The Bureau which spoke to people between the age group of 15 to 34, has confirmed that the youngsters are singing the swadeshi tunes as Mohammed Rafi, even from his grave, has beaten Michael Jackson by 2 per cent in the ranking of favorite singer/artist.

The study affirms a recent study by A C Nielsen, who spoke to youngsters between the age group of 7 to 18, which also showed the strong swadeshi leanings of the so-called MTV Generation. Over half the 2,745 respondents interviewed by IMRB across six cities - Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai, Kanpur and Lucknow - in September said that Indians should always buy Indian products. The Bharatiya Janata Party should note: The swadeshi charge was led by Kanpur and Lucknow.

Few of those interviewed wanted foreignbrands, though over 60 per cent thought jeans and T-shirts were ``cool''. The IMRB study showed how youngsters balanced tradition and modernity. Though an overwhelming proportion believed that arranged marriages are out, only 29.33 per cent said that pre-marital sex is a way of life in the '90s. While only 31.35 per cent said that living in is acceptable.

The cultural invasion that critics of media liberalisation talk about impacts less on the attitudes of the youth and more on their knowledge bank. For instance, Indian youths appear pretty conservative in their choice of hanging out. It's the home rather than the school/college/office that is their chief source of entertainment as the figures show: while 32 per cent like their own home, 26 per cent prefer their friend's home. Besides, 65 per cent say that they will obey their elders even if it hurts them and 53 per cent of the respondents believe that friends are the centre of all their activities.

While this may be good news for MTV, the music channelwhich has commissioned the study, it doesn't speak very highly of the cultural influences among the youth (stretching the definition a bit). Films and cricket reign. For instance, 31 per cent of all the respondents idolise movie stars, while 27 per cent admire sports stars, primarily cricketers. But only 23 per cent read novels while 97 per cent read newspapers and 65 per cent read magazines.

However, underneath the calm surface, there does appear to be some resentment. Fifty-seven per cent of young Indians believe that they should rebel against injustice - and the proportion is higher in smaller cities such as Kanpur and Lucknow.