Infacet India’s Tech Storytelling Revolution: Rajiv Makhni On Curiosity, Gadget Guru And Shaping The Means A Nation Understands Innovation

In the ever accelerating universe of expertise journalism, the place each new machine is launched with thunderous advertising and marketing and dissected inside minutes by one million on-line voices, few figures command the quiet authority of Rajiv Makhni. For over twenty years, the ace tech journalist has been one of the crucial recognisable interpreters of innovation in India, remodeling what was as soon as an intimidating, jargon heavy topic right into a language hundreds of thousands may perceive.

When Makhni entered the career, expertise journalism in India was nonetheless a distinct segment area confined to specialised magazines learn largely by fans and engineers. The tone was typically instructive, even intimidating. Television amplified that shift dramatically. With Gadget Guru, he helped pioneer one of many world’s earliest TV reveals devoted completely to shopper expertise, an idea that originally puzzled even seasoned broadcasters. cementing his repute as India’s most trusted tech voice. When Outlook Luxe sat down for a tête à tête with Rajiv Makhni, the dialog moved effortlessly from childhood curiosity to the evolving ethics of contemporary tech journalism—revealing a storyteller who stays as fascinated by innovation because the curious youngster who as soon as dismantled a toy automotive simply to know the magic inside.

Looking again at your early years, what sparked your fascination with expertise? Was it curiosity, storytelling or the joys of innovation itself?

No, it’s really utterly curiosity. I’ll let you know a really small, attention-grabbing story. This is a narrative my mom tells me.
Is that I used to be about 3 or 4 years previous, my father had gone to Singapore at the moment and he introduced again this very excessive fangled distant managed automotive for my brother who’s 4 years elder to me, so he’s 8. At that point, we didn’t have these sort of fancy toys, proper? And me and my brother performed round with it for a couple of minutes after which subsequent day within the morning he went to high school. I used to be nonetheless not going to high school. And when he got here again, as a substitute of taking part in with that automotive, I had opened it. So, curiosity is my driving drive.

When you started your profession, expertise journalism was nonetheless a distinct segment in India. What challenges did you face convincing audiences and even perhaps editors that tech deserves critical storytelling?

No, I feel a really attention-grabbing query since you are proper, once I began off at the moment, the one sort of tech journalism was in area of interest magazines like PC World and, Electronics 4 You.

And it was written by those who have been techie. So, they wished to inform individuals about expertise by standing on high of a pedestal and speaking all the way down to individuals. Look, I do know a lot. You don’t know something. Let me educate you. But actual expertise journalism began from the time we got here up with a present like Gadget Guru. I began writing for magazines and for newspapers. My complete concept was to put in writing from the angle of a person.

Like, I’m going and purchase a product, how will I exploit it? How disenchanted am I? What am I enthusiastic about? What is it to do utilizing expertise to the following stage, proper? So, we began with that and it was very troublesome to elucidate to anyone at the moment. Most individuals stated, oh, you might be simply dumbing expertise down. I stated, no, I’m not.

I’m solely writing from a person’s perspective which makes it very attention-grabbing for individuals. It was very troublesome to persuade individuals. The second one was, I bear in mind once we began up with the Gadget Guru present, Pranoy Roy of NDTV requested me, do you suppose, Rajiv, you’ll have sufficient to fill a 30-minute present each week? Because at the moment, you understand, 2005, a cellphone used to launch as soon as in 6 months.

You know, a laptop computer used to launch as soon as in a 12 months. Do you could have sufficient? I stated, don’t fear. And, have a look at our scenario. Today, to fill one present, now we have 80-90 merchandise which have been launched in per week.So, I feel these have been the 2 large challenges at the moment.

How did tv reshape the best way Indians have interaction with devices and innovation if you first appeared on display screen as a tech voice?

I didn’t even learn about it. We have been simply going with our ardour and we created a tv present. And solely later was I informed that that is the world’s first tv present on devices. BBC, CNN, in addition they noticed it. They got here a few 12 months or two later. So, it was very attention-grabbing to see {that a} gadget present got here out from India first on tv. The second factor that occurred with that was audiences have been very bowled over that there’s an precise present that talks about expertise and about issues like purchase this, don’t purchase this. This is simply hype. This is nice for you. Who is it proper for? It’s best for you if you wish to do that. But it’s not best for you when you count on this. So, it was a really refreshing change. Gadget Guru was a success from week one. We by no means regarded again.

And for 16 years in TRP, for way of life reveals, we have been primary. We by no means misplaced that pedestal for 16-17 years. So, I feel viewers acceptance was very fast and it was one thing that basically, actually modified the best way we have a look at expertise immediately.

Was there a defining second or a breakthrough story that made you realise you weren’t simply protecting expertise however serving to form shopper notion?

Yeah, there was. We did a narrative on the truth that printers are nice units, very low-cost. But the price of the ink of a printer, I imply how a lot did they put in? 50 ml. At that point it used to value 3-4 thousand rupees for one thing like a cartridge. 50ml for simply black ink. We did a narrative saying printer ink is like black gold. 50 ml prices 3,000 rupees. That means a kg of it’s value 4-5 lakh rupees. So, individuals have been very bowled over with that and we had an enormous backlash from many of the printer corporations saying, oh, you understand, you are attempting to inform those who this class is flawed.

And we stated, no, we’re not. And that’s when the realisation got here that that is essential for us not simply to assessment merchandise but in addition speak about classes. We imagine that lots of corporations began taking a look at printer value as a result of we additionally did; we went to a spot known as Nehru Place and obtained the ink cartridge stuffed for some 200 rupees.
Which was once these guys in Nehru Place that used to fill it. We stated, high quality is okay, nothing is flawed with it, proper? So, if this man can do it for 50 rupees, why am I paying printer corporations and types 3,000 rupees? So, I feel it simply was a little bit of a get up name for everyone.

Published At: 23 March 2026 04:19 PM