Toxic Hindu masculinity in India is being challenged in many ways these days – by feminism, by homosexuality, by casteism, by non-Hindus. Male chauvinism has never been more insecure than it is today – it is deathly afraid of losing its dominion, its supremacy, its total control over society due to the insidious emergence of societal silos that have traditionally remained under its firm subjugation.

This has made patriarchal males very angry and they are lashing out in different ways by venting their spleen on social media as well as in person. Some have found solace in making fun of women, homosexuals, and non-Hindus. Others have expressed their sense of ridicule by derogatory statements and references that are obviously resentful. Some others are pretending to be sole emissaries of Hindu culture and wax eloquent about how dismissing age old taboos, like homosexuality, is an attack on Hinduism.

I find this quite entertaining on a personal level, though the fallout is grave. But the ones that are the most entertaining are those Hindu men who are so infuriated at the changes being forced upon them that they have lost total control over their words and actions and are letting their wrath be expressed without any inhibition. They are so angry!

This has come out in full venomous force after the supreme court verdict supporting gay sex. The interpretation of this verdict is being associated with the rise of evil liberalism and even communism. They refute the possibility that this fury has anything to do with a perception of losing control. They relentlessly blame this ‘debauchery’ on the anarchist souls of the far left politic. Empowering women, legalizing gay sex, banning triple talaq, ST/SC act, anti-cow agenda, and so on – these are nothing but a conspiracy by the left to emasculate them and snatch their sovereignty as supreme commanders of society, the warrior troopers of all things ‘evil’, the power puff boys, the heroes without capes, the Robin Hood-esque avengers who are the only ones who can save this world from being obliterated by enabling the minorities.

According to them the world is going completely berserk. And they are not going to let this happen.

So let me entertain you a bit more by enlightening you about a special emerging species of the Homo sapiens – the Enraged Hindu Male. The enraged Hindu male (EHM) has a distinctive profile. He is middle aged. He is moderately successful in life with a fair source of sustenance. He has a family that mostly consists of a docile wife and two children. He works hard to remain afloat. He does not have many sources of joy in his life. Therefore, his joy comes mostly from pretending to be the virtual bodyguard of humanity and especially of Hindus.

He is a hard core supporter of the BJP. He used to be a Narendra Modi devotee. I say ‘used to be’ – because he is no longer one, disappointed at the lack of the anticipated rise of a Hindu nation under his rule. He perceives any power given to the vulnerable members of society as an open challenge to his existential masculinity. He sees his authority slip away with the evolving new world. He tries hard to maintain the status quo of the old world by insisting vehemently that it is the only way to survive. Any other way is hara-kiri, civilizational suicide, a death knell for society.

The EHM survives on power play. The standard chest thumping is his way of trying to prove his superiority. He dominates his family. He believes strongly in patriarchy and has many long-winded explanations of how it is relevant in current times. He despises feminism. In his opinion, women have already been given too much. They should be grateful for that and stop demanding more. His role model is Donald Trump – vicious, petty, despotic, and dictatorial. Any display of testosterone excess gives the EHM a thrill so sweet that he revels in it.

The EHM insists that he is the flag bearer of Hinduism, as if it is his to own and protect. His personal life has many contradictions that he fails to see, even if pointed out, that indicate his hypocrisy as a pretend spear header of Hinduism. He is full of arguments that make little sense. He scorns at decency. He loathes the basic norms of courtesy and decorum as attributes of the west that is against the principles of Hinduism. He prides himself on being blunt, rude, insolent, and vulgar. He can get violent very quickly.

I find the EHM very comical. A good way to deal with him is to ignore him, just like you would ignore a tantrum throwing 2-year-old. A better way is to call him out with compelling debate that makes him scurry away. The EHM is easily scared. Scared of strong women, homosexuals, non-Hindus, and lower castes. But the best way to deal with an EHM is to laugh at him. That, my friends, maddens him. And a mad EHM makes for good entertainment!