🪓The “10-min” Nation

[#21] Tale of Chaos: SWIGGY SNACC. BLINKIT BISTRO. ZEPTO CAFE. All of it points the “Startup compass” towards समय (Time). But what's the rush? Why being The Flash⚡️ in India? Why "10-min" deliveries?

Morning iKyu-Riskers! Our first post of 2025. It needs to be quick, just as the altered behaviours of Indian consumers. There was a time when an “evening walk” was a daily regime of average Indian household; with an intent to bring daily groceries. Our fathers and grand-fathers were dedicated practitioners—we are no where near to their proactiveness.

Why? What Changed? The DNA that consisted of टहलना (Tehelna / Evening walk) has vanished.

To find the mystery quest of why this mutation occurred on the first place; we don’t have to go anywhere. Let’s dig into our pockets, take out our iPhone (or any kind of phone for that matter) type Blin—…

And here. We. Go.

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“21st Century Indian Thinker”; © iKyu.

I am slowly falling in love with our Desi “Bharat” Stack (a cornerstone, being grilled for the world). And my conviction for Bharat Stack got fuelled more abrasively after travelling to Vietnam recently. My random habit of pulling out my phone, scanning the QR and *tiding-tan-tananan* “PayTm pe ₹500 Prapt hue. ~Paytm Karo~” (You have received payment of ₹500 on PayTm ~paytm karo) was crushed when I realised there’s no such system here; same was for Malaysia or Indonesia. This experience is India-exclusive.

That’s when it hit me—Digital India’s vision was to make people embrace the evolution, going from homo-sapiens to techno-sapiens. Rightly ingrained in our DNA of how we make use of technology in our day to day life.

But this also draws attention to how much fine-tuning is good fine-tuning of us humans?

THE (K)EY NOTES:

• The (K)urrent: THE INDIAN “STATE”

• The (K)réme: THE “10-MIN” NATION

• The (K)inK: THE “10-MIN” KONFLICT

Any Product or Services in an enterprising nation is created to cater to your redundant needs and technology as a medium reduces those repetitive human efforts.

But there’s a catch…

Along with ease of life, comes something addictive…

Altered behaviour in any modern human being is an evolving yet establishing habit. It’s difficult to reshape or replace it.

It’s an irony to watch yourself lose track of momentum of all those new year resolutions you took on Day 1st…only to see after 21 days that you’re back to the pavilion.

Study shows that people who wanted to get into any kind of “habit” were more successful the more frequently they engaged with that habit. Any behaviour, if repeated more than 18 times in the span of respective each day, the new habit is instilled in you like a symbiotic relationship. It’s difficult to escape.

That’s the story of today’s edition.

A difficult to escape symbiotic relationship with Quick commerce. A trendy term in the business world of India.

10-min deliveries are altering our behaviour. Our Bharat stack is getting stronger as any grocery you need is delivered at your doorstep within 10 mins. That’s magic for all those watching from outside India. 10-min deliveries having become a habit forming platform for anyone who adopts it for the first time.

“Tehelna” is out of the question now.

Now it’s all about Q-commerce. It’s all about Zepto, Instamart & Blinkit. But only if it was circumcised to grocery deliveries, it would have been a happy-to-go startup stories for all our builders (inKredible readers). Is that the case though?

Now that these Q-commerce giants are entering a “convenience-first” sector: RAPID FOOD DELIVERY.

How long will this fuel make them run their carts?

Why are these Q-commerce brands busy altering our behaviour and why are they aggressive in converting?

…Us into THE “10-MIN” NATION?

Let’s brutally breakdown🪓 this behaviour altering phenomena in our Desi “Bharat” stack and the evolution of going from 10-min deliveries to 10-min food deliveries and ultimately covering 10-min ambulance deliveries. This entire Q-commerce spectrum needs a KARTing-refresh on today’s edition of inK by iKyu.

But before we deep dive, let’s begin with India by iKyu…

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THE (K)URRENT

MAHAKUMBH: Experience as the Middle child of HINDU History

The Maha Kumbh Mela, a spectacle of faith and history, unfolds in Prayagraj, drawing millions in a celebration of Hindu spirituality. This gathering isn't just a festival; it's a testament to our enduring cultural legacy, symbolizing unity, devotion, and the quest for Moksha.

Every Hindu should take pride in this heritage; it's not just history to remember but a living legacy to cherish, countering the naysayers with its sheer scale and spiritual depth.

70 or 90 — What’s your POISON?

Narayan Murthy's 70-hour work week call and L&T chief's 90-hour quip expose a cultural clash: India's old guard versus the youth's push for balance. The backlash from professionals isn't just resistance; it's a symptom of a Westernized mindset clashing with national ambition. Indian youth, seduced by global work-life balance rhetoric, miss the urgency of nation-building. This isn't about exploitation; it's about dedication. The critique on these comments reflects a societal inertia, where the potential for growth is traded for comfort.

MODI JI on NIKHIL KAMATH

Modi Ji's podcast with Kamath was a heartfelt note to the nation. Leadership is a lonely job, that’s the takeaway. Critics decry it as superficial, a scripted dance rather than a dialogue, revealing little of Modi's governance or contentious policies. The Indian youth, however, saw a different side—accessible, anecdotal, affectionate yet devoid of intentional PR. This episode was celebrated on a lot of levels, from comparative analysis of why Modi Ji chose Nikhil Kamath over other creators. But the “Tu bolne wala koi bacha hi nahi ji” statement from Modi Ji, opened a raw and real discourse. An impactful conversation that history shall remember.

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THE (K)REMÉ