Interview with Rishabh Shah, Author of Young, Wired, and not Woke

In this exclusive interview, Nikhil Kulkarni reflects on cricket, fandom, the IPL, Test matches, memories, and why the game remains a lifelong emotional bond.
on Jun 19, 2026

Frontlist: You've spent years working directly with young India through IMUN and your book. You've seen them up close, not through data or headlines, but in rooms, conversations, and moments of real honesty. Where is India's youth going wrong- and where is it getting it right?

Rishabh: I think young people, especially Gen Z and Gen Alpha, are the fastest generation to date. They often have answers before we can even pose the question, and they process things incredibly quickly. One of the things that I genuinely admire about them is the fact that they know what they want. There is a certain clarity and confidence in this generation that is very admirable. At the same time, I think the biggest danger for this generation is perhaps getting trapped in the algorithm and slowly outsourcing their thinking to AI. The use of AI and social media is now so widespread that people’s preferences, opinions, and even emotions are constantly being tracked. And once that happens, the algorithm keeps feeding them more of the same content, reinforcing what they already believe. Therefore, they can very easily end up in echo chambers. So, I think the greatest challenge for this generation is being able to discern between what is a narrative being fed to them and what is the actual truth. To be able to tell fact from fiction, and to think independently despite the noise around them, is perhaps their greatest challenge.

Frontlist: Money is quietly destroying relationships- and commitment is becoming a dirty word. What do you make of this? Young people seem increasingly transactional- not just in business but in love. Is financial anxiety driving this, or is something deeper going on?

Rishabh: I think young people are ultimately a reflection of what they are exposed to. And today, whether you look at role models in cricket, religion, politics, or even among young business leaders, if you observe what they speak about and how hustle culture is celebrated, there is this constant idea that everything must happen quickly and immediately. So naturally, a huge premium is placed on speed. That shift is visible even through a cricketing analogy. I think I grew up in a time of Test match cricket, where your temperament, patience, and longevity were tested. Today, T20 cricket is about hitting the ball out of the park. So essentially, young people are growing up in a completely different time frame, and therefore they become a culmination of what they constantly see and consume. If you look at the kind of content that is being put out today, a lot of it is also dangerously morbid. Naturally, that shapes the way people react to the world around them. And because of this, there is now an innate desire to place an enormous premium on things such as wealth creation, which, in my opinion, is not wrong or bad in itself. Ambition is important. Success is important. But it

should not come at the cost of harming other people. It should ultimately contribute to the larger good of society. And I think, to that end, the kind of role models we celebrate, and the way society itself is shaping young people, is something that all of us need to take responsibility for.

Frontlist: If you had to map out what today's young Indian is actually chasing.What are the priorities of India's youth today- and is there something big they're completely missing?

Rishabh: I think today’s youth is definitely chasing things such as fame, power, and money, and again, I do not think that is entirely their fault. I genuinely believe it is a consequence of failed systems that generations before them have left behind, and systems that generations such as mine, millennials, should actively be working to change for them. Because in schools, so much of the focus is only on coming first, and often at any cost, thereby encouraging cutthroat competition from a very young age. We rarely teach young people how to deal with emotions such as fear, anger, jealousy, or insecurity. And these ideas, consciously or subconsciously, seep into a young person over time. Eventually, that becomes the foundation on which they are built. And therefore, whenever they begin chasing things later in life, it is often at the cost of something else, whether relationships, values, empathy, or inner peace. I do not think the desire to achieve or aspire has changed across

generations. Human beings have always chased success in different forms. But when the value system itself is weak, then what is being chased, whether it is fame, money, or power, also begins to take on a dangerous character. That, in turn, creates a far more fragile and dangerous foundation for society as a whole. And if that continues unchecked, it will ultimately lead to a far more fragmented society overall.

Frontlist: You've mentored people who are now in government, law, business, medicine. You've seen leadership form in real time. You've created hundreds of leaders. So what actually makes a leader?

Rishabh: A good leader, for me, is somebody who essentially takes people along and works in the interest of the team. Fundamentally, a good leader creates other leaders, and I think that is what the true job of leadership is. Leadership, in its highest form, is not about building dependence on one individual, but about empowering others to think, grow, and lead themselves. Otherwise, the basics, such as taking decisions, analyzing situations, or doing things efficiently, are what typical B schools teach leaders to do. Do a SWOT analysis, take prompt decisions, assess risks, and ultimately act in the interest of the individual or the bottom line. While those things may matter in management, I do not necessarily think they define leadership in its truest sense. I believe the kind of leadership India historically

stood for, whether from the Indus Valley Civilization all the way to contemporary history, was very different in character. It was rooted far more in duty, responsibility, and service to society than in personal gain or institutional success alone. Leaders were expected to be custodians of society, not merely individuals chasing efficiency, profit, or power. And therefore, I think it is important to teach people that leaders need to be altruistic, that they need to be benevolent, and that they must work in the larger interest of society as a whole. Because ultimately, leadership is not about creating followers. It is about creating people who themselves can lead with wisdom, compassion, responsibility, and purpose.

