A New Kind of Farming: The Startup Culture

Startup. A new-age, catchy business mantra. Today, it’s everywhere. Everyone seems to be involved in a startup—from the roadside tea-and-biscuit stall to doorstep food and barber services. Everything’s a startup now. What we once called a small business or shop is now, with sophistication and newfound respect, being referred to as a “startup”—at least in our country.

Job Seekers vs Startup Founders

Whether getting into startups is good or bad—that’s for the doers or non-doers to decide, depending on their perspective. After all, we are a nation of job seekers. Doing nothing, working a government job, or getting into politics—that’s the tradition. Let’s leave out the farmers; their story is a different one altogether.

Rise of Self-Employment

Beyond all of this came something called self-employment. It expanded so vastly that it now includes everything from frying fritters to selling insurance. But a nation doesn’t grow just on that. So, we introduced a new slogan: the startup. Strangely, there is no proper Hindi translation for it. Why? Well, that in itself could be the topic of academic research—just like we’ve never really translated “smart city” into sensible Hindi. If you start thinking, you’ll realize how many such terms exist.

The True Meaning of “Startup”

Anyway, though we adopted the word “startup,” it’s not really our invention. Dictionaries trace the word back to the 1300s. But back then, it had nothing to do with business—it meant a sudden awakening from a trance or sleep. Picture this: a grazing horse suddenly jolts and leaps in excitement. That’s what a “startup” meant.

Startups in 2025: More Than Just Business

But in 2025, there’s neither horse nor pasture. Modern dictionaries now define “startup” as the driving engine of an economy. It refers to something new, something disruptive, something that aims to change the world—something the society needs but doesn’t yet have.

Society Still Asleep

It’s far beyond a tea stall. It’s about waking up those in slumber, saying, “Let’s chase the dream we once saw.” But sadly, here everyone dreams of landing a government job. So, where’s the space for startups? For innovation to emerge, the trance must break. But how can it, when our entire education system revolves around rote learning, grinding out notes, and passing exams? Memorize and become a teacher. Memorize more and become an IAS officer. And if you want real success, forget everything and become a politician.

What Startups Are Actually Doing

Still, let’s come back to startups. Startups are supposed to drive progress and economic growth—just as they did in countries like China and the United States, where small ventures have grown into trillion-dollar business empires. But what about us?

What’s being sold here in the name of startups? Online delivery services. Order food, order groceries, order clothes and shoes—get everything at home. New platforms are springing up every day. All are startups. They’ve created a giant carnival of delivery men, and millions of young people are now part of this festival of “startup success.”

A Government Reality Check

The government doesn’t seem too amused anymore. A senior minister even asked, “Will you only keep opening shops or will you innovate too?” They gave the example of China—how this is happening there, how that’s happening there. They went as far as labeling social media influencers who make reels as a stain on the name of startups. And honestly, they’re not wrong. What’s happening in the name of startups? Shops. Reels. Where’s the innovation?

Startup India and the Gaps in Vision

The government has been running the Startup India program since 2016. Over 150,000 startups have been officially recognized. A 10,000 crore fund has been set aside. The claim is that 1.6 million jobs have been created. But the real focus areas are missing.

Unlike China, we see no notable startups in electric vehicles, battery technology, AI, or engineering. Is there any visible manufacturing in the name of startups? Any AI research? Anything major in EVs? No. What we see are service providers—again and again.

Where Innovation Gets Lost

Who’s to blame? When we spend 1.1 lakh crore hours a year just on mobile phones, when AI is merely a fun tool to make pretty pictures, when the internet is reduced to pure entertainment—then where’s the space for innovation? When our schools focus solely on passing exams, where curiosity and questions are treated as disrespect, how will innovation ever arise?

Startups vs Bureaucracy

And even if someone dares to start a genuine startup, they get trapped in the epic maze of government offices, files, red tape, commissions, and facilitation fees. How can a startup survive in that environment? People who compare us with China should also compare their system, society, and structures. They should tell us how much time, money, and energy a startup in India spends just handling paperwork.

The Irony of Recognition

The harsh truth is: the very people in charge of attracting investment are allegedly busy taking commissions. Why would any real startup bother to emerge here? When we start honoring influencers who create meaningless entertainment reels, when our “skill development” programs are about training beauty parlors and security guards, then AI and EV seem like topics from a different planet altogether. We’re still stuck with rickety e-rickshaws on Indian roads under the name of EV.

The Way Forward

Let’s break free from this web—only then can we truly talk about real startups.

(The author is a journalist.)