14 hours ago
The Tech Whisperer: Rajiv Makhni
Rajiv's mission has always been to break that wall. For him, tech isn't just for the early adopters, it's for your parents, your neighbor, your non-geek friend who still doesn't get Bluetooth. His aim is to make technology less intimidating and more empowering.
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In an age where tech updates drop faster than your smartphone battery, Rajiv Makhni has managed to do what few in the tech world can—make sense of the chaos. With a wry smile, a sharp mind, and an instinct for distilling Silicon Valley complexity into living-room clarity, Makhni has become India's most trusted voice on all things digital. He's not just talking RAM and refresh rates; he's translating technology into a language everyone understands.
Once known as the host of NDTV's Gadget Guru, Rajiv Makhni now wears many hats: influencer, educator, and perhaps most importantly—problem-solver. But his rise to tech stardom wasn't driven by flash or algorithm-chasing. It was curiosity; old-school, screwdriver-in-the-back-of-a-remote-control-car curiosity, that sparked this journey.
"I must have been three," he recalls, "when my father came back from Singapore with a state-of-the-art remote control car. I didn't want to play with it—I wanted to open it up and see how it worked." That instinct never dulled. Today, instead of toy cars, Makhni's pulling apart smartphones, laptops, smartwatches, and streaming platforms, not with tools, but with insight.
His superpower? Making tech human. Unlike most gadget reviewers who drown in jargon, Rajiv's mantra is to simplify gadgets. And he means it. Whether he's on television, YouTube or Instagram, Rajiv doesn't worship at the altar of specs. Instead, he asks the only question that matters to most people: How will this gadget make my life easier?
And millions are listening.
Across platforms, Makhni has morphed into a digital-first tech mentor for India's mainstream users. His tone—part big brother, part neighborhood geek—is what keeps the audience connected. Don't know your OLED from your LCD? He's got you. Not sure if the latest phone's camera bump is worth the price? He's tested it. Think your phone is slower than a snail on a coffee break? He's probably posted a fix for that last Tuesday.
Rajiv's skill lies in more than just simplifying, it's solving. Whether it's app crashes, Wi-Fi dropouts, or the eternal question of which smartphone to buy under INR 30,000, Makhni has an answer. His content doesn't preach, it helps. No condescension. No tech elitism. Just solutions. It's no wonder his tagline—"Be Aware, Not Influenced" holds weight till this day.
But Rajiv's journey wasn't without friction. Breaking into tech media when the concept barely existed in Indian television wasn't exactly a plug-and-play operation. He had to keep pace with a rapidly shifting industry, all while convincing audiences that tech wasn't just for geeks; it was for everyone. That meant translating bleeding-edge innovation into daily utility without sounding like a user manual.
It worked. His NDTV shows became go-to viewing for anyone contemplating a new purchase—or just trying to figure out what half their phone's settings did. And just when traditional media began to sag under the weight of YouTube and Instagram, Rajiv pivoted. Today, he's thriving in the streaming space, leading a tech show on Amazon that bridges the generational divide between first-time users and hardcore gadgeteers.
Still, the soul of Rajiv's work hasn't changed: it's education disguised as entertainment. He brings in industry experts, showcases breakthrough innovations, and nudges audiences to not just consume technology, but to understand it. In a digital world that increasingly overwhelms, Rajiv gives people the tools to navigate, question, and choose with confidence.
He's also conscious of the perception that tech content is often a walled garden. Rajiv's mission has always been to break that wall. For him, tech isn't just for the early adopters, it's for your parents, your neighbor, your non-geek friend who still doesn't get Bluetooth. His aim is to make technology less intimidating and more empowering.
If influence is about impact, Rajiv Makhni has had plenty. He's not just keeping up with the times—he's making sure the rest of us don't fall behind.
