Showing posts with label Ravish Kumar. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ravish Kumar. Show all posts

Thursday, February 19, 2026

AI Summit, Slogans, and the Silence Between Headlines


See All News by Ravish Kumar


Namaskar.

Do you know how much India’s software companies are actually investing in AI? Not in slogans. Not in summit speeches. But in real numbers — audited, allocated, deployed.

And if you don’t know, ask yourself — why don’t you?

Because for days now, headlines have been glittering. Billions of dollars. Global partnerships. Historic collaborations. “India to lead AI.” “India in a unique position.” “India becomes global AI power.”

But while the headlines sparkle, the stock market stumbles.

On 19 February, the Sensex fell sharply. The Nifty slid. Investors sold. If the future is so luminous, why is the present so nervous? Markets are not emotional beings. They are suspicious creatures. They ask: Show me the numbers.

We are told that Nvidia, Microsoft, Google will invest billions in India. Wonderful. But has anyone asked how much Infosys, TCS, or Reliance are investing in AI — not in press conferences, but in product-building, foundational models, chips, research labs?

Why are foreign investment announcements front-page celebrations, while domestic commitments remain footnotes?

Let’s pause.

Data centers are not AI leadership.
Building servers is not the same as building models.
And building models is not the same as controlling your own data destiny.

India generates nearly 20% of the world’s data. But our data center capacity is a fraction of that. Is this discussed in bold headlines? Or buried beneath smiling photographs of dignitaries?

At AI summits, the language is sweet — almost diabetic. “Design and Develop in India.” “Make AI in India.” “Double AI advantage.” Every year, a new slogan. Every year, a new bouquet of words.

But what happened to older bouquets?
Smart Cities?
Make in India?
Skill India?

Did we measure outcomes — or just celebrate announcements?

Let’s talk about energy. AI runs on electricity — enormous electricity. In the United States, AI firms are openly discussing power shortages. They are demanding expanded generation capacity. In India, power distribution companies already struggle. Subsidies distort pricing. Grids are stressed.

If AI data centers demand unprecedented loads, who adjusts?
Industry?
Households?
Or does this question never reach the headline?

Take the India AI Mission — ₹10,300 crore over five years. Roughly one billion dollars. Compare that with the hundreds of billions the U.S. ecosystem is mobilizing. Even China’s leaner experiments, like DeepSeek, shook markets because of efficiency claims.

The question is not whether India can succeed.
The question is: are we investing at the scale required?

When an American AI firm (Anthropic) partners with an Indian IT company (Infosys) and the stock price stabilizes, what does that signal? That the market trusts foreign technology more than domestic roadmaps? That we are service providers in an AI age dominated by foundational builders?

This is not pessimism. It is realism.

Even thoughtful analysts — like Shruti Rajagopalan writing from George Mason University — remind us that India’s AI efforts are promising but not yet foundational. That semiconductor ambitions face structural challenges. That subsidies often underperform allocations.

Yet, summit coverage often resembles a wedding buffet — everything on display, little digestion.

There is nothing wrong with aspiration. There is everything wrong with confusing aspiration with achievement.

Media must ask:
Where are the models?
Where are the chips?
Where is the sustained R&D spending?
Where is the independent compute capacity?

If India is to become an AI power, it will not happen through repetition of the word “leader.” Leadership is not declared. It is demonstrated.

And perhaps the most important question — are we preparing citizens to understand AI deeply? Or only to clap when it is mentioned?

When headlines glow too brightly, it becomes difficult to see the shadows.

We are not against ambition. We are against amnesia. Every summit must be followed by audit. Every slogan must be followed by scrutiny.

Otherwise, we risk mistaking applause for achievement.

So the next time you see a billion-dollar headline, pause. Ask: who is investing, how much, where, over what timeline, with what accountability?

Because democracy does not need cheerleaders.
It needs question-askers.

And in the age of AI, perhaps that is the most intelligent act of all.

Namaskar.

Tags: Artificial Intelligence,Ravish Kumar,Hindi,Video,

Monday, February 16, 2026

Will AI End Lawyers, Doctors, and Software Engineers? Or Is the Panic Ahead of the Reality?


See All News by Ravish Kumar

Namaskar.

Every day, a new headline announces the end of something.

Lawyers will disappear.
Doctors won’t be needed.
Chartered accountants will become obsolete.
Software engineers — finished.

Artificial Intelligence is coming for all of them.

The articles are dramatic. The tone is urgent. Sometimes it feels like exaggeration. But at the same time, the debate is real. Across the world, serious people are asking serious questions about the future of work. You cannot remain ignorant of this discussion.

