MIDDLE CLASS CIRCUS


MIDDLE CLASS CIRCUS


First, we’re told to dream big.
So we aim for a job.
Preferably one with ID cards,
and birthday cake once a year.

We land one—and celebrate
by updating LinkedIn.
Then we search for a better one.
Because ambition is just dissatisfaction
with better branding.

We get a flat.
One BHK with “vastu-compliant ventilation.”
We decorate it with fairy lights
and pay EMIs.
Our home is our pride—
and the bank’s property.

A car arrives.
Second-hand, but we call it “pre-loved.”
We drive it with hope,
park it with anxiety,
and pay insurance like we’re betting against ourselves.

Vacations?
Yes, of course—
to Goa, in off-season.
We return refreshed, tanned,
and financially lighter.

Risks? No, thank you.
We don’t take leaps.
We take calculated sidesteps.
If a dream doesn’t come with dental insurance,
we let it go.

We teach our children to dream,
as long as it ends in engineering.

We measure success
in square feet, not stillness.
We’re told we’re “comfortable.”
That’s just middle-class code
for “don’t complain—you’re not poor.”

And so we hustle,
from job to upgrade,
from 1BHK to 2.5 dreams.
Not fast, not furious—just EMI-friendly.

Because in the great balancing act of life,
we are the tightrope walkers
who never leap,
but always carry a safety net
for now and for-ever.


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