VINAY MUNDHE

A Software Developer Writing on Tech, Investing, and Life

Category: Events & Opinion

  • An Expensive Habit

    An Expensive Habit

    People have expensive habits.

    Some drink. Some smoke. Some chew tobacco. I have a more expensive vice: having coffee at cute places with great ambience, where I get some of my best ideas.

    This expensive habit of mine recently led me to Blue Tokai in Kothrud.

    My wife and I were sitting there, discussing life, future plans, and everything in between, when it was time to pay the bill. For one iced latte, the bill came to ₹273.

    ₹273 for a coffee is a lot in a country where people happily drink ₹10 chai.

    Charging ₹100+ for a cappuccino or iced latte is now completely normal in Pune. Sometimes I feel like if you live in one of India’s top metro cities, you’re paying a tax on everything.

    Your coffee is expensive.

    You pay extra rent.

    You pay for parking.

    You pay for playing sports.

    You pay extra for movie tickets.

    You pay a premium for restaurants.

    All of this would be easier to accept if I were living in a highly developed country where roads are clean, where I can walk on a footpath without worrying about a two-wheeler coming at me, where roads don’t randomly get dug up and stay that way for months, and where stepping out of town on a weekend doesn’t mean spending half your life stuck in traffic.

    Here, there are lines everywhere.

    Traffic everywhere.

    Construction everywhere.

    So does it really make sense to pay so much, directly and indirectly, just for the privilege of living in a metro city in India?

    Sometimes I wish I could go back to my hometown.

    Have a ₹20 samosa, sit peacefully, and not pay extra for everything.

    But the reality is that there’s not much to do there. After five days, I’d probably find myself wanting to come back to Pune.

    Another thing that bothers me is how often we hear that economic development equals GDP growth, and how we’re now the world’s fifth-largest economy.

    But this “Top 5 economy” or “trillion-dollar economy” hasn’t really made my day-to-day life noticeably better.

    Which makes me think GDP alone isn’t the right metric to judge quality of life.

    So, sorry Modi ji.

    As much as I appreciate a lot of the work you’ve done and the national confidence you’ve brought, I still feel we’re a long way from being a truly developed country.

    The one thing that keeps me optimistic is the freedom this country still gives me. The freedom to build something, earn more, travel, invest, and create the life I want.

    If that starts getting taken away through excessive control over what I do, what I watch, where I go, where I invest, or through constant moral policing, then I might genuinely start thinking about leaving.

    Because who doesn’t love the freedom to live life on their own terms!

  • At noon, maids own the affluent societies

    At noon, maids own the affluent societies

    At noon, maids own the affluent societies of the Indian metro cities.

    Since i work from home and occasionally go out for the gym in the noon, I see maids everywhere…  walking intentionally across the streets, catching lifts, chatting in groups, even giving each other a high-five while passing.

    And somehow, I feel they know this place better than I do, and probably know more about the people living here as well. Every flat, every family, their weird habits… and then I secretly hope our cleaning lady doesn’t gossip about us with her friends.


    It’s true that when a certain portion of society does well, even the less fortunate also get benefitted. But only those who work hard. If you know how to chew, you eventually get your pie.

    But still seeing so many maids wandering everywhere is weird. While the flat owners are either in the office or working from inside the four walls of their home.

    It’s similar to how rich people’s drivers usually get to drive their luxury cars and ‘get the feel’.

  • Forget Pakistan. It’s time India levels up.

    Forget Pakistan. It’s time India levels up.

    Another conflict. Another headline cycle. Pakistan threw its usual tantrum. We stayed calm, and this time, we showed them.

    200+ drones. Neutralised overnight.
    Missiles? Shot down.
    Our own version of the Iron Dome? Tested. Live. Not in a lab. Not on a PowerPoint.

    This wasn’t just defense. It was a product demo for the world.

    India’s defence tech isn’t just ready. It’s market-ready. And unlike China’s systems, the ones Pakistan used, ours actually work.

    India’s defense exports has already got the momentum. In 2017 our defense export was around ₹1521 Crore. And now in 2025, exports are up to ₹23600 Crore.

    Its poised to go up and up after this.

    But here’s the thing. This war shouldn’t define us. It should wake us up. Because we already know how to handle Pakistan.

    We bleed them slowly. Quietly.
    “Unknown man kills a terrorist” — that’s the headline we aim for.
    Keep hitting their roots till their morale hits rock bottom.
    So that when the day comes, and we really announce an attack, Pakistani soldiers abandon their border posts and run for their lives.

    That’s how you take down a rogue state — by weakening it from within. Not by reacting, but by outgrowing.

    Pakistan is not the goal. China is.

    I remember reading a line from a Pakistani journalist when our businessmen visited Pakistan for some event few decades back.

    “We don’t fear India’s new weapons. We fear the day Indian billionaires land in Islamabad in their private jets.”

    That’s the power we need to chase. The kind that doesn’t just win battles, but dominates boardrooms.

    We don’t need another border skirmish.
    We need GDP growth.
    We need billion-dollar IPOs.
    We need our own Nvidia, our own Tesla, our own AI giants.

    Let’s not waste time chasing a neighbour stuck in the past.
    Let’s build. Let’s sell. Let’s grow.
    And when the world talks about superpowers in 2040, let’s make sure India isn’t just on the list. It leads it.

  • Indian Banks: The Biggest Legal Robbers No One Talks About

    Indian Banks: The Biggest Legal Robbers No One Talks About

    Let’s start with a simple question — when you open a savings account, who do you think is doing a favor? You, by trusting them with your money? Or them, by “letting” you be their customer?

    If you said “them,” congratulations, you just described the Indian banking system’s mindset.