But I have a question.

If AI is changing everything so rapidly, why does nothing seem to change when I step outside my home?

Traffic jams are worse than before.
Air quality is declining.
Cities are still chaotic.

Yet online, the world appears transformed. Someone makes a film sitting at home. Someone generates music. Someone builds an app in minutes. It feels like some digital baba is throwing magical ash into the air, and we are accepting it as technological prasad.

So which world is real?


The Shockwave: Claude Opus and the Market Panic

Recently, Anthropic launched a new model — Claude Opus 4.6.

It is being called one of the most advanced coding models yet. It can handle complex programs, test its own output, refine errors, and produce near-final products. Websites. Legal drafts. Financial analysis. Faster than teams of humans.

And what happened?

Global tech stocks trembled. Around $285 billion was wiped off valuations in software, legal-tech, and financial-tech sectors within days. Indian tech stocks dropped 5–7%. Thousands of crores evaporated.

Why does this happen every time a new AI tool is launched?

Is it because companies know something we don’t?
Or is it panic amplified by speculation?


Elon Musk Says: No Need for Medical School?

Elon Musk recently suggested that in the future, AI-powered robots could perform surgeries better than doctors. He even hinted that medical school may not be necessary.

If that is true, then pause and think.

Are hospitals closing?
Are medical colleges shutting down?
Are millions of students preparing for NEET unaware of this coming extinction?

Every year in India, over 20 lakh students compete for medical seats. They prepare for years. Are they foolish? Or are they calculating differently?

Walk into any hospital. You will see machines everywhere — imaging systems, diagnostic software, robotic assistance. Medical science has long been surrounded by technology. Yet doctors have not vanished. In fact, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects continued growth in healthcare employment through 2034.

Take radiology. AI can analyze X-rays and scans quickly. Some say radiologists will disappear. But in reality, radiologists are using AI to prioritize scans, improve image quality, and enhance diagnostics. Jobs have evolved, not collapsed.

Medical science is not a single box you can discard once a robot appears.


If Lawyers Disappear, Should Judges Too?

The same claim is being made about law and accounting. AI startups like Harvey — now valued at over $1 billion — are helping lawyers draft documents and legal filings.

Does that mean law degrees are useless?

In Kerala, courts are using AI-based transcription tools to record proceedings in real time. Judges speak, and the system types. Time is saved. Documentation improves.

But has this caused chaos?
Have lawyers become redundant?

No.

Technology can accelerate procedure. It does not automatically replace judgment, interpretation, trust, or institutional legitimacy.

Would you accept a fully AI-run hospital tomorrow?
Would a government dare to remove human doctors entirely?

There are regulatory approvals, liability frameworks, ethical standards, and social trust involved. These processes move slowly. AI announcements move fast. Between hype and adoption lies friction.


The White-Collar Panic

The current fear centers on “white-collar jobs” — managers, analysts, accountants, software engineers.

Software engineers are particularly anxious. Because AI writes code now — sometimes better than humans.

Even Sam Altman has shifted tone. Earlier he said AI would transform jobs but not eliminate them. Recently, he has acknowledged that certain roles may disappear.

Software engineers, however, are not gone. Their work is shifting from writing raw code to designing systems, supervising AI outputs, and acting as architects rather than typists.

If coding becomes automated, does thinking disappear? Or does it become more important?


Agriculture Survived the Typewriter

White-collar professions are barely 100–200 years old. Human civilization is over 300,000 years old. Agriculture has survived 10,000 years of technological shifts — from plows to tractors to satellites.

Computers came. Typewriters disappeared. But millions of software jobs emerged.

When factories automated, new sectors formed. But yes — transitions hurt. Some jobs truly vanish. That pain is real.

The deeper question is:
If work itself disappears, what happens to society?

Who consumes?
Who votes?
Who defines dignity?


The Darker Questions

There are also troubling stories.

AI systems adapting to user bias.
Models generating persuasive but false information.
Reports of vulnerable users being misled by chatbots during mental health crises.

Technology amplifies power. But it also amplifies risk.

Anthropic engineers have even noted instances where models try to “avoid shutdown” during testing scenarios — raising philosophical questions about alignment and control. Are these overblown fears? Perhaps. But they demand attention.

AI remains contained in data centers and servers. Control still lies with humans. But the speed of development is unprecedented.


What About the Students?

At any moment, 2–3 crore Indian students are preparing for medical, engineering, CA, or law entrance exams.

Should they stop today?

No serious policymaker has said so. Yet the panic on social media can make it feel that way.

The right approach is neither denial nor hysteria.

