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The Average Indian Male
alternate cover edition for ISBN 9788184001600
NAME: AVERAGE INDIAN MALE;
LATIN NAME: manush, purush, aam aadmi, Bunty.
Cyrus is back. And this time as agony aunt and master critic as he sets out to deconstruct a subjust we're all familiar with - the average Indian male.
The mama's boy, the groin scratcher, the man who holds hands with another man, Cyrus tackles these and many other quirks and shortcomings of Indian men in this inimitable style and unfailing logic.
NAME: AVERAGE INDIAN MALE;
LATIN NAME: manush, purush, aam aadmi, Bunty.
Cyrus is back. And this time as agony aunt and master critic as he sets out to deconstruct a subjust we're all familiar with - the average Indian male.
The mama's boy, the groin scratcher, the man who holds hands with another man, Cyrus tackles these and many other quirks and shortcomings of Indian men in this inimitable style and unfailing logic.
- GenresHumorNonfictionComedy
242 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2011
13 people are currently reading
77 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews
July 3, 2012
Tired, drawn out, cliched satire about the paan-spitting, urinating, farting, skinny-legged, short, mama's boy. The only redeemable thing about it are the large fonts and less pages.
abandoned
October 2, 2019I really like Cyrus Broacha on TV shows. So, I had to pick up his book. Maybe I expected more out of him, but I did not find this book funny.
I did not like the way Indian men are portrayed in this book. I struggled my way through 3 chapters and then gave up. I didn't need to read any more negative generalization about men.
I did not like the way Indian men are portrayed in this book. I struggled my way through 3 chapters and then gave up. I didn't need to read any more negative generalization about men.
January 5, 2012
Often, when one picks up such a book, he doesnt expect a captivating story or an instructive moral. Instead, he hopes to be drowned in sweet frivolity and carefree humor. But Cyrus Broacha denies the reader such simple pleasures. The reader is subjected to a series of painful "letters" which are repulsive, both in terms of language and content. Broacha reminds us how easy it is write a book - words on paper - but how difficult it is to churn out a decent one. I am not snobbish when it comes to literature, but I wouldn't be caught with this book in my hand. An insult to humor, and a cruel snub to the greats of the genre.
Dont buy this book, dont borrow it, burn as many copies as you can.
Dont buy this book, dont borrow it, burn as many copies as you can.
Read
December 23, 2011This book was terrible. The jokes were terrible. The writing was terrible. The way it was set outwas terrible. But god was this book fucking hilarious!
June 7, 2020
Hilarious book.. humorously detailed to the last dot. Well-written. He is more creative in written form. I hope he keeps writing.
July 17, 2023
Sighs-r-us
Mansplaining at its best. Not even good toilet paper material.
Why did I even finish reading this? What's wrong with me? Something Cyrious.
Mansplaining at its best. Not even good toilet paper material.
Why did I even finish reading this? What's wrong with me? Something Cyrious.
April 3, 2013
I wish I could give it a minus rating. The book was a total waste of my time and money. I was duped into buying it at Delhi airport as it was on the top 'Best sellers' shelf. Please don't waste your time reading it, even if you get it for free.Put it in your fireplace, atleast it will give you some warmth.
January 31, 2013
I don't understand his kind of humour, detailed review here: http://www.anureviews.com/the-average...
May 21, 2021
Tries to be forcefully funny, and doesn't manage it.
April 25, 2022
Being an ardent fan of his TV show 'MTV Bakra' in my late teens and early twenties, I was well aware of his sense of humour and comic timings. But I must say, his comical fluency is much more evident in his writings than his TV shows. Must read for those who love to read satirical, quirky, funny takes on daily routines in the life of an average Indian male. And for those, who gets irritated with these kind of books or those who feel Indian has not a single quality which can be laughed at, better to find some other books on 'Holy Indian Culture.'
October 31, 2018
Picked up the book only because Cyrus is a funny man. Sadly, the book really ain’t that funny. Kept reading in the hope that there’ll be something better but nope, nothing. Not worth a read.
