A study of the extent of Westernisation in Indian magazine advertisements

India gained her political independence in 1947 from British rule. The new democracy chose non‐alignment, installed a large national government and legislated protectionist policies, which kept out most foreign products that almost led to economic isolation. The political leaders believed that protectionism would make India self‐reliant and eventually improve the standard of living especially for the poorer Indians. While other Asian countries were encouraging foreign capital and multinationals, India was doing its best to keep them out (Business Asia, 2000). Although India moved towards self‐reliance, the lack of competition hindered the country’s own economic and technological developments. As a result the market was forced to accept local products that were often inferior or old‐fashioned. For example, until recently the leading car on India’s road was “Ambassador”, a reproduction of a British design from the early 1950s that was bulky and a gas‐guzzler.