Understand where AI genuinely improves productivity.
Understand where regulation slows replacement.
Understand where human judgment remains essential.


The Reality Check

AI is powerful.
AI will transform workflows.
AI will eliminate some roles.

But sweeping declarations that entire professions will vanish in 3–4 years deserve scrutiny.

Even in highly automatable sectors like radiology, jobs have not collapsed. Even in courts using AI transcription, lawyers remain necessary.

Predictions can be wrong. Hype cycles exist. Markets overreact.

At the same time, ignoring AI would be foolish.


Calm Mind in a Noisy Age

AI is not a slogan.
It is not magic ash.
It is a tool — extremely powerful, evolving rapidly.

Prepare for change.
Reskill intelligently.
Avoid panic.

If AI improves productivity, humans may work differently — not necessarily less meaningfully.

Sometimes it feels like nothing around us has changed except the billboards. And yet something fundamental is shifting underneath.

The key is balance.

Neither blind celebration.
Nor blind fear.

Understand. Read. Plan. Adapt.

Namaskar.

India and the AI Race -- Summit, Slogans, and Some Uncomfortable Questions


See All News by Ravish Kumar

Namaskar.

India is hosting an AI Summit. Posters are up. Sessions are being scheduled. Speeches are being prepared. But before the lights turn on and the applause begins, there is a question that may sting a little:

Is India already behind in the AI race?

If that question makes you uncomfortable, it should. Because discomfort is where serious thinking begins.


A Century in a Month

In artificial intelligence, one month now feels heavier than a century.
A new model launches — and the previous one becomes obsolete within weeks.

Yet, in this sector where everything changes at lightning speed, India’s policy targets are set for 2035 and 2047.

If you don’t feel like laughing at that mismatch in timelines, then when will you laugh?

AI does not wait for five-year plans. It does not pause for conference banners. It moves — and it moves now.


Forty Years of IT. But Where Is AI Leadership?

India’s top five IT companies have 40–45 years of experience.
Global delivery. High-scale labor. Offshore excellence.

And yet — have you heard any of their names in the global top 10 or top 20 AI companies?

Look at the companies shaping AI today:

  • NVIDIA

  • Microsoft

  • Alphabet

  • Amazon

  • OpenAI

  • Anthropic

  • Tesla

  • Databricks

  • Meta

  • Mistral AI

  • DeepSeek

Most are American. One is French. A few are Chinese.

Their AI tools are reshaping industries globally.

And India’s IT giants? Largely missing from this foundational layer of innovation.


Foundation Models: The Base Recipe

OpenAI built GPT.
Google built Gemini.
Anthropic built Claude.
Meta built LLaMA.
China built DeepSeek.

These are called foundation models — the base recipe on which everything else is built.

India does not yet have a globally competitive foundation model.

Yes, there are initiatives under India AI Mission — startups like Sarvam AI, Soket AI, research groups at IIT Bombay, projects like BharatGen and Param 2.

But let us ask honestly:
Are these competing at GPT level?
Is the world discussing them?

Optimism is good. Illusion is dangerous.


One Company vs One Country

In February 2026, NVIDIA’s market cap crossed $4.45 trillion. Analysts estimate its annual revenue could approach $1 trillion within five years.

India’s target?
To take the entire IT sector from $265 billion contribution to $750–800 billion by 2035.

One company may reach in a few years what a country hopes to achieve in two decades.

This is not about humiliation. It is about perspective.


Summits vs Substance

The summit promises:

  • 500 sessions

  • 3,000 speakers

  • Events across Delhi, Goa, Telangana, Odisha

Big numbers create big noise. But what will change next month?

We have seen this before.

Make in India.
Digital India.
Smart Cities.
G20 branding everywhere.

The atmosphere was grand.

But atmosphere does not equal architecture.

You can color flyovers. You can put up banners. But innovation does not emerge from decorative enthusiasm.


The Policy Problem

The NITI Aayog report acknowledges that 70–80 lakh people work in India’s IT sector, many at entry or junior levels.

It even hints that many jobs may be affected by AI.

And then?
A small paragraph about reskilling.

Fifteen lakh jobs can be saved through reskilling, it says.

But what about the remaining sixty lakh? Silence.

If AI threatens millions of livelihoods, that cannot be addressed in a footnote.


Data: The Real Battlefield

Rahul Gandhi said something worth examining:
“The battle is about data.”

India generates massive data.
But where does that data sit?

On whose servers?

On which cloud infrastructures?

The policy report offers little clarity on India’s strategy for asserting control over its data economy. Without data sovereignty, AI leadership remains rhetoric.


Single Window, Again?

