leading / #1
It died the way it lived: pretending it was upper-middle, owing money to a cousin, voting against its own interests, and saving a polythene bag for later.
Born 1991. Raised by liberalisation. Killed by inflation. Survived by its EMIs, its WhatsApp groups, and a half-paid Maruti.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests you forward this to four other groups before midnight.
It is survived by a stainless steel dabba collection that will outlive the heat death of the universe.
Cause of death: the unbearable weight of "what will people say."
Funeral livestreamed on YouTube with three ad breaks. The ads were also for funeral services.