Earlier this month, Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked Indians to rethink some of their habits. Travel abroad less, work from home when possible, reduce unnecessary imports, and buy less gold.
None of these suggestions is unreasonable on its own. After all, governments all over the world ask their citizens to conserve resources during uncertain times. But there was something oddly familiar about the tone of it all. It sounded less like the language of a rising economic power bursting with confidence, and more like the language Indian households have used for decades, while navigating financial constraints.
