May 2025

KYA: Kill Your Assumptions

(Especially if you’re building anything in India)

We assume a lot of things in India.

We assume people want what we want.
We assume people will act rationally.
We assume that what worked in the West will work here too.
We assume we know India—because we live in it.

And that’s where the trouble begins.

Assumptions are the comfort food of builders.

They’re quick. They feel good. They let you move fast. But if you’re trying to solve a problem in India—especially one that intersects with caste, cash, class, or culture—you don’t need speed. You need accuracy.

Let’s take a few examples:

1. The English Trap

Startups often build interfaces and marketing in English, assuming their “Tier 1” audience is the core. But 90% of India is outside that world. And increasingly, the aspirational Indian isn’t looking for Western polish—they’re seeking local pride, in their own language.

The real Bharat doesn’t just want “access.” They want dignity. They want the app that gets their idiom, not just their location.

KYA #1: English ≠ educated ≠ wealthy ≠ digital.
Break the loop.

2. Digital Payment = Adoption? Not really.

The world assumes India has leapfrogged into fintech paradise. QR codes everywhere, UPI thriving. But adoption ≠ depth. Many kirana stores still settle only at the end of the week. Hawkers may use UPI, but prefer cash when they can. The system is used, yes—but it isn’t trusted in the same way.

KYA #2: Behavior ≠ Belief.
Just because someone uses your product doesn’t mean they trust it.

3. Modern ≠ Urban ≠ Western

A tribal woman in Bastar might be more “modern” in her values—around nature, collaboration, motherhood—than a Delhi VC founder who runs a modern tech company but maintains rigid caste expectations at home.

KYA #3: Location ≠ worldview.
India’s soul is not located in geography. It’s encoded in contradictions.

4. The Myth of One India

There isn’t one India. There never was. There’s a layered salad of 100 Indias, each with its own hierarchies, beliefs, and social tightropes. A product that works in Jaipur might flop in Jabalpur. A women’s health campaign in Bangalore might offend the very people it’s meant to help in Bhopal.

KYA #4: Pan-India ≠ Universal appeal.
Test everything. Translate carefully. Context is not optional—it’s everything.

5. The NGO Fallacy

If you’re building for the poor, don’t assume pity is the entry point. Most people don’t want to be “helped.” They want to be seen. They want to be paid on time, respected as equals, and spoken to with honesty.

India doesn’t need more saviors. It needs partners.

KYA #5: Empathy ≠ sympathy.
Your users are not waiting for your vision. They have their own.

So, what do you do instead?

You Kill Your Assumptions (KYA).

Like this:

  • Talk to real people—not just “user personas”
  • Co-create, don’t parachute
  • Listen before launching
  • Prototype small, observe deeply, pivot honestly
  • Always ask: Who is missing from this room?

In India, every assumption is a blindfold.

You can build fast on assumptions.
Or you can build well by killing them.

One leads to applause.
The other leads to impact.

Choose wisely.

RYS: Raise Your Standard

Because you’re not stuck. You’re just settling.

Most people don’t need a new goal.
They need a new standard.

You’ve probably heard the phrase: “If you want better results, do better.” But RYS flips that on its head: If you want better results, expect more from yourself. Raise Your Standard.

It’s not about ambition porn or motivational quotes on a coffee mug.
It’s about the quiet, unrelenting decision to stop accepting mediocrity in any form — from yourself, your habits, your environment, your team.

The Standard Is the System

Standards aren’t goals. Goals are what you want.
Standards are what you refuse to live below.

A goal says, “I want to write a book this year.”
A standard says, “I write 500 words every morning, no matter what.”

A goal says, “I want a better body.”
A standard says, “I don’t eat junk when I’m stressed.”

A goal says, “I want to grow my company.”
A standard says, “We don’t ship half-baked features or ghost our customers.”

When your standard rises, your default changes. You don’t need willpower every time. You’ve hardwired the new baseline.

But Isn’t That Exhausting?

No. What’s exhausting is negotiating with yourself daily —
Should I go for a run? Should I take that call? Should I finish this deck?

When your standard is clear, there’s no negotiation. There’s just execution. And freedom.

The tiredness most of us feel isn’t from overwork.
It’s from under-commitment. From standing in the middle of the road, unsure.

RYS Isn’t a Hack. It’s an Identity Shift.

Ask yourself:

“What am I tolerating that’s clearly below my potential?”

It could be the people you allow around you.
The way you spend your evenings.
How you show up to meetings.
What you accept as ‘good enough’ in your work.

Raise Your Standard is not a rallying cry for perfectionism.
It’s a reset button.
It’s a personal revolution.

It says: I’m done being okay with things that drain me, bore me, or dilute me.
I choose quality — not just in results, but in process.

Start Small. But Start.

  • Don’t aim to wake up at 5am. Start with no snoozing.
  • Don’t vow to build a billion-dollar company. Start with responding to every email like it matters.
  • Don’t fantasize about a six-pack. Start with not lying to yourself about your diet.

The details don’t matter as much as the stance.

So the next time you’re tempted to make a to-do list, pause.
Ask instead: “What is the standard I want to live by today?”

And then?
RYS. Every damn time.

Scroll to Top