What does it feel like to be rich ?


Living in India as a wealthy individual provides the freedom to choose one's lifestyle. A close friend of mine is among the wealthiest people I know, with a father who is one of the most sought-after neurosurgeons in the country. Despite having the option to rely on his family's wealth, he chose to pursue a corporate career to make it on his own.

Although he lives a regular life like you and me, there are a few upsized aspects. For example, he occasionally up-sizes his McDonald's meals, but only for the fries and coke. He drives a Mercedes A-Class, which costs about 28 lakhs, instead of a Range Rover Sport, which he could easily afford. He prefers to blend in with the middle class. He flies from Chennai to Bangalore, but only in business class, and takes an Uber Black or SUV when necessary.

I admire my friend's attitude towards work. He could easily stay home and watch TV all day, but instead, he decided to work. Money is not an issue for him, which reflects in his work environment. He is always on time, with a smile on his face, showing no worries about bills, rents, or EMIs.

Interestingly, his watches are quite affordable, costing only 15k to 20k, the same as a colleague who has three kids, a car loan, and a house loan. I think he is very smart because he doesn't have to keep up with people who own Bentleys, Lambos, and Ferraris. He can blend in with corporate rats who get 10 lakhs a year and can afford the new Swift.

He is the actual super-rich in my opinion. He would rather hang out with us than his snobbish wealthy friends. Maybe he took Syndrome's words seriously, "When everyone's super, no one is!" I am not sure what his muse is, but it seems to be a subtle one.

 

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