How A 'Rant' About Thar Parked In Chandigarh Society Turned Into An Unusual Reddit Meme

A Reddit user recently took to the r/CarsIndia Subreddit to highlight the civic sense, or lack thereof, of a Mahindra Thar owner who decided to park their vehicle on a footpath. In the viral photo shared

by u/imfedup, the OP alleged that the driver of the Mahindra Thar SUV ignored the designated parking spots in the basement of an unnamed Chandigarh society, unlike the neatly parked surrounding cars, and instead chose to leave the vehicle obstructing the open area. Sharing the photograph of the oddly parked Thar, the poster wrote: “Chandigarh society where hundreds of cars are neatly parked in basements and designated areas and then there’s this one Thar owner.”

The post, upvoted over 4.5K times since it was posted on Reddit, brought back the routine criticism that Thar drivers faced in the country: “The usual suspects”.

But why?

The Thar Problem

Referencing a study published in the US’s National Library of Medicine, Akshat “Mota Bhai” Ajeya, a popular face on Cars 24’s YouTube channel, stated why SUV drivers in India behaved the way they did. Explaining the “SUV Effect”, Ajeya pointed out the phenomenon that altered the way a few drivers behaved on Indian roads.

According to the study cited by Ajeya, altered attitude and behavioural changes were observed in some drivers who went behind the wheel of a large vehicle. This change in pattern was seen as aggressive as SUV drivers took unnecessary risks that put the safety of fellow motorists and pedestrians in danger.

Ajeya further added that the drivers of big vehicles allegedly broke more traffic rules than those in hatchbacks and sedans, including not wearing seatbelts, talking on their mobile phones, and jumping red lights, to name a few.

SUVs’ massive road presence and stance also made the other vehicles on the road appear “smaller”, enabling the “tough image” of a driver, contributing to the hostility and risky driving patterns on the road. Not just a “status symbol” on the streets but an SUV also added the psychological assurance of perceived safety, further promoting risky driving on the roads.

“It’s The Driver”

In an older post, when a Reddit user asked Indian car enthusiasts why Mahindra Thars received so much hate online, the answers quickly poured in.

Posts from the carsindia
community on Reddit

“It’s not the car. Majority of the Thar owners think they are kings of the road and even drive like one,” responded one.

It was the rider or driver who propagated the negative stereotype directed towards a handful of vehicles on the roads. Creta owners flashing headlights, KTM riders popping wheelies and riding in a zigzag pattern at high speeds, and so on.

Also Read: SUV Effect: Why Do Drivers Of Big Cars Drive So Aggressively On Indian Roads?

“Nobody hates Thar. Its the attitude of drivers behind the wheel which is hated. Just like KTMs in bikes. The bikes are awesome but the squids riding it give them a bad name (sic),” wrote another.

Thar In News

One of the reasons why an innocuous post about a Mahindra Thar erratically parked in Chandigarh society perhaps turned into a random meme was how often the Thar was in the news for wrong reasons.

As recently as the previous week, a Mahindra Thar was spotted driving on railway tracks in Nagaland, sparking considerable outrage on social media.

The incident occurred around 11:35 PM on December 16 at Dimapur Railway Station. A Mahindra Thar illegally drove onto the railway tracks near the station platform area, close to the old flyover on the Burma Camp side, where it eventually got stuck, reported The Morung Express. The 65-year-old driver was later arrested.

Also Read: 65-Year-Old Arrested For Driving Mahindra Thar On Railway Tracks

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Puja Debnath (@pujabebnath)

Viral Thar Pic And The Meme

The photo of Thar found in an “unusual” spot once again caught the fancy of Redditors.

Posts from the carsindia
community on Reddit

“Always a thar owner (sic),” wrote one.

“And that to [too] on a footpath. Classic thar owners thinking 20L brought them the world (sic).”

The bickering and Thar mocking did not stop.

A few went ahead and began photoshopping unusual objects in the original photograph. These memes were accompanied by an identical caption as posted by the OP, except the new object found a mention.

Rafale

Chandigarh society where hundreds of cars are neatly parked in basements and designated areas and then there’s this one Rafale owner.
byu/Fabulous_Cobbler6058 inCarsIndia

Vikrant

Chandigarh society where hundreds of cars are neatly parked in basements and designated areas and then there’s this one Vikrant owner…
byu/Fabulous_Cobbler6058 inCarsIndia

Horse

Chandigarh society where hundreds of cars are neatly parked in basements and designated areas and then there’s this one Horse owner…
byu/stoplossftw inCarsIndia

Airbus

Chandigarh society where hundreds of cars are parked in their designated areas and basements and there’s this airbus owner
byu/LateSelection9321 inCarsIndia

You can explore more memes by typing “Chandigarh Society Where” in the search box on Reddit.