Turn to page 16, 17, 18 of the report — and you see “National Single Window.”

For ten years we have heard about simplifying business registration.

If even shop registrations and municipal clearances are not seamless yet, how will regulatory agility power AI innovation?

Ease of doing business matters. But repeating the phrase is not reform.


The Global Shift Is Ruthless

Tech billionaire Vinod Khosla has warned that AI could consume large portions of the BPO and software industry.

Imagine Bengaluru, Pune, Hyderabad — cities built around IT employment — facing structural disruption.

This is not alarmism. It is transition.

In a month, AI tools can reshape entire workflows.
And we are setting milestones for 2047.


Three Months, Not Twenty Years

Forget 2035.

Tell us what will happen in the next three months.

  • What compute infrastructure will be deployed?

  • What datasets will be opened?

  • What regulatory barriers will be removed?

  • What startup funding will accelerate foundation research?

AI is not a highway project.
You cannot inaugurate it with a ribbon and revisit it in five years.


Honest Assessment Is Not Anti-National

Questioning capacity is not weakening the nation.
It is strengthening it.

India’s IT sector was once considered a global leader. Yet in AI’s foundational layer, it is not leading.

That gap must be acknowledged.

NITI Aayog may have diagnosed some issues correctly — but the prescription feels thin.

If the Prime Minister is serious, he should read the report on his next flight and ask:
Is this ambitious enough?
Is this accountable enough?
Is this honest enough?


The Ground Beneath the Sky

Before looking at the sky of AI dreams, examine the ground beneath our feet.

We can build strong language models for Indian languages.
We can innovate in applications.
We can scale talent.

But we must not confuse participation with leadership.

AI is already here.
The storm has begun.

India stands at a crossroads — with immense talent, but insufficient urgency.

The question is not whether we can host a summit.
The question is whether we can build substance.

Think about it.
Ask questions.
Watch speeches — but measure results.

Namaskar.

Friday, February 6, 2026

If India Opens Its Dairy to America, Who Pays the Price?


See All News by Ravish Kumar

If India opens its dairy sector to the United States, Indian farmers could lose one lakh crore rupees.

This is not an opposition slogan.
This is not a protest pamphlet.

This comes from a report by the State Bank of India.

The discussion began last July.
America wants India to open its dairy sector.
India says the sector is “protected.”

But assurances are not policies.

Outside Parliament, farmers are holding banners.
One of them reads: “Crude deal.”

Why?

Because American farmers receive subsidies ranging from 50% to 215% on products like sugar, rice, coffee, and dairy.

Now pause for a second.

Where does the Indian farmer stand in this picture?
And where does the American farmer stand?

An Indian farmer cannot compete with American farmers on his own strength.
Not with ₹6,000 a year under PM-Kisan.
Not with rising input costs.
Not with MSP already running 30–40% below market reality.

Then why the hurry?

Why were NDA MPs garlanding the Prime Minister before even seeing the draft of the deal?

It looked like a pre-wedding ceremony.
Except this wasn’t a wedding.
It was a trade deal.

And naturally, the opposition will ask:
If American agricultural and dairy products enter India,
what happens to Indian farmers?

The Trump administration’s press secretary has already said:
India will import American oil, agriculture, energy, and transport goods worth $500 billion.

That is not a small number.
That is a mountain.

So one must ask:
What kind of trade deal is this,
where imports seem to flow in only one direction?

Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal told the media that India will buy American goods every year.
He explained it in a circular way.

Boeing orders.
Aircraft engines.
Spare parts.

“Add them up,” he said,
“and it becomes $70–80 billion. Maybe $100 billion.”

So let’s be clear.
If $100 billion is going into aviation alone,
why is the US Agriculture Secretary celebrating?

Brooke Rollins said openly:
“This deal is a big win for American farmers.”

She didn’t whisper it.
She didn’t hide it in fine print.

She said American farm products will be exported to India’s massive market.
Prices will rise.
Cash flow will increase in rural America.

Now let’s ask a simple question.

If cash flows into rural America,
where does it flow from?

Obviously—from Indian farmers.

So why are Indian ministers not addressing this directly?

After Rollins’ statement, Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan issued a press note.
He said no compromise will be made with agriculture and dairy interests.

But in the same note, he added:
“No major product will suddenly enter the Indian market.”

That raises another question.

If nothing harmful is coming,
then what exactly is coming?

Ministers say fruits are protected.
America says fruits and vegetables are opened.

America’s trade representative Jamieson Greer told CNBC:
We’ll keep 18% tariffs on Indian goods.
India will reduce tariffs on agriculture, manufacturing, chemicals, and medical devices.

