Devaiah Bopanna@devaiahPB
Hardik Pandya has shown there is a coolness ceiling in our country for someone who comes from nothing and becomes incredibly successful. The hate he gets for doing seemingly normal rich person things is incredible. He exposes middle class envy like nobody else in this country.
How can a guy who looked like us and lived like us until a few years ago suddenly get everything in his life, despite paying for it with his raw talent and hard work? How can he enjoy his rewards? He is a chapri. How can he drive a Ferrari in his shorts? How can he colour his hair? How can he be so confident and cocky? And how the fuck can a guy who comes from nothing have any personality?
Why is he not humble? How can he always be in the company of the most beautiful looking women and show off his feelings so publicly?
We want to use the word humility, but it is actually just jealousy.
And this jealousy is only when someone relatable does successful rich person things that we as a nation get triggered. You see these firangs or star sperms or someone who comes from wealth in their big flashy cars, holding hands and celebrating their girlfriends, that is suddenly aspiration. That is cute. That is suddenly a lifestyle to emulate.
So we are okay with successful people, or people who are born into wealth, setting standards for love in this country. But when our boy has a good time, the whole fucking country has a meltdown.
Only foreigners, or the born rich, fair looking, well pedigreed, upper caste prince and royalty can hold hands, make love to their girlfriends in public, and maybe even go full 69 in public - and it will be looked at as aspirational. But a come from nowhere, hardworking dude has to behave and be humble in front of us without drawing ire from any quarters.
If you were born into it, we call it lifestyle.
If you earned it, we call it attitude or chapri behaviour.
I love Pandya man, and I hope more self made people flash their success in our faces daily to remind us that if we work hard, we can achieve our dreams. There is no fear in doing so. Because somewhere deep in our feudal, subservient psyche, we believe there’s a certain profile for who gets to enjoy life and if someone doesn’t fit that, we start calling them chapri.