The newly rich, nostalgia.

I'm going to be talking about something which everyone must have seen but never really pondered over.
So. We've all seen rich people, right? (I'm not filthy rich, you see. I'm from a very average South Delhi household)
So, anyway. We've all seen rich people.
But have you noticed how different Rich Person A was from Rich Person B?

I have classified rich people into two categories.
1. The Hierarchal Rich.
The Hierarchal Rich are those who've been rich since the dawn of the modern times.
Their grandfathers and great grandfathers businesses and empires still bring them treasures to take home. They're classy and live in grandeur. They have luxurious homes. They act like high society should. Their wardrobes are filled with labels by European designers. Their little daughters start reading Vogue Italia from age 8. Their sons are taught how to play Polo since age 6 who are then sent to the West for their higher education. The wives attend their little kitty parties, charity functions and what-not.
They have a servant for everything. And oh, do not forget farm houses and swimming pools.

No, I'm not stereotyping. I've seen all of it. Trust me.

2. The Newly Rich.
Now this is the category I shall talk over. The newly rich are those who are originally from small towns. They migrated to urbania. They mysteriously acquired a whole lot of wealth somehow.
And well, now they're filthy rich.
But what separates them from the hierarchals?
Well, EVERYTHING.

Let me elaborate with an example.
My parents took me and my sister for dinner to one of our random far-off relatives' place.
Now this man who is about to come into view is the PERFECT example of what I call Newly Rich.
Okay, so this man - Raju, is originally from small town Agra. I have no idea how my mom is related to him, I dont even wanna know.
Anyway, he got into the stock market biz and acquired this whole glob of money and now he's just very rich.
He then bought a house in Noida. Now here comes the main part.
Yeah, so he bought a house in suburbia. But then, he furnished his house SO GARISHLY, it looked as if he's running a display for the Home Store.
A Hierarchal would furnish and decorate his house with class and grandeur. There would be marble sculptures and mild colors. There would be a whole lot of greenery. The furniture would be exclusive, suave and sharp.
Whereas in Raju's home, the kitchen decor had bright shades of red and white hitting your head so hard it made you dizzy. The furniture was so overdone and ostentatious, it looked like he went straight to a store and bought the first thing with a price tag which was something like Rs. 1,00, 000.
Let me tell you, everything which is 50 grand and above is not exquisite.
Getting back to Raju. Ok, he had 50 inch plama screens in every freakin' room of his house.
The lighting and decor of his house was that of a banquet hall. That too, overdone.
There's just one way to explain his lifestyle: gaudy.
He came up to my sister with those big CD Case which read, "Top Indian Classical Musicians" which included the works by random Indian maestros I've not really heard of.
He then said, "Look at this! I bought this recently. They play this in all of the top hotels all the time"
Well, he's trying so hard.
I could go on and on about this. I would just advice him, and the newly rich folk to kindly subtle it down a bit and go modest. We know you've got the bucks. We know you can afford it all.
However, going over the top just makes you look like a dork.
Take a tip or two from the folks living on Aurangzeb Road, yeah?

If I, too, somehow mysteriously acquire all this wealth, I would certainly be a lot more different. That's for sure.
Well, someday. ;)

Anyway, in a totally unrelated piece of incidence, I visited one of my aunts since she'd recently given birth to a baby.
When I saw her, I started getting all these flashbacks.
I clearly remember her wedding. I was 5 or 6 when she got married. And now she has two daughters.
Time passes by so swiftly and you don't even realize. :)
I felt so nostalgic at that time. I think I've grown up enough now.

Peter Pan's soul, I'm free. :)