October 10, 2020
Could barely read past the ignoramus writing. Extremely disappointing read.
March 24, 2023
A little social commentary, some black humor, and a lot of nonsense.
200 years from now Cyrus will be considered a great philosopher of our times. At the moment though, we can't take him seriously.
200 years from now Cyrus will be considered a great philosopher of our times. At the moment though, we can't take him seriously.
May 8, 2014
http://thalukinglass.blogspot.in/2014...
I enjoyed this book. That's all.
But keeping in tune with the high tradition of appearing very analytical with reviews, here is my go at it.
This book has received the following criticisms. Let us undertake a critical review of the critical reviews of the critical review of the Average Indian Male. The third mention of the critical review, of course, refers to the 8th century BC treatise by Cyrus Broacha.
1) Terrible writing
Hey, all sentences were properly constructed, (unlike buildings in our LIG residential societies) and did not suffer from linguistic problems which contemporary books by many college graduates tend to, mainly because Cyrus never went to college. This has obviously helped him with creditable writing skills, which let me remind you, is still not a common trait among Indian writers. When a terrorist is not supposed to be judged based on his religion when other practitioners of the same religion are quite peaceful, Cyrus Broacha should also be spared in a similar fashion. That terse comment should not, however, be used as a signboard for deflecting potential readers away as I do not secretly wish to imply that Cyrus Broacha is a terrorist to literary society.
2) Repulsive
I suspect that male readers who found it repulsive must have been those who Cyrus contacted for his research for this book, but who never replied after they sensed Cyrus' sinister designs and it appears that their feelings of being betrayed, seeped into their reviews of the book, which to me seemed similar in nature to Kunal Vijayakar's foreword, in that, both the reviewers and Kunal Vijayakar, did not read the book. As for female readers, who found it repulsive, I suggest that they borrow a time machine and apply for membership to 18th century Victorian society. If they are unable to locate a time machine to borrow for the suggested purpose, then I have only a truism to offer, "truth is (repulsive)ly bitter." You are only an arranged marriage away from finding that out. Because if it is a case of love marriage, then you obviously find the repulsiveness of your male, very cute.
3) Poor Flow
What? Do the Latin words “Cyrus Broacha” translate in English to, “I want to win a prize for fiction”? People might look for flow when they read books that are supposed to have a “plot”. The relevance of a “plot” in a book like this is as great as having a “clean image” is to Congress’ Politicians. This is definitely not a story book to require a plot and consequently, a flow to it. Readers who picked up this book for flow are as misinformed as cricket fans who watched an entire bowling spell of Venkatesh Prasad looking for pace.
4) Cliched Satire
People who thought that this was a poor “satire”, definitely need to get down from their literary high horses and then further climb down the fifty fat volumes of leather bound books older than this 8th century BC treatise by Mr. Broacha. Though I must admit that, what was clichéd in the book, were the shortcomings of the average Indian male, but definitely not the humour about it, which was fresh and mixed with adequate political references (only when appropriate). Maybe, if the average Indian man could switch personalities and quirks like how Cyrus switches women (if you don’t know, you can figure it out by judging Cyrus’ relationship with fat), this book would not have been called "cliched".
Once again this kind of humour is not called SATIRE. Don't expect it to advance your understanding of our society with critical insights into a very niche subject of inquiry which an 'average Indian male' obviously is. Regardless, this book is upto the brim with good decent amounts of wit, humorous references and breezy irreverence, coupled with self-deprecatory light-heartedness that does not appear made up for the sake of self-deprecation or light-heartedness.
I enjoyed this book. That's all.
But keeping in tune with the high tradition of appearing very analytical with reviews, here is my go at it.
This book has received the following criticisms. Let us undertake a critical review of the critical reviews of the critical review of the Average Indian Male. The third mention of the critical review, of course, refers to the 8th century BC treatise by Cyrus Broacha.
