University of California - Creativity Essay Anonymous

History is a bad driver. It rarely ever indicates when it’s about to take a turn. But on a rainy Wednesday afternoon, I saw it shift gears. “Can I get the afternoon off, ma’am?” our housekeeper Kavita asked my mom. Despite my offer of a Netflix account, she wanted to watch a Bengali movie in the theatres with her daughter. When mom finally gave in, she went on to watch her fourth blockbuster of the year. Kavita represents the Indian middle class shifting their worries from their next meal to their next movie.

Through the week, my conversations with Raju, our driver, Sonu, the milkman and Aftab, the security guard in our apartment complex displayed a common theme. The Kavitas, Rajus, Sonus, and Aftabs were all moving towards better cities, jobs and disposable incomes.

But Kavita’s persistent recommendations of local movie theatres over Netflix and Raju’s insistence on buying groceries from local stores instead of Amazon played on my mind. While mom argued that cost was the only differentiator, I wasn’t so sure.

Over the course of the next few days, my curiosity heightened. I spoke to Raju and Kavita about their income and spending habits, trying to find the missing link. As I entered their world, I learnt of a parallel...