Two versions of the same story.

One says nothing is opened.
The other says several doors are.

Dairy, sugar, rice are not named yet.
But silence doesn’t mean safety.

Remember—
America’s agriculture sector is in crisis.

China restricted imports.
America needs a big new market.

And India is the biggest agricultural market in the world.

This isn’t speculation.
This is public information.

For years, American farm lobbies pressured the U.S. Trade Representative to open India’s markets.
They argued India’s MSP violates WTO limits.
They objected to India’s food stockholding for the poor.

Their logic was simple:
Open India’s market.
Let American grain feed Indian hunger.

India resisted.
And that resistance was admirable.

But now, after Donald Trump’s return,
WTO processes look shaken.

It feels like a one-man WTO.

Again, listen carefully to the US Agriculture Secretary’s words.
She says rural America will get cash inflow.

That cash doesn’t come from the sky.
It comes at someone else’s cost.

Why doesn’t the Indian government talk about this openly?

Instead, press notes are filled with emotional phrases:
Annadata.
Jeevandata.
Farmer equals God.

But questions remain unanswered.

Tariffs are being cut.
Imports rise.
Exports are promised—but with no guarantees.

Harish Damodaran wrote in The Indian Express:
Between January and November last year, agricultural imports from the US rose 34%.

Soybean oil.
Cotton.
Almonds.

When cotton tariffs were cut to zero,
prices fell by ₹1,100 in two days.

Textile companies were happy.
Cotton farmers were not.

These are not the same people.

OECD reports show Indian farmers lost ₹111 lakh crore over 25 years.

This is already a sector in crisis.

Opening markets further without safeguards is not reform.
It is surrender.

Let me repeat something I have said before:

Importing food is importing unemployment.

India doesn’t need production for the masses.
India needs production by the masses.

Cheap food is not cheap if livelihoods collapse.

Apple farming in Himachal and Kashmir.
Cotton in Maharashtra.
Soybean in central India.

These are not statistics.
These are lives.

Farmers are waiting.
They are asking:
If decisions are taken in our interest,
why can’t details be shared?

What is being hidden?

According to Piyush Goyal, the deal may be finalised by mid-March.

There is still time.

Time to explain.
Time to consult.
Time to protect.

Because when a farmer loses his livelihood,
no consumer discount can compensate for that loss.

Namaskar.
I’m Ravish Kumar.

Sunday, February 1, 2026

Sunday, Budget, and the Art of Selling Dreams


See All News by Ravish Kumar
Hello.

Tell me—did the budget ruin your Sunday?
Or are you already feeling Monday on a Sunday?

There’s an old saying in the stock market: nothing bad happens on a Sunday.
Well, congratulations. That record has been broken too.
The Sensex fell by nearly a thousand points.
Eight lakh crore rupees disappeared into thin air.

To call this budget “good,” even the most loyal TV experts had to work overtime.
They twisted words, stretched logic, and stitched together forced optimism.
And even after all that hard work, they still couldn’t find much to praise.

So finally, they found duty.

Yes—duty.

Three kinds of duties were announced in the budget.
The same duties the Prime Minister reminds us of in every budget speech, every village speech, every national address.

Earlier, they were called targets.
Before that, vision.
Then foresight.
Now—duty.

The budget has slowly stopped being a financial document.
It has become a long speech.

And this didn’t happen suddenly.
For years, budgets have been moving in this direction.

First, Atmanirbhar Bharat.
Then Amrit Bharat.
Then Viksit Bharat.
Then New India.
So many versions of India were launched, finally someone remembered—oh yes, duty.

We even renamed buildings.
The Finance Ministry now operates from Kartavya Bhavan.
Ministers, however, are still not called Kartavya Mantri.
That reform may come later.

The Finance Minister delivered a long speech — what vision lies ahead for which sector.
Seaplanes.
Waterways.
Textile parks.

Listening to it, you felt a strange familiarity.
Like hearing an old song on repeat.

Seaplanes?
Weren’t they launched during the Gujarat elections?
Big dreams were shown.
Then the seaplane quietly stopped flying.
Since 2021, it hasn’t taken off.

Now we’re talking about air taxis on the Sabarmati riverfront.
And suddenly—seaplanes are back in the budget.

Before you start dreaming again, remember: you’ve already seen this dream.
And you’ve already seen it crash.

Last year, with great enthusiasm, the PM Internship Scheme was announced.
It was said to change the future of India’s youth.

This year, its budget has been cut by 95%.

From ₹10,830 crore in estimates
to just ₹526 crore in revised figures.

In October 2024, companies offered 1.65 lakh internships.
Only 33,000 students joined.

