Indian cricket spinner Varun Chakravarthy recently opened up about his complex relationship with wealth, revealing a deep-seated guilt he feels when spending on luxury items. His upbringing in a middle-class household has ingrained in him a profound understanding of money’s true power.
During an episode of “Breakfast with Champions,” Chakravarthy candidly shared his struggles. “I have had my struggle with money,” he admitted, explaining that his financial knowledge was largely limited to traditional investments like fixed deposits. “My typical middle-class mindset. I know how powerful money is. If something is very powerful, you will have to use it to its full potential.”
He expressed a powerful philosophy on wealth distribution: “What I feel is, rather than just changing my lifestyle with money, you can change someone else’s life — that’s more powerful.”
The 34-year-old spinner recounted a personal anecdote about purchasing an expensive watch, an act that deeply affected him. “I have this guilty feeling that if I spend so much, if I have a watch worth Rs 30 lakh or 40 lakh, that amount of money actually can change someone’s life for two or three generations.”
Even a watch costing around three lakh rupees caused him significant internal turmoil. “One watch I bought, which was around three lakhs or something, that itself just killed me from within. I know there are people who buy more expensive stuff,” he acknowledged.
Chakravarthy’s sensitivity extends to his relationships: “See, the guys I have grown up with, some of them are still delivering food and doing all those things. I can’t even imagine wearing something like that and going to meet them. I just feel that I am disrespecting them. That’s my own thing; I am not judging anyone else.” His words offer a rare glimpse into the personal values that guide a professional athlete from a humble background.