1) Terrible writing
Hey, all sentences were properly constructed, (unlike buildings in our LIG residential societies) and did not suffer from linguistic problems which contemporary books by many college graduates tend to, mainly because Cyrus never went to college. This has obviously helped him with creditable writing skills, which let me remind you, is still not a common trait among Indian writers. When a terrorist is not supposed to be judged based on his religion when other practitioners of the same religion are quite peaceful, Cyrus Broacha should also be spared in a similar fashion. That terse comment should not, however, be used as a signboard for deflecting potential readers away as I do not secretly wish to imply that Cyrus Broacha is a terrorist to literary society.
2) Repulsive
I suspect that male readers who found it repulsive must have been those who Cyrus contacted for his research for this book, but who never replied after they sensed Cyrus' sinister designs and it appears that their feelings of being betrayed, seeped into their reviews of the book, which to me seemed similar in nature to Kunal Vijayakar's foreword, in that, both the reviewers and Kunal Vijayakar, did not read the book. As for female readers, who found it repulsive, I suggest that they borrow a time machine and apply for membership to 18th century Victorian society. If they are unable to locate a time machine to borrow for the suggested purpose, then I have only a truism to offer, "truth is (repulsive)ly bitter." You are only an arranged marriage away from finding that out. Because if it is a case of love marriage, then you obviously find the repulsiveness of your male, very cute.
3) Poor Flow
What? Do the Latin words “Cyrus Broacha” translate in English to, “I want to win a prize for fiction”? People might look for flow when they read books that are supposed to have a “plot”. The relevance of a “plot” in a book like this is as great as having a “clean image” is to Congress’ Politicians. This is definitely not a story book to require a plot and consequently, a flow to it. Readers who picked up this book for flow are as misinformed as cricket fans who watched an entire bowling spell of Venkatesh Prasad looking for pace.
4) Cliched Satire
People who thought that this was a poor “satire”, definitely need to get down from their literary high horses and then further climb down the fifty fat volumes of leather bound books older than this 8th century BC treatise by Mr. Broacha. Though I must admit that, what was clichéd in the book, were the shortcomings of the average Indian male, but definitely not the humour about it, which was fresh and mixed with adequate political references (only when appropriate). Maybe, if the average Indian man could switch personalities and quirks like how Cyrus switches women (if you don’t know, you can figure it out by judging Cyrus’ relationship with fat), this book would not have been called "cliched".
Once again this kind of humour is not called SATIRE. Don't expect it to advance your understanding of our society with critical insights into a very niche subject of inquiry which an 'average Indian male' obviously is. Regardless, this book is upto the brim with good decent amounts of wit, humorous references and breezy irreverence, coupled with self-deprecatory light-heartedness that does not appear made up for the sake of self-deprecation or light-heartedness.
July 25, 2013
Ok so this book started in a really good way and it is Hilarious !!
With a capital H !!!!
But then it starts getting really really annoying and ofcourse totally off topic where the letters have nothing that is even closely related to the name of the book ! Specially the letter from the senior executive of G E MOTORS
Well i rated this book 3 stars because well
I DIDNT EXPECT ALL THAT
MUCH !!!
after all it is CYRUS BROACHA that your reading right !!!
You cant expect sulman rushdie stuffs from him
I expected a bit more of sarcasm and comedy and well there isnt much after 109 pages (that is maximum actually!! Stop reading after first 50 pages )
In all this is an ok type of book which doesnt require much grey matter
With a capital H !!!!
But then it starts getting really really annoying and ofcourse totally off topic where the letters have nothing that is even closely related to the name of the book ! Specially the letter from the senior executive of G E MOTORS
Well i rated this book 3 stars because well
I DIDNT EXPECT ALL THAT
MUCH !!!
after all it is CYRUS BROACHA that your reading right !!!
You cant expect sulman rushdie stuffs from him
I expected a bit more of sarcasm and comedy and well there isnt much after 109 pages (that is maximum actually!! Stop reading after first 50 pages )
In all this is an ok type of book which doesnt require much grey matter
September 14, 2014
To all those who rated or planning to rate this book only one star (probably because there is no possibility to give less than 1 star in goodreads), here is one tip for how you could have liked this book better.