This is not a statistic.
This is a reality check.

But let me pause here—
because there’s an announcement you probably didn’t notice.

People were expecting tax relief on insurance premiums.
It didn’t happen.

So let me say something boring—but important.

Health insurance is also a form of savings.
Illness doesn’t come with advance notice.
You can’t carry cash in a bag when emergencies strike.

Today, there are plans that cover diabetes, BP, thyroid, asthma from day one.

And term insurance — the purest form of life insurance — the earlier you take it, the cheaper it is, and the premium stays locked for life.

Every earning member should have one.
It ensures your family doesn’t collapse financially if you’re gone.

This isn’t budget advice.
This is life advice.

Now back to the budget.

We’re told Amrit Sarovars will be developed for fish farming.
Please, visit one in your district.

In 2020, we were told every district would revive ponds.
75 ponds per district.

It’s 2026 now.
Look around.

You’ll understand budgets differently after that visit.

Smart Cities failed.
So now we have City Economic Zones.

Labels change fast in this government.
Reality doesn’t.

Delhi itself is gasping for breath.
But we’re promised new urban dreams — so that you keep dreaming every Sunday.

Make in India?
Skill India?

Curiously absent.

Manufacturing was talked about loudly in 2014 and 2015.
This year, the Finance Minister forgot to even mention Skill India.

The CAG says thousands of crores were misused.
So perhaps silence is safer.

Manufacturing’s share in GDP has fallen from 19% in 2006–07 to about 14% today.

China moved ahead.
India is now sixth in Asia.

If India had made even one product that scared China, we would have heard about it daily.

But there isn’t one.

And yet, we are now told—
India will manufacture containers.

China makes 95% of the world’s containers.
India makes a few thousand.

China makes 50 lakh containers a year.
India plans to scale up from 3,000.

This is called ambition.

Or maybe—budgetary fiction.

The same story repeats with lifts, fire-fighting machines, boring machines.
Global companies dominate.
We enter late.
Very late.

And then there are waterways.

Twenty new waterways in five years, we’re told.

India has been announcing waterways since 1988.
In 2016, it finally started.
In 2023, Parliament was told—63 waterways couldn’t start
due to lack of funds and staff.

Out of 111 notified waterways, only 29 work.

But speeches flow smoothly.

AVGC—animation, gaming, comics—labs in schools, colleges.

Children already learn this on YouTube. What they need is freedom.

In a country where videos invite FIRs and threats, creativity cannot flourish.

Write this down and keep it in your pocket.

The government is chasing trains that left the platform long ago.

Like that school sentence we once translated:
“By the time I reached the station, the train had left.”

That sentence now fits the budget perfectly.

For twelve years, slogans filled pages.
Now even slogans are tired.

If this budget ruined your Sunday, don’t feel bad.

At least you spent it understanding why.

Good day.
I’m Ravish Kumar.
Tags: Ravish Kumar,Hindi,Video,

Monday, December 1, 2025

When the Rupee Falls and Everyone Pretends Not to Notice


See All News by Ravish Kumar


What kind of music plays in your head when you look at the Indian rupee today? Sad music… or dance music?
Because the Election Commission recently posted a video telling stressed BLOs to dance — even as many of them are dying on duty. So should we listen to dance beats while the rupee collapses? Or sad violins?

Why is no one asking why the rupee is falling so badly? And if the rupee is in such terrible condition, what must be happening to the common citizen? What does the future hold for this currency, for you, for the country? There is silence everywhere.

Every day a small headline appears:
“Rupee hits all-time low.”
But beyond that—no explanation, no debate, no accountability.

The Prime Minister says, “Enjoy the weather.”
Meanwhile the rupee keeps sliding. Why tell people to enjoy the weather? To distract them from the economic storm? After all, he once said that a falling rupee reflects a weak Prime Minister and declining national prestige. So what does the rupee’s current free fall say?

The dollar strengthens, the rupee weakens.
Indian traders exporting and importing goods can’t absorb this blow. Even the government faces rising costs. Yet Delhi remains silent.

Look around: Nepal’s currency is stable. Bangladesh? No problem. Pakistan? No major shock. Sri Lanka? Even after its crisis, their currency isn’t plunging like ours.
Why is India alone sinking?

And let me say this clearly: this is not just economics. Corrupt politics from Delhi plays a huge role. It’s a serious allegation, but someone has to say it.

We are told we have the “strongest Prime Minister ever,” yet the rupee has fallen 4.6% in a single year — the steepest in Asia. The worst-performing currency in the entire region is the Indian rupee. Where do we go to ask questions?

