I found the article to be pretty blind to its own classist problems. There is a lot of referring to groups of people, classifying people, without recognizing that the achievements are individual achievements. He is part of the problem that he is complaining about.

A slap in the face is an aggressive act from one to another, usually intended to inflict pain.

I think a better comparison for Indian's success abroad but not at home would be a bucket of cold water or a ringing alarm clock.