Rajiv Makhni: The Un-Influencer Interestingly, Makhni doesn't like the term influencer at all.

Before India was spoilt for choice with the number of homegrown tech influencers on Instagram, we had Rajiv Makhni on NDTV. Synonymous with the channel, India's original Tech Guru is a TV and radio show host and an author with a multi-million following on social media platforms.

Interestingly, Makhni doesn't like the term influencer at all. "I call myself an un-influencer- because I think I tell people more of what not to buy, what's a gimmick, what's not good, what's just marketing hype and what really isn't working. I think people at this present moment are over seduced by technology because marketing from brands is always at an all time high and everything is 'the next big thing.' The next phone is the God phone and the next laptop is the one that has never been made before. Everything is just overhyped and people spend a lot of money on tech. I think the world of tech influencers has become all about every single product being 'wow', everything being unboxed and being the 'greatest thing that has never been done before' And I think it's leading to a lot of problems. People save a lot, work very hard, and then they buy a product only to be disappointed," Makhni explained.

But when did his passion for tech begin? Makni says that as a three-year old, his father had gone to Singapore and bought a state-of-the-art remote control car for him. Instead of wanting to play with the toy, he opened it up to know what's going on, how does it work- which has really been his life since then. Makhni has a wide fan base and reminsces some instances, "I was at an airport around 4 months back. There was a lady who must have been about 70 years old. She came up and said, 'I absolutely hate you.' She had bought a phone based on a video she saw of mine and it was an absolutely terrible phone. It just happened to be one of those cases where it was a good brand and phone but you get a bad piece. I spoke to the brand, got the phone replaced and she was very happy with it. A few seconds later I also had a follower who was just 7 years old. And that's when it hit me that tech has become such an interesting space that today, irrespective of age or gender or class you have strong opinions about what you want to do, what you want to buy and how you use that tech, " Makhni said.

But the really crazy fan moment was at a urinal in a hotel. In the middle of doing his business, the man beside him took a selfie with Makhni. Thankfully, Makhni says, the angle wasn't too bad.

The author can be reached at bkabir@entrepreneurindia.com and Instagram.com/kabirsinghbhandari