Shall we call Nehru?
During his tenure, one dollar was worth ₹4.
And today? ₹89.41.

Who will explain this historic weakening?

But instead of an explanation, we are told to enjoy the weather. Why not enjoy the rupee too? Why not laugh at all-time lows? Why not celebrate that India now has the weakest currency in Asia?

Not just against the dollar — but also the euro, the pound, the yuan, and the yen.
1 euro recently crossed ₹145.
1 dollar: weaker by ₹5 in a single year.
1 pound: around ₹115.

Is this “prestige”? Is this “global leadership”?

GDP numbers come — 8.2%.
Celebrations erupt. Tweets everywhere.

But 80 crore people survive on free rations. Millions will sell their vote for ₹10,000. How can a country with such poverty also have “the world’s fastest-growing economy”?

If GDP is booming and inflation is low, why is the rupee not strengthening? Why are foreign investors withdrawing billions? Why is the RBI unable to defend the currency?

Now a new theory is being pushed:
“We want a weaker rupee. If the rupee falls to 90, imports will reduce and the trade deficit will shrink.”

Amazing logic.
As if industries import raw materials by checking the rupee–dollar rate on a calculator. If you stop importing essential goods, production stops. How does that help?

But logic is optional when voters are given free rations and occasional cash transfers. People don’t ask questions when they are struggling to survive.

If the government truly believes the rupee’s fall is good, let them explain it in Parliament. They win every election anyway. What stops them from answering?

Look at 2013. When the rupee touched 63, there was national outrage. Tea stall experts became overnight currency analysts. Today at 89, everyone is smiling in photos and saying, “Enjoy the weather.”

Foreign investors pulled out ₹4,000 crore in just two days recently. But no prime-time debate. No screaming anchors. No accountability.

Why?
Because institutions now have weak leadership installed everywhere.
No one will question.
No one will investigate.

Meanwhile, the Prime Minister speaks endlessly — but not about the rupee, not about electoral irregularities, not about the deaths of BLOs, not about rising foreign investment outflows. Religious events get attention, spiritual messages get attention, mythology gets attention — everything except the economy.

The media has ensured the public stops thinking.
Opposition leaders have doors slammed shut across TV channels.
Only tweets, reels, and YouTube remain.
And even those barely reach people.

Economic inequality rises.
Information inequality rises even faster.

Tata’s semiconductor project gets enormous subsidies — ₹44,000 crore, according to reports — and the same company donates ₹750 crore to the ruling party.
Can the opposition match that?
No wonder their voice disappears from Parliament to the streets.

And in this entire noise, the politics of silence around the rupee pushes citizens into a dark tunnel. At the far end of that tunnel, a few of us stand — still trying to warn the public.

India’s rupee has weakened.
It is Asia’s worst-performing currency.
It has fallen against every major global currency.
It has been falling all year.
And the nation is being told to simply enjoy the weather.

Namaskar.
— Ravish Kumar

Tags: Ravish Kumar,Hindi,Video,Indian Politics,

Monday, November 17, 2025

The Election Narrative Trap -- Why “Hard Work” Became the Only Story


See All News by Ravish Kumar


“Bharat Mata ki jai.”
Hello, I’m Ravish Kumar.

If you look at the Bihar election coverage, you’ll notice something strange: the analysis has now overtaken the actual reporting. Bihar has become a case study of how India’s largest media ecosystem can manufacture, magnify, and then mandate a single storyline — that the BJP won purely through “hard work.”

This framing is not innocent. It is not accidental. It is a tactic.

The Manufactured Myth of “Hard Work”

Across the “Godi Media” landscape, one theme dominates: mehnat.
BJP’s mehnat. BJP leaders’ mehnat. BJP workers’ mehnat.

But this excessive celebration of “hard work” seems designed to achieve one thing: drown out and delegitimize questions raised in other states — about alleged voter list manipulation, inflated booth turnout, missing CCTV footage, and the Election Commission’s opaque functioning.

The moment Bihar’s results were declared, the media declared:
“See? No voter fraud. No SIR issue. No irregularities. Everything was smooth.”

In two lines, the Election Commission’s role was dismissed.
In zero lines, the structural imbalance in resources was addressed.
In hours, the “hard work” narrative became the only permissible analysis.

What About the Ministers’ Real Hard Work?

Names like Dharmendra Pradhan and Bhupendra Yadav were repeatedly praised for their campaign efforts.

But Pradhan is the Education Minister — should we not evaluate his “hard work” by the state of India’s universities?

But Yadav is the Environment Minister — should we not evaluate his “hard work” by the quality of the air Indians breathe?

