Of fake firms, face creams, and lofty dreams
and 20 weeks of doing this.
Hello DoorDesi,
Today I started packing for my bi-annual trip back home. As always, I have my doctor’s appointments, bank appointments, and family visits already scheduled. I find this to be the most confusing period, each time for the past 7 years. This in-between phase. The excitement of going home and the melancholy of leaving home. A while back I made peace with the fact, my fact, that I will never fully be ‘home’ again. Home will forever and ever be unachievable now that it exists in more than one place.
This week’s stories are a bit like India itself: chaotic, clever, and occasionally overconfident. From new banking rules that might finally end family feuds, to journalists rebuilding truth from scratch, and the beauty boom that’s turning “Made in India” into a global flex — it’s all happening at once, as usual so come along on the journey.
Have a great week ahead, folks!
Just the gist
November is here, and so are a bunch of rule changes that could quietly mess with (or mildly improve) your financial setup back home.
Starting November 1, you can now name up to four nominees for your bank account or locker — and even decide who gets what percentage. Basically, fewer family feuds over your gold chain collection. Aadhaar updates also get a refresh with kids’ biometric updates now free for a year, while adults will pay ₹75–₹125 depending on what they tweak.
➡️ Does anyone else struggle to keep track of the changes, the updates, and the passwords of their many accounts back home?
🔗 The Great Vantara Vanishing Act
What do you get when you mix a billionaire’s wildlife park, fake law firms, and pretend Google execs? A plot juicier than an Ekta Kapoor soap opera.
Several international journalists and outlets — from Himal Southasian to Africa Geographic — say they were hit with fake legal threats and takedown notices trying to silence stories critical of Vantara, the Ambani-backed animal rescue centre in Jamnagar. The intimidation campaign included spoofed “Google Legal Support” emails, a fabricated “Aspire Law Firm” that plagiarised a real lawyer’s bio, and mysterious copyright claims that made some articles temporarily vanish from search.
All this happened months before the Supreme Court cleared Vantara of animal trafficking charges. Impeccable timing, slick coordination, and and absolute lack of accountability still reeking of crony capitalism.
➡️ If you aren’t already, start supporting independent media outlets in India. Pick one, become a monthly subscriber. It will cost you one Matcha latte per month but it means a great deal more for a country sliding back on the accountability radar.
As Bihar heads to polls this November, one word is doing all the heavy lifting — jobs. In a state where one in ten youth is unemployed and migration is a rite of passage, employment has replaced caste and community as the ultimate political currency.
The Opposition’s Mahagathbandhan is promising one government job per family (within 20 days, no less), plus regularised workers and welfare boosts for women. The ruling NDA counters with private-sector swagger — ₹50 lakh crore in investments, “Global Skilling Centres,” and expressways to turn Bihar into an industrial hub.
Both sides agree that the real test of governance is whether young Biharis can finally stop buying one-way train tickets out of the state.
➡️ There was a time when politicians ran their campaigns on work done, on track record. Now, it is all about handouts and promises that they will forget the night after the elections.
🔗 There is always more trillions to aspire for
Piyush Goyal had his main-character moment in Berlin last week when he declared that India doesn’t “do trade deals under duress.” His lofty claim is that India will be a $30 trillion economy in 25 years, so there’s no need to rush. Except, I don’t know if y’all remember but in 2014 Modi had promised us a $20 trillion economy which, well, we are almost $20 trillion away from…
Goyal’s long-game logic is that India’s economy is growing strong, and by 2050-ish, we’ll be where the U.S. is today. But as analysts point out, the math depends on keeping up past momentum — and lately, the pace has slowed. Over the last 25 years, GDP grew at 11.9% annually. In the last 11? Closer to 10.3%. Add a rupee that’s losing a bit more steam, and that $30 trillion milestone could get pushed to 2055.
➡️ We are currently estimated to close the year at $4.something trillion. Just saying. We are almost $30 trillion dollars away from the $30 trillion economy.
Trending on the internet
🔗 The glow-up of the economy, one reel at a time.
Move over, Korea — India is quietly becoming the world’s next beauty powerhouse. Global giants like Shiseido, Estée Lauder, and The Body Shop are lining up to make in India, not just sell here because the Indian beauty market is glowing — set to hit $34 billion by 2028.
And who do we have to thank for that? Our skincare-savvy Gen Z. This is a generation that can pronounce “niacinamide” correctly (I had to check the spelling twice and still won’t dare to say it out loud) and knows the difference between kojic acid and hyaluronic acid — all while scrolling through influencer reels.
Homegrown D2C brands like Minimalist, Sugar, and Renee are also thriving, attracting serious investor cash and getting snapped up by FMCG giants.
Read with me
At The Media Rumble 2025 in Bengaluru, a group of journalists who’ve ditched the mainstream sat down to answer one big question: what comes after Big Media for India? The panel — featuring Josy Joseph, Shahina KK, and Thulasi Chandu, moderated by Himal’s Leena Reghunath — unpacked what it means to build journalism that’s independent, credible, and still connects with audiences.
Josy, who left legacy media, said he got tired of “writing more for censorship than for publication.” Shahina quipped that 28 years in newsrooms taught her “what journalism shouldn’t be.” And Thulasi, who runs a Telugu YouTube channel, said her people-first reporting now has locals DM’ing her directly with stories.
➡️ Journalism in India is being resurrected by brilliant journalists. Indian journalism is reinventing itself, one story, one stubbornly independent journalist at a time. Have you considered becoming a paying supporter of Newslaundry or its partners? If not, you totally should!
With love on behalf of two women who cringe at the mention of chai tea latte,
Sudeshna
Co-Founder, DoorDesi 💃
Housekeeping
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