant migration out of India. This is the generation that taught us to “study hard” so we could escape the system they were stuck in

The post-lib generation (1975–1990)

Defining trait: Dual identity, with one foot in old India, one in the new

Cable TV, the cola wars, Sachin Tendulkar, Shah Rukh Khan. This was the generation that saw India open up.

This generation saw the first PCs and dial-up internet. They grew up on Doordarshan and graduated to MTV. They were the first to experience choice. They have a strong brand affinity and will pay for quality. Brands like Levi’s, Coke, and Maruti became badges of identity.

Travel behaviour slowly changed to budget airlines and international vacations. They were the first to see India go from scarcity to abundance and they remember both.

The tech generation (1990–2010)

Defining trait: Americanised, digital native, less baggage more choice

This is the generation of smartphones, Instagram, and global exposure. They grew up with Facebook, and YouTube.

Their icons are Virat Kohli, Elon Musk or Deepika Padukone. They value convenience over brand loyalty and experience over ownership. They travel to Insta-worthy places and stay in Airbnbs. They are India’s first truly digital consumers but also the most distracted.

The Indian Gen Z (Post-2010)

Defining trait: Native internet fluency, cultural confidence

They don’t know a world without smartphones. They are growing up with ChatGPT tutors and influencers. The big cultural change is that their worldview is shaped by social media influencers.

They don’t just consume content, they create it. They expect brands to play by their rules. They will shape a future of creator-founded D2C (direct to customer)-first brands.

Why this matters

Any strategy to connect with the people needs to account for cultural memory, not just age. A 40-year-old in India is not the same as a 40-year-old in the US. The reference points, anxieties, and aspirations are different.

Policymakers designing pension plans or digital literacy schemes need to understand generational mindsets shaped by tough times, not purely income brackets. EdTech companies need to speak to parents or grandparents who fear technology and children who are digital natives. Consumer brands must evolve rapidly to catch up to internet native customers who will soon become primary decision makers with big spending capacity.

India has seen major events from Independence to wars to socialism to economic stagnation to growth. At the level of the family unit, we have changed from large joint families to solo living within two generations.

We’ve lived many lives in a single lifetime. We deserve to define those lives on our own terms and not borrowed ones.

The writer is Founder – The Brand Ignition Co