Ashok Karanth

When I look back at 2025, it feels less like a single year and more like the culmination of a long, layered journey that began much earlier. For nearly two decades, my life has been deeply intertwined with Kannada and its evolving cultural ecosystem. Long before startups or platforms entered the picture, I was writing, curating, and engaging with ideas around society, education, technology, and economics in Kannada. With a few friends, I ran a bookstore for several years, hosted countless conversations on culture, history, science and tech, and watched how language could become a bridge between curiosity and confidence. Those early years shaped my belief that language is not just a medium of expression, but a foundation for identity, co-operation, aspiration, and agency. That belief eventually found a larger form through MyLang. What began as an attempt to bring Kannada literature into the digital age slowly grew into a full fledged publishing and technology effort. We built infrastructure for ebooks and audiobooks, onboarded thousands of titles, and worked with hundreds of publishers and creators. Over time, we expanded into other Indian languages via a creator product and tried to imagine what a truly inclusive digital content platform around stories in Indian languages could look like. It was intense, demanding, and deeply fulfilling work. But it also taught me some hard truths. Building consumer digital businesses in Indian languages is incredibly difficult. The ecosystem is fragmented. Monetisation takes time. User habits change slowly. Capital requirements are high, and patience is tested constantly. Despite the passion, despite the progress, and despite genuine traction, sustainability remained elusive. Eventually, the paths of my co-founder and I began to diverge. What I hoped to build and what the venture could realistically become no longer aligned. Walking away was not easy. It meant letting go of years of effort and a big part of my identity. By the time 2025 began, I was tired, burnt out, uncertain, and searching for direction. I spent months trying to understand where the world was heading, especially with the rapid acceleration of AI. I explored new possibilities, spoke to founders, and even came close to taking up a leadership role at a growing Ed-Tech startup. Yet something felt incomplete. Deep down, I knew that my work had always been about more than building a company. It was about building context, confidence, and community. That clarity truly began to take shape when I connected with @akaranth. When I shared the idea of @mundhebanni and spoke about building a community driven platform to make entrepreneurship more accessible, especially for talent from tier two and tier three regions, his response was immediate. “If not now, then when. If not you, then who.” I have never been someone who naturally places myself at the centre of things, but Ashok’s conviction made me pause and reflect. His belief in the idea and in me pushed me to take a leap I might otherwise have hesitated to take. Around the same time, @Shishir_S_U came on board, bringing with him raw Gen Z energy, deep commitment, and a shared sense of purpose. With the three of us coming together, the vision began to take real shape. That was the moment when Mundhe Banni truly started becoming more than just an idea. The idea was straightforward but deeply rooted. If we want to change outcomes in Karnataka, we need to work on the cultural layer. We need to normalise ambition, make entrepreneurship feel accessible, and tell stories that people can relate to in their own language. Mundhe Banni was never meant to be just a media platform. It was meant to be a movement built on storytelling, community, and shared learning. What followed over the next few months exceeded anything we had imagined. We produced ten podcast episodes, hosted nine webinars, and conducted three in person meetups across Bengaluru and Hubballi. We built a vibrant WhatsApp community of over two thousand entrepreneurs, students, and aspiring founders. Our newsletter grew to a few thousand subscribers. Our Instagram presence reached close to 18k people, with several pieces of content resonating deeply across the ecosystem. None of this happened in isolation. It happened because people showed up. Because Ashok believed when it mattered most. Because Shishir stood shoulder to shoulder through the long hours. And because @kodlady, my co host at Mundhe Banni podcast, brought care, and quiet strength to the journey, always holding space and keeping things moving forward. As I look ahead, I feel a deep sense of gratitude. Not just for the traction or numbers, but for the trust, the friendships, and the shared belief that something meaningful is taking shape. Mundhe Banni is still early in its journey, but the foundation feels strong. 2025 has been a year of reckoning, reflection, and renewal. It reminded me that progress does not always come from speed, but from alignment. And that when purpose meets community, even the most uncertain paths begin to make sense. A heartfelt thank you to @vivekanandahr, @supreetkashyap, @madanpadaki, @Vickypedia_007, @RaghuVineStore, @sachindn, @Vinpatil, @nravishankar75, @agNishchay @AnandaramSanjay @jyothirmayee @rohithbhat for trusting Mundhe Banni with your stories and choosing to share them in Kannada. A big thanks to all those who cheered for us, supported us in one way or another. Here is wishing everyone a prosperous new year ahead in advance.

Here I am, quietly enjoying a rare mid-week holiday, wishing folks I know Kannada Rajyotsavadha shubhashayagaLu, and I come across this post below, and my mind is blown.....

Binge-watching the Anderson-Tendulkar series (Pataudi Trophy still sounds better IMO) espncricinfo.com/story/eng-v…

Most Test hundreds for an opener in England since 2018 4 - KL Rahul 3 - Ben Duckett 2 - Rory Burns, Zak Crawley

The front section of the Air India flight that crashed shortly after taking off from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad landed on the roof of the resident doctors’ hostel at BJ Medical College. The London-bound flight was carrying 242 people. Among them were 169 Indian nationals, 53 British nationals, one Canadian national, and seven Portuguese nationals. Air India’s statement released at 3:19 PM IST on 12 June 2025 reads: “Air India confirms that flight AI171, from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick, was involved in an accident today after take-off. The flight, which departed from Ahmedabad at 1338 hrs, was carrying 242 passengers and crew members on board the Boeing 787-8 aircraft. Of these, 169 are Indian nationals, 53 are British nationals, 1 Canadian national and 7 Portuguese nationals. The injured are being taken to the nearest hospitals. We have also set up a dedicated passenger hotline number 1800 5691 444 to provide more information. Air India is giving its full cooperation to the authorities investigating this incident.” The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) statement, released at 2:38 PM IST on 12 June 2025, says: “The aircraft departed from Ahmedabad at 13:39 IST. It gave a Mayday call to ATC, after which there was no further response from the aircraft.” Union Home Minister Amit Shah reacted to the news on X at 3:31 PM IST before leaving for Ahmedabad: “Pained beyond words by the tragic plane crash in Ahmedabad. Disaster response forces have been quickly rushed to the crash site. Spoke with the Gujarat Chief Minister Shri Bhupendra Patel, Home Minister Shri Harsh Sanghavi, and Commissioner of Police Ahmedabad to assess the situation.” Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on X at 4:05 PM IST, “The tragedy in Ahmedabad has stunned and saddened us. It is heartbreaking beyond words. In this sad hour, my thoughts are with everyone affected by it. Have been in touch with Ministers and authorities who are working to assist those affected.”