A two-city (Mumbai and Bangalore) survey conducted by the public opinion agency, MODE, for The Telegraph , a leading English-language newspaper published from Kolkata, reveals that Indian food remains the favourite of young Indians.

It is one of many ex-pressions of the young Indian's pride in India , which is a significant attitudinal shift from the obsession with the West of their parents. Young Indians, other surveys have revealed, are equally at ease with their innate Indianness and their western outlook. Another interesting detail revealed in the survey, which probed the beliefs and lifestyles of Indians in the 15-35 age bracket, is the growing popularity of Thai food. Thai cuisine, which is perceived as being closer to Indian, follows Chinese in the third spot. European cuisine is nowhere in the picture, what with even fast-food giants like McDonald's and Pizza Hut giving a pronounced Indian twist to their local offerings.

The Young Indian is becoming a visible factor in the Indian economy, which is evident from the numbers being given out by market research agencies. Sample these numbers: About 65 per cent (over 700 million) Indians are below 35 and about 50 per cent (over 550 million) are below 25. With a median age of 31, by 2025, India will be among the youngest countries in the world.

Arvind Singhal, Chairman of Technopak, a leading market research agency, believes that approximately nine million people in the 12-25 age group in the top 35 cities of India will set the trends and stoke the aspirations of millions of others. Generation Next, he says, is being viewed by the marketing community as a major opportunity. His figures show that 8 per cent of Indians will turn 21 this year; 2006 is also slated to witness the largest number of marriages ever in the country.