Cool and Trendy in India
 

Im looking for information on whats hip in India nowadays - im planning a trip to do some research on the Indian youth culture. Anyone have an idea where I can find which bars, restaurants and hotels that Indians find cool and regarded as popular.

Outlook magazine usually make top ten lists on most things related to consumerism..you could try out their website....www.outlookindia.com.

or you could just trip over there and go with the flow.

I agree with that...once you get to each city, you could probably ask the youngsters in hip colleges where they go to party....however, if you're really going to do research on Indian youth culture, frequenting just these night clubs might give you a skewed picture of only the upper-middle and upper class Indian youth. The youth culture can vary between urban and rural areas, between cities, and even within the same city, depending on the religious, language, and cultural groups. You have a real task on your hands...all the best.

check out www.timeout.com/travel/mumbai or www.timeout.com/travel/delhi..these are great city guides and will give you a sense of which clubs and restaurants are popular and about college festivals and events being held. and as ayakkadan suggested, you could also walk around a college campus ( if you'll be in south bombay, perhaps the st xaviers college grounds, close to flora fountain and the victoria terminus train station, now called CST) and strike up a conversations with students who would probably be happy to help. trendy bars and restaurants in south bombay include indigo, indigo deli, prive (used to be called athena), moshe's, ra...casual cafes in the area, like basilico and mocha, as well as barista, the indian starbucks, are usually packed with hip teenagers and 20-somethings. granted, they'd give you an insight into just a narrow slice of life in india, specific to the upper middle class, but it would probably be a good starting point to your research. good luck!

Bangalore fits your bill, though Mumbai is hot and happening, New Delhi is rather flashy.Bangalore on the other hand has a very cosmo outlook its practically the melting pot of the Indian diaspora.A-dime-a-dozen pubs,lounge bars,cafes,restaurants(offering a variety of food )and malls,will give you an opportunity to observe the target you are looking for.Bangaloreans really have the time to lounge.You are sure to get the demographic profile that you are looking for.I would place my bet here. I'm biased about Bangalore coz I have lived and partied in other cities too.you can get a list of places to do your research from a couple of local mags like citiinfo bangalore,080(a monthly),Bangalore Best( a yearly) etc.I could give you more info if you decide on the place.I need to lookup.