    How Indian Banks Are Robbing You Silently

    Let’s talk about facts, not feelings.

    According to a report from The Hindu Business Line, public sector banks (PSBs) alone collected around ₹8500 crore between FY20 and FY24 just by penalizing people for not maintaining minimum balance.

    Yes, you read that right.

    In the middle of a pandemic, inflation, job cuts — our “saviours” were busy fining people for not keeping enough money in their accounts. The same people who probably couldn’t make ends meet were slapped with penalties because their account balance wasn’t up to the banks’ “standards.”

    Imagine punishing a drowning man for not swimming properly.

    And it doesn’t end there.

    As per another report by Moneylife, banks have written off ₹1.635 lakh crore of bad loans in just the past ten years.

    You and I are being fined for not keeping ₹5000 in our account. Meanwhile, the big boys — companies and corporates — default on crores, and the banks just “write it off.” It’s like you lending money to someone, they ghost you, and you just shrug and say, “Forget it.”

    But if your balance falls by ₹50, you’re a criminal in their eyes.

    Who Are Banks Actually Working For?

    It’s clear — banks in India seem to work for the big corporates, not the common man.

    They squeeze the small guy dry with penalties, fees, hidden charges, service tax, and then calmly “forgive” massive loans of rich borrowers. No follow-ups. No stress. No shame.

    And you know what’s worse?

    Despite this robbery model, they are still some of the “top” companies in India.

    Compare This: India vs USA

    Let’s look at the latest top 10 companies by market cap.

    US Top 10 (April 2025):

    • Apple
    • Microsoft
    • Nvidia
    • Alphabet (Google)
    • Amazon
    • Meta (Facebook)
    • Berkshire Hathaway
    • Eli Lilly
    • Broadcom
    • Exxon Mobil

    Almost all are tech, innovation, or healthcare-driven, except Berkshire and Exxon.

    India Top 10 (April 2025):

    • Reliance Industries
    • TCS (Tata Consultancy Services)
    • HDFC Bank
    • ICICI Bank
    • Infosys
    • Bharti Airtel
    • State Bank of India (SBI)
    • Kotak Mahindra Bank
    • ITC
    • Bajaj Finance

    Notice something?

    Banks everywhere.

    The US top companies are inventing the future. Our top companies are collecting EMIs, charging penalties, and funding “write-offs.” This is the sad reality.

    What’s the Cost to Us?

    This system discourages savings, hurts financial literacy, and makes the common person feel small and helpless.

    Instead of rewarding savers, supporting small businesses, or investing aggressively into tech, innovation, or manufacturing — our banking system is busy building castles of “service charges” and “processing fees” on the backs of regular citizens.

    Banks were supposed to be pillars of trust. Instead, they have become legalized mafia, operating behind a curtain of regulation.

    Time for a Wake-Up Call

    The next time you hear a politician or a banker talk about “financial inclusion,” remember — the same system is designed to profit off your struggle.

    The same system that fines you for being poor and forgives billionaires for being reckless.

    Maybe it’s time we start questioning not just bad governance but also bad banking.

    Because if banks are supposed to be the backbone of our economy, ours are busy breaking it, one penalty at a time.

    Stay aware. Stay woke. Protect your money — because clearly, no one else will.

  • Life in Rising Temperatures

    Life in Rising Temperatures

    Right now, I’m writing this sitting in Malkapur – my hometown.
    Tucked near the border of Madhya Pradesh, right in the heart of Maharashtra, this small town has always held a simple, quiet charm for me. But this time, something feels different.

    Summer has arrived, and with it, the brutal reality of rising temperatures. As I walk through familiar streets, I can’t help but notice how people are adapting to survive the heat. Almost every house now has an air conditioner or, at the very least, a water cooler. Honestly, I can’t imagine a home here without one.

    Green cloths and makeshift covers hang across balconies, terraces, and windows – a desperate but clever attempt to block the ruthless sunlight from turning homes into furnaces. It’s not just about comfort anymore.

    It’s about survival.

    Water scarcity is another daily battle. With an unreliable water supply during summer, people have turned to large storage tanks stacked atop their buildings. It’s a common sight now, as essential as the walls that hold the homes together.

    As I sit here at 6:20 p.m., during the last week of April, the temperature outside is still hovering around 37°C. It goes up to 43°C at peak time and even at 3:00 a.m night time., when the world should feel a little cooler, it barely drops to 27°C.

    That’s the harsh reality today.

    And honestly, it’s crazy when I think about how things used to be.

    I remember a time – just 10 years back – when we used to play cricket till noon under the summer sun. Sure, it was hot back then too, but it was manageable. We never even thought twice about it.

    Today, stepping out after 10 a.m. for a simple game feels unthinkable. The heat isn’t just uncomfortable anymore – it feels dangerous.

    This rising temperature wave isn’t just making summers tough.
    It’s starting to affect livelihoods.

    Daily wage workers, street vendors, construction workers – they now avoid working between 12 to 5 p.m., because it’s almost impossible to function in that kind of heat. Work slows down, incomes shrink, and the struggle only gets harder.

    But amidst these challenges, there’s a silver lining.

    I noticed something heartening – greenery.

    More trees. More plants. It seems people have realized the old wisdom: plant more trees, get more rain. In fact, Malkapur looks much cleaner and greener compared to three or four years ago. It feels like a town trying to breathe again, trying to heal itself in small but significant ways.

    Yet, a question lingers in my mind – will these efforts be enough?
    Will planting trees, covering windows, and storing water really solve the larger problem of rising temperatures year after year?

    Or are we just buying time, without addressing the root causes?

    This is a question not just for Malkapur, but for every small town grappling with the harsh face of climate change.