The Indian male ego is fragile: Cyrus Broacha

Funnyman Cyrus Broacha believes in the motto ‘when in doubt, make fun of yourself’. Maybe that’s the reason he happily nitpicks his own traits without the slightest hesitation even in his ‘agony aunt’ avatar. His latest book The Average Indian Male dissects the Indian man unscrupulously. Cyrus explains what got him to write the book: “I wanted to do something that’s my style, I wanted to put together all the observations that I made while talking to my friends. I found the letter format very nice so I went ahead with it. The intention is not to judge the man or put him down. I’m a proud member of the species myself. But also I don’t have a choice.”

“The Indian man grows up cocooned, is not used to being told off, can’t take criticism… he has to come out of that. Basically, the Indian male ego is very fragile,” Cyrus admits. One may argue that these are broad generalisations, and while the attributes did true in parts where Indian men are categorised according to the different zones, there might also be exceptions. Cyrus totally agrees. He adds, “Well, my sample study is based on 11 people I know, so there might be exceptions.”

How would he rate himself? “I’m slightly below average. I think the next generation men will try. They will be a little more self-contained. Of course, women can start by trying to change the situation,” he says.

Thankfully, says Cyrus, his friends can’t read, so they cannot give him a feedback. So is he scared people don’t like him? “If they don’t, you just leave them alone. Also, I really don’t care or take it personally. Plus, I’ve been married for 11 years, so I know what it is not to be liked,” says Cyrus, pokerfaced.