The cockroach is having its moment. It typically provokes an instant chappal attack or screams of disgust in most Indian households as soon as it makes an appearance, but has suddenly captured the imagination of the country.
The icky little revolting insect has been pushed into the limelight by no less than (wait a moment!), the Chief Justice Of India, who compared unemployed youth to cockroaches and parasites during a hearing. Just a day later, the comment gave birth to a social handle that floated a satirical political outfit, the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP), which gained more than 20 million followers before the account was withheld for “security” reasons. The virality is being attributed to largescale frustration among the youth given the Kafkaesque-like world we are living in, where issues of unemployment, exam irregularities and economic uncertainty prevail.
Ban or no ban, the satirical post that exploded into memes and the trend Main Bhi Cockroach puts the unique qualities of a cockroach in focus. Though much hated in Indian households, cockroaches are famously hard to kill. In fact, they are said to be the only creatures capable of withstanding a nuclear bomb attack (that belief has been dismantled by scientific research though).
1 May 2026
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As investors, we need to become cockroach-like, not literally, but metaphorically, like it is being used by CJP, like it was used in Franz Kafka’s masterpiece, The Metamorphosis. We need to adapt and persist by turning the current market volatility into opportunity by not just continuing our systematic investment plans (SIPs), but also topping them up, if possible. We need to figure out a survival strategy by reviewing our asset allocation as most assets, including gold and bonds and not just equity, are in turmoil. We need to show enough resilience in the face of global uncertainty to ensure we do not dilute our long-term financial goals by deviating from the path we chose.
In the process, we may feel dejected and rejected like the main character in The Metamorphosis, Gregor Samsa, did after being inexplicably transformed into the body of a cockroach one morning. Samsa couldn’t get rid of his human instincts completely and saw his near and dear ones turn their backs on him. All that drove him to commit suicide in the end. To avoid a similar blow to your investments and portfolio, we must think and act like a cockroach if we have to. Our Best Funds issue and the OLM 50 review can help you survive the odds partly, by lending a helping hand.