Frontlist: Your book talks about gender identity in the birthplace of Ardhanarishvara- a civilization that always had space for fluidity. So why does modern India struggle so much to give that space back?

Rishabh: We invented the concept, yet we debate the reality. Where do you think that disconnect comes from- and what role can young India play in bridging it? The problem, not just in terms of gender identity, but throughout the book, if you would have seen, is that I have spoken about how all of these concepts are fundamentally things that, in India, we historically dealt with very effectively. It is just that in recent times, especially in the last 70 years, while we may have freed ourselves from colonial rule politically,

our minds are still not entirely free from a colonial mindset. And that is something that needs to change quite dramatically. It will only change if we have a set of people who understand what it means to see things from an Indian lens. The West often sees everything in terms of binaries. It is either black or white, this or that. In India, traditionally, we did not see the world in that form. We saw it through the idea of unity, coexistence, and oneness. There was always space for multiple truths, multiple identities, and multiple ways of thinking to exist together. And I think that sense of oneness and unity will only return when a generation is raised on more schools of thought that mirror Jiddu Krishnamurti, and fewer schools of thought that simply mirror the anxieties of Western society and, unfortunately, what is increasingly happening within Indian society today as well.

Frontlist: This issue celebrates stories that had to fight to claim space. But some stories are still waiting. As someone who has built platforms for young voices- who do you think is still not in the room, and what are we losing because of their absence?

Rishabh: I think the people who are not in the room are not necessarily only marginalized communities, or OBCs, or SCs, or the LGBTQ community, and things like that. I think many of these communities today are actively fighting for themselves, and there is representation and advocacy that exists

for them. Of course, I do hope that all these communities continue to get even greater and more meaningful representation, because that is important in any democracy. Similarly, minorities in our country are often spoken about as not having a seat at the table. But again, there are large groups, institutions, and voices that are constantly advocating for them, and a lot is being done in that direction. Personally, I believe the people who are truly missing from the room are those who have become completely disenfranchised from the entire process of decision making itself. There is a very large section of society today that no longer believes that anything meaningful can emerge through democratic processes. And because of that, they have gradually lost faith in institutions, governance, and participation altogether. To that end, I think it is those people who need representation the most. Because the moment people stop believing in democratic participation, society itself becomes weaker. We need to bring such people back into the system, restore their faith, and make them feel that their voice and participation genuinely matter in the process of electoral democracy.

Frontlist: India's family system is cracking- and someone is paying the price. The young are choosing themselves. The old are feeling abandoned. Who's right- and what would you say to each side?

Rishabh: I think this is happening largely because we are blindly aping the West.

The individualistic, individual based society, which may have worked very well for the West, may not necessarily work for a country like India, which used to pride itself, and to a large extent still does, on being a familial society. Growing up with cousins, aunts, uncles, and multiple generations around you was considered completely normal, and I think that system had its own inherent strengths. So, the rise of nuclear families, which is now leading to even greater emotional and social fissures between people, was perhaps inevitable with changing times. But the only way to bridge this gap now, in my opinion, is for the older generation to realize that those who are millennials and younger genuinely need space. And I can speak for millennials because one of the most common things you hear from younger people today is, “Give me some space.” I think it is important for those who are slightly older to understand that the time of giving word to word instructions that must simply be obeyed may not go down very well with younger generations. And therefore, giving young people the room to fail, learn, and succeed on their own is what will ultimately keep these bonds intact. The counsel must still be given, experiences must still be shared, wisdom must still be passed on, but the decisions themselves must increasingly be left to the young. And when that happens, I think younger people also become far more accommodating and receptive. At the same time, I genuinely do not believe that younger people do not care for older people. I think that is an unfair generalization. In fact, I would like to believe that the vast majority of young people deeply care for their parents, grandparents, and elders. But as generations evolve, the greatest challenge will be for older people to understand and, if I may say so, to “vibe” with younger generations. If they are willing to evolve with the times and make an effort to understand younger people emotionally and psychologically, then I genuinely believe relationships, whether familial, social, or even professional, will survive the test of time. That said, the onus is also on younger people not to become excessively entitled, which I do think is increasingly happening across generations today, whether Gen Z, Gen Alpha, or even millennials to an extent, irrespective of socioeconomic background or class. Younger people must realize that the opportunities they enjoy today are built upon the sacrifices and hard work of generations before them. And therefore, there must be an acknowledgment of the role older generations have played in enabling them to reach where they are. So ultimately, I think the young need to understand that older people have contributed immensely to their journey, and older people need to understand that younger generations require freedom, trust, and space. Their wisdom, guidance, and counsel will always remain invaluable, but younger people also need the freedom to make their own choices. And I think when both generations work together, it becomes a win win for society as a whole. Families remain stronger, relationships survive, workplaces become healthier, and even institutions become more stable. So ultimately, the challenge is not really generational conflict itself. It is simply about older generations understanding younger people, and younger generations recognizing the value and contribution of those who came before them.

Frontlist: If a 17-year-old picks up this book, reads the last page, and puts it down- what's the one thing you want still sitting in their head?

Rishabh: Not the theme, not the message. The one sentence they carry out of the room with them. I think the idea would be to step out of the Western algorithm and reclaim your own Indian identity.