Since When Did ‘Kejriwal’ Become a Swear Word?

A most interesting happened to me today while travelling on a Delhi Transport Authority (DTC) bus today.

 

Here I was, on my way to office, when an irate man entered the bus and started yelling at the driver. This man, who I shall name Tweedledum (because I am an English Literature kid) was about 60 years old, and he started yelling at the driver because apparently the driver had started moving the bus when Tweedledum had only kept one foot on the bus. “With great danger to his life” (as he put it), he entered the bus.

 

Now the problem is, both Tweedledum and the driver were at fault. Till a moment ago, the driver was merrily gossiping on his mobile with what seemed like an endless succession of friends. With much, much more than half his attention diverted, and DTC buses being the behemoths that they are, it was a surprise that the bus wasn’t bouncing off the edges of the narrow road we were on.

 

 

 

 

Tweedledum, on the other hand, took his merry time in getting on to the bus, mainly because this 60 year old man was ogling at what were clearly school girls. Or maybe the middle-aged woman sitting next to them. We’ll give him the benefit of doubt on that respect.

 

Anyway, coming to the crux of the matter. Tweedledum started yelling at the driver and the driver calmly ended his call (“Oy yaar, main tujhko thodi der mein call karta hu”) and proceeded to yell back. This went on for a good 5 minutes. Us other passengers, we were terrified. At least when the driver was talking on his phone, he was still looking at the road. Now he kept turning back to yell at Tweedledum, the road be damned.

 

In all of this, Tweedledum started threatening to call the cops (with half the bus groaning, me included, and one cheeky “Arrai uncle, kudi nu dekh na!” coming from somewhere behind me).

 

And that is when the driver gave his pièce de résistance. When Tweedledum threatened to call the cops, he went silent for a moment, gathered his most scornful voice and said, “Kyu bey, Kejriwal hai kya tu? (Why, are you Kejriwal?)”

 

Well, the whole bus (me included) burst out laughing, but what is funny is, it actually worked. Tweedledum got so worked up, he was so indignant at being called ‘Kejriwal’, that he stopped yelling at the driver. He sat in the seat in front of me, kept muttering “Kejriwal kisko bulata hai (How dare he call me Kejriwal)” and that was it. No further reference to his “great danger to his life” was made. It was all lost in affronted at being referred to as ‘Kejriwal’.

 

Which makes me wonder… since when did ‘Kejriwal’ become a swear word?

---Kartikeya