India: Hey, Big Spenders

India's young are becoming world-class consumers, and multinationals are taking note

It's a blistering 115° on a summer Sunday in New Delhi, and it feels as if your head is stuck in a tandoor. But Saurabh Kedia, 22, would never know it. The New Delhi native dips his flat naan bread into a dish of spinach curry in the air-conditioned comfort of a friend's private club. On the table lies Kedia's prized possession, an Ericsson feature-loaded mobile phone with PDA-like functions that cost him nearly $400, almost as much as an average Indian earns in a year. That night he plans to watch X2: X-Men United at a posh, newly built multiplex...

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