'Wife Kamati Hai, Mai Udata Hu': This Twitter User's Take On Entrepreneurs Financially Supported By Spouses Is Everything

We might have entered 2023 with hope for the future, but when it comes to India and its regressive social norms, hope seems bleak. The country has advanced miles in its treatment of women, but a sizeable gap still remains.

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Twitter thread magnifies the stigma of a man receiving financial assistance from his wife

The country has remained orthodox in its treatment of working women. In a recent pitch on the reality show Shark Tank India, the touching story of Flatheads founder Ganesh Balakrishnan took the internet by storm. The entrepreneur shared that he had faced numerous difficulties while running his start-up and during that time his wife had supported him financially. He said on the show, ¡°Wife Kamati Hai, Mai Udata Hu" (My wife earns and I spend).

"Wife Kamati Hai, Mai Udata Hu"
(My wife earns and I spend)

Ganesh Balakrishnan (@ganeshb78) said this with a shy giggle on @sharktankindia. I realised how living off your wife's salary is looked down upon in our Indian society?

(1/4) pic.twitter.com/SR5jV4XgfL

¡ª Richa Singh (@RichaaaaSingh) January 8, 2023

This line particularly shows how Indian society views a man taking financial support from his wife. A Twitter user pinpointed this hypocrisy and shared an informative thread on businessmen who had taken financial help from their wives in the past. Richa Singh on Twitter wrote, ¡°Ganesh Balakrishnan (@ganeshb78) said this with a shy giggle on @sharktankindia. I realised how living off your wife's salary is looked down upon in our Indian society.¡±

She continued her thread and mentioned how Infosys founder Narayana Murthy also received support from his wife, Sudha Murthy. The famous author is known to have been the first investor in the company when she lent her husband 10K as the first investment in his startup. The user wrote, ¡°He started Infosys with the meagre capital provided by his wife, Sudha Murty after the failure of his first venture.¡±

Rajalakshmi Aggarwal, the wife of Ola's founder, is in charge of all social initiatives at the Ola Foundation

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Then she mentioned Ola's founder, Bhavish Aggarwal. Singh shared how Bhavish¡¯s wife, Rajalakshmi Aggarwal, had supported her husband during his early struggles of starting up his company. She wrote, "His wife, Rajalakshi Aggarwal has supported him financially since his early days. He¡¯d borrow her car to fulfil requests when Ola was still a young startup."

The Twitter user noted that while hailing Flatheads founder Balakrishnan for his courage is admirable, making it seem like him taking financial help from his wife is in any way pitiable is wrong and regressive. She wrote, "There are many more startup founders who were able to succeed due to their spouse's support. While everyone is hailing Ganesh, I would also want to give an ode to his wife to keep his spirit alive. Rightly said, your career depends on the person you marry!"

The thread resonated with many people online, and users hailed Singh for her keen observation. A fellow wrote, "These types of threads are the reason i'm active on twitter."

Superb story and honesty. People (including me) shy away from admitting their failures, especially publically

¡ª CA Kanan Bahl (@BahlKanan) January 8, 2023

There is nothing wrong in a husband seeking financial assistance from wife. Just the wat husband¡¯s money is wife¡¯s money. Similarly, wife¡¯s money is husband¡¯s money.

¡ª Shruti Mallick (@shruti_nike) January 9, 2023

Not Just These Guys, Every Man Every Now and Then Gets The Support From Their Spouse either financially or morally !! Theres nothing to feel shy or looked down upon, I'm proud of my wife for all the support I get from her :)

¡ª A z E e M ? (@princeeazeem) January 9, 2023

I fully agree with the crux of your statement - married men are not worthy enough without their spouses - even if they wouldn't openly admit to the constant support they receive, which come in various forms too. It's nice that some in the society are showing a mirror to men.

¡ª Dr Manoj Dash | ?? ???? ??? (@DrManojDash) January 10, 2023

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