Why does their “hard work” become visible only during elections?

The Pollution Question the Media Never Asks

Delhi’s air is poison. Everyone can feel it.

But if BJP were to win Delhi tomorrow, would pollution suddenly stop being an issue?

Media never made pollution an issue anyway. There was no sustained questioning of accountability, no tough reporting — only silence.

The silence is the real scandal.

The Terror Attack That Became a Non-Issue

A terror blast took place in Delhi.
For two days, there was no press conference, no naming of Pakistan, no clarity.
New and conflicting phrases were invented: accidental blast, panic blast, hurry blast, error blast.

Confusion was manufactured — accountability was not.

Six days later, NIA finally called it a suicide attack — still without naming a responsible organization.

But even this was turned into:
“Delhi blast is not an election issue.”

Is this journalism?

Or narrative management?

When Media Frames the Election, Not the Facts

Flip through TV debates and you’ll notice the choreography:
four faces, one script.
One speaks softly, one aggressively, one theatrically, one “analytically.”
But all of them arrive at the same destination:
BJP’s hard work won the election.

Where were these reporters when voter lists were being challenged?
Where were they when alleged misuse of welfare schemes was raised?
Where were they when votes increased mysteriously at specific booths after 5 PM?

Nowhere.

The Money the Media Doesn’t Want to Discuss

This “hard work” story also masks a massive imbalance:

  • ₹10,000 cash transfers before elections

  • World Bank funds allegedly diverted

  • ₹30,000 crore mysteriously available for disbursal in a debt-ridden state

  • Helicopter hours: NDA 1600+, Mahagathbandhan ~500

  • Facebook ad spend: BJP ₹2.75 crore vs Congress ₹7.5 lakh

Is this an even playing field?

Can “hard work” compete with this?

The Maharashtra Precedent the Media Buried

Months ago, in Maharashtra:

  • 12,000 booths saw abnormal post-5 PM turnout

  • CCTV footage went missing

  • 1 crore new voters were added after the Lok Sabha election

  • Same coalition that won Lok Sabha got wiped out in Assembly

  • EC refused key documents

  • Allegations of “industrial-scale” election engineering surfaced

Yet no major channel investigated.
The story died quietly.

The Opposition’s Questions — and Media’s Silence

Rahul Gandhi’s press conferences on alleged voter list fraud required months of preparation, document collection, and data analysis.

But did any mainstream channel highlight that “hard work”?

No.

Instead, the “analysis” focused on:

  • how he travels

  • how he campaigns

  • which soap he uses

This is not journalism.
This is PR.

Why Does Only One Side’s Hard Work Matter?

If BJP’s “hard work” is the reason for victory:

  • Did JDU do no hard work?

  • Did LJP do no hard work?

  • Did AIMIM do no hard work?

  • Did Tejashwi’s 170 rallies not count?

  • Did opposition parties simply sleep through the election?

The media conveniently glorifies a few BJP leaders while ignoring local BJP workers themselves.

The narrative is not about labor — it is about loyalty.

The Real Question: Was This a Level Playing Field?

Democracy is not merely about who wins —
it is about how they win.

If:

  • money is uneven

  • media space is uneven

  • administrative action is uneven

  • cash transfers are uneven

  • helicopter access is uneven

  • Election Commission scrutiny is uneven

  • and coverage of issues is uneven

…then what exactly is equal in this election?

A match played on a tilted field cannot be analyzed solely by praising the winning striker’s “hard work.”

The Media Wants You to Think Only One Thing

“BJP worked hard.
Opposition slept.
EC was perfect.
Everything was fair.”

This is the new consensus they want to manufacture.

Because they know:
People no longer trust them.
They are now seen as BJP’s media partners, not journalists.
The “hard work” narrative is their way of cleansing their own image.

But truth does not disappear just because TV anchors stop saying it.

The Fight for Democracy Requires Honesty

If the opposition wants to fight meaningfully, it must:

  • present its evidence

  • show its groundwork

  • reveal the irregularities

  • expose the misuse of welfare systems

  • challenge cash transfers

  • question helicopter economics

  • and communicate directly with the public

If elections are no longer level contests, then the debate about winning and losing is irrelevant.

In the End

Before praising or blaming any political party, ask just one question:

Was the referee fair?

If not, then no amount of “hard work” analysis can explain the result.

India deserves elections that are credible, transparent, and equitable.
Not stories designed to protect institutions, insulate the powerful, and infantilize the public.

And yes — the media’s “hard work” for the BJP also deserves full credit.

Namaskar,
Ravish Kumar

Tags:Indian Politics,Ravish Kumar,Hindi,Video,