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I need your help with a research project for which I’m trying to determine the top three or four pop culture influences in mainstream India, within the categories mentioned below. I’ve added in a few agents within each category but please recommend your top choices in the comments (especially for “Gaming”) as well as make changes as you see fit. Thanks in advance.

Edit: @nixxin raises a good point, “better to give a timeline for your pop culture influences - some pretty major changes over the past 5 years. (tweet) Examples - Sachin Tendulkar has probably been outed by Dhoni as a major influence. among kids, Hrithik Roshan beats Shah Rukh.” (tweet). The timeline is current for this project and about what’s trending in the market right now but also including some of the “evergreen” influences that have managed to remain uncontested over the last decade.

1. Film:
Bollywood (UTV, Reliance Big Entertainment, Percept Picture Company, Shah Rukh Khan, Hrithik Roshan, Aamir Khan, Saif Ali Khan, Ranbir Kapoor, Deepika Paukone, Priyanka Chopra, Bipasha Basu, Kareena Kapoor, Ram Gopal Varma, Karan Johar)

2. Music:
A.R Rehman, Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, Dj Aqeel, Vishal-Shekhar

3. Gaming:

4. TV:
Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi, Ekta Kapoor

5. Comics:
Amar Chitra Katha, Diamond, Raj, Indrajal

6. Sports:
Cricket, T20, Tennis (Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, M.S. Dhoni, Yuvraj Singh, Rohit Sharma, Ishant Sharma, Sania Mirza, Leander Paes, Mahesh Bhupathi)

7. Fashion/Lifestyle:
Stardust, FHM, Maxim, GQ, Playboy, Vogue, Cosmopolitan (these might be less mainstream)

8. Educational/Historical:
Mahatma Gandhi, Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru, Panchatantra, Jataka Tales

9. Cultural/Travel:
Taj Mahal, Gateway of India, India Gate, Qutub Minar, Himalayas, Temples, Sadhus, Kumbh Mela, Yoga, Spirituality

(Photo Credit: Rigmarole)

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EDIT: Thank you all for taking the time to give me your feedback and leaving such detailed comments. I really appreciate it. At long last I managed to compile the results and generate a tag cloud so you can take a look at what stands out amongst all the responses. (Click for larger view)

Winners: Bollywood, Cricket, Sachin Tendulkar, Mahatma Gandhi, Taj Mahal, A.R. Rehman, Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, Shah Rukh Khan, Aamir Khan, the Internet, all things mobile (phones, ringtones, games, downloads)—no surprises there. What surprised me though was the absence of Deepika Padukone and any real impact by Amitabh Bachchan and Aishwariya Rai. Also interesting to note is that Amar Chitra Katha is still a prominent feature but not Twenty20 cricket. I expected T20 to be a bigger deal but I guess the sample size is small and we’re in the off-season—there should be no doubts about its popularity.

Secondary: M.S. Dhoni, Yoga, Zapak, Gaming, Counter Strike, Regional (films, music, languages), Ekta Kapoor’s TV productions, Travel, Mumbai as a cultural hub, Diamond and Raj comics trailing Amar Chitra Katha.

Fringe: Cultural and religious attractions like India Gate, Qutub Minar and Temples, Soccer, Sania Mirza, Vedas, Jawaharlal Nehru, Himalayas, Kumbh Mela, Diwali, Durga Pooja, Theater, Rock Music.

These findings are consistent with the expectations I had at the start of the exercise. What are your thoughts? Were you surprised by any of the responses and how do you see this list evolving over the next few years?

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