You know how Chuck Norris memes abound? Or of course Rajini memes if you're in and around the Indian subcontinent? These have become a part of our lexicon these days; as have certain wildly popular memes and catchphrases. Consider for instance how haters gonna hate has become a part of everyday internet conversations. Closer to home ye bik gayi hai gormint has also earned notoriety and some amazing staying power. I got to wondering why gormint aunty still rules!
Like a lot of other complete unknowns in the world, she shot to fame purely because of the internet; because she said something that caught people’s interest. It was the ideas she expressed, her fearlessness, the words she used and her completely authentic look… this aunty of an uncertain age from Pakistan became a sensation!
This is one angry aunty! Here she is, swearing a blue streak and using more cuss words than you will ever hear strung together in a few lines. Note the reaction of the boy in the background. He is hugely amused. So was everyone else apparently and an internet sensation was born: millions of views of various versions of the video!
Always quick on the uptake, the redoubtable Irrfan reacted with this video in his own inimitable style.
The point is that the wide and instant appeal of aunty and her pithy profanity just seemed to have a universal appeal. Apparently, people on both sides of the border have a similarly choleric view of the government officials and the deep-seated corruption in the system.
Now famous for this verbosity and choice of obscure words Shashi Tharoor has become a meme-meister’s delight.
“Ye bik gayi hai gormint’ is just a highly useful and apt phrase. It applies to so many different situations!
Different situations and people! Whether it’s a football hero, a fave TV show or even a tub of ice-cream!
We are familiar with these situations where public servants refuse to do their jobs properly and delight in giving people the runaround.
We all know aunty or some uncle very much like her and we've heard them say what she says or words to that effect. Gormint aunty has been around for a while now, but she still crops up on social media: in tweets, comments, memes and more.
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