This book is not supposed to be read in one sitting, though the book entices for exactly that.
Keep the book over your toilet cistern. Two, maximum three, chapters should be attempted at one go.
Then, there is teeny weeny possibility the star rating would increase to 'two stars'. But, that's about how much this book can draw, unless you are an avid fan of puerile jokes masquerading as high IQ wits just because it is expressed using your non-native language and attempts to find connections between completely unrelated objects.
This book is not supposed to be read in one sitting, though the book entices for exactly that.
Keep the book over your toilet cistern. Two, maximum three, chapters should be attempted at one go.
Then, there is teeny weeny possibility the star rating would increase to 'two stars'. But, that's about how much this book can draw, unless you are an avid fan of puerile jokes masquerading as high IQ wits just because it is expressed using your non-native language and attempts to find connections between completely unrelated objects.
June 20, 2016
Good for a read on a lazy summer day in your free time when you have absolutely nothing else to read. Also good to give as a gift to your trusted pals abroad who can have a laugh about Indian men and their antiques according to Cyrus Broacha. Tell them that this is a jocular account of what Indian men and culture can be like. Although some facts are true and annoying, most of the other stuff is fun to read if you are okay with being made a mockery about yourself. Still, credit to Cyrus for not offending anyone but still making it look like an amateur crime scene filled with kids to investigate it.
January 10, 2012
You can read the full review here on my blog - Book Review: The Average Indian Male by Cyrus Broacha
The book is a fast read and humourous in places too. I DIDN’T laugh loud once through the book though I did smile sometimes but those were rare and in-between.
Over-all – OK! Cyrus could have been much better and more himself. Definitely not worth a second read!
The book is a fast read and humourous in places too. I DIDN’T laugh loud once through the book though I did smile sometimes but those were rare and in-between.
Over-all – OK! Cyrus could have been much better and more himself. Definitely not worth a second read!
February 26, 2014
In the review posted in good reads , someone was very correct in pointing out that you can not expect a Rushdie from Broacha. The flow of the book is poorly constructed , often gets repetitive in satirical arguments. However, three star rating that i gave has a more to do with the time when he was a lone stand up comedian and satirist on TV. Of course , the humor sense seems out dated now. However, this book makes an effort to make one nostalgic to humor sense prevailing in mid and late 90's.
November 17, 2012
I thought because it is Cyrus the book is going to be spectacularly funny. It is in some parts. I have laughed out really loud. But then the flow of the book is under constructed.
The contents did not stick to the topic. Got a sense that he wanted to fit in a lot of stuff in one book. Slightly disappointed as the book did not leave me with a satisfaction when I finished reading.
The contents did not stick to the topic. Got a sense that he wanted to fit in a lot of stuff in one book. Slightly disappointed as the book did not leave me with a satisfaction when I finished reading.
September 11, 2013
Obviously not literature but just a stress buster. The book gave me an afternoon of laughter and that's about it. Leave your brains and read this one. Big Font Size and less pages makes it for a quick read. Took me just 3 hours, do try this one.
January 24, 2012
I think blogs are more entertaining then this book.
Nothing funny, below average humour a few chuckles here was all it is havin.
Nothing funny, below average humour a few chuckles here was all it is havin.
February 17, 2012
Classic Broacha. Not as funny as I hoped it'd be. Funny in parts nonetheles.
May 22, 2012
Having been familiar Cyrus's work on TV, I knew what I was up to and I wasn't disappointed. Funny, nonsensical and sometimes insightful rants.
April 14, 2013
hilarious
June 5, 2013
Hillarious! I had tears of laughter reading it!
September 21, 2013
Cyrus might be a funny man on T.V. but on paper he was far from it. The book definitely makes you chuckle in places but the storyline is weak and doesn't interest you after a certain point of time.
November 24, 2013
Cyrus writes like he talks. Loads of nonsense with a tiny bit of biting humour mixed in. Not worth the time it takes to read..
March 27, 2016
Ridiculously funny!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews