The Rise of the Fourth Riche

A simple but deep explanation of the new invisible rulers

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1. Who ruled before?

In history, a few people always controlled the world. But the type of rulers changed with time:

First Riche – Big landlords who owned all the land. Common people worked for them.

Second Riche – Factory owners and industrialists who became rich by using machines and labour.

Third Riche – Bankers, stock market giants, and global companies who controlled money and trade.

Now comes the Fourth Riche.

They are not kings, not politicians, not businessmen in the usual sense.

They don’t show their faces. But they have more power than anyone else.

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2. Who are the Fourth Riche?

These are the people who:

Run big digital platforms (like Google, Meta, Amazon, Apple, etc.)

Own artificial intelligence and advanced tech

Control medical systems, food systems, and data

Design the content you see, the news you read, the ads you watch

Collect your personal information every day

Run international NGOs that pretend to help, but actually control

They don’t show off.

They don’t need to.

You don’t even know their names. But your life runs through their systems.

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3. How did they become powerful?

They did not come suddenly. They slowly studied your life:

What you like and fear

How you spend time and money

What you eat, buy, search, and believe

How your children behave

How governments think

Then they made tools and systems that look useful but actually create dependence.

Examples:

Social media that steals time

Online shopping that kills local shops

Fitness trackers that don’t improve health

Online education that makes kids lazy

News that makes you angry but not informed

Processed food that gives disease and cravings

Apps that feel free but sell your data

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4. What makes them different?

They don’t build buildings, but they control everything you need.

They don’t fight elections, but they shape laws and policies.

They don’t live in cities—you live inside their systems.

They don’t need money from you—they take your attention, data, and control your choices.

They are not Indian, American, or Chinese. They are beyond borders.

You think you're the customer, but you are actually the product.

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5. What tools do they use to rule?

1. Digital slavery – Everything is rented, nothing is owned. Even your thoughts.

2. Medical fear – More tests, more pills, less real healing.

3. Fake food systems – Real food is discouraged. Packaged and lab-made food is promoted.

4. Climate panic – Used not to protect nature, but to control behavior.

5. International rules (like ESG, SDG) – These sound nice but allow global powers to control local life.

6. Free money systems – Government gives handouts, and in return you follow their rules blindly.

7. ID tracking – Aadhaar, iris scan, and digital IDs are used to watch every move.

8. Fake spirituality – Meditation apps, self-help gurus, and peace slogans replace real living.

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6. Why didn’t you notice this?

Because they did not come with force.

They came with comfort.

They made life easy, but not better.

They made people lazy, not peaceful.

They replaced real skills with convenience.

They taught you:

Buy, don’t grow

Watch, don’t think

Scroll, don’t talk

Obey, don’t question

And now, most people are stuck inside systems they can’t see and can’t leave.

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7. What is coming next?

You will not own your house, car, computer, or phone—you’ll only rent.

Your freedom will depend on how much you obey rules.

Your food will be made in labs, not farms.

Children will be born through artificial wombs.

Your face, voice, and body will be tracked 24x7.

Truth will be edited. History will be rewritten. Even your memory can be faked.

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8. Can we stop it?

Yes. But only if you act early and clearly. Start with:

Touching soil. Growing your own food.

Living a slow, clean, offline life.

Using less apps and more real skills.

Making health natural—castor oil, food, breath—not based on reports.

Teaching kids life lessons, not just screen learning.

Keeping family, silence, and nature at the centre.

Questioning anything that makes you addicted or dependent.

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9. Final Message:

The Fourth Riche doesn’t want your vote.

They want your time, data, habits, and silence.

You don’t have to fight them.

Just stop feeding them.

They become powerless the moment you unplug, unscroll, and go back to basics.

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100 Ways the Fourth Riche Is Ruling You (Indian Edition)

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TECHNOLOGY AND DIGITAL DEPENDENCE

1. You check your phone before brushing your teeth.

2. You believe Google Maps more than a local villager’s direction.

3. You can’t spend one day without internet.

4. You keep scrolling reels, even when your eyes hurt.

5. You store all photos on cloud, not at home.

6. You order from apps, even when the kirana store is 200m away.

7. You use “OK Google” to answer simple questions.

8. You feel lost without a phone charger.

9. You need OTP for everything—even to check your own money.

10. You can’t fix your own phone, fridge, or TV.

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DATA CONTROL AND SURVEILLANCE

11. You give thumbprint or face scan to enter your own office.

12. You allow apps to track your steps, sleep, and heart rate.

13. You share Aadhaar for small things like buying a SIM.

14. You can’t book train or flight without giving personal ID.

15. Your child’s school asks for parent fingerprint.

16. CCTV is watching you at petrol pump, park, and temple.

17. You believe online privacy exists—but your data is sold.

18. You accept all app permissions without reading.

19. You get ads for things you only “thought” about.

20. You get scared if your location is off for too long.

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EDUCATION TRAP

21. Your child spends more time on screen than soil.

22. You pay ₹2 lakh/year for coaching but not ₹200 for local books.

23. You believe “smart classes” make kids smarter.

24. Your child is taught coding before cleaning.

25. You say “Google it” instead of teaching by hand.

26. Education is now about marks, not skills.

27. You join expensive online courses but forget real-life learning.

28. Your child is being trained for jobs that may not exist.

29. Schools are judged by their app, not their teaching.

30. You think your child is learning, but they are scrolling.

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FOOD AND HEALTH CAPTURE

31. You trust protein bars over soaked nuts.

32. You believe multivitamins are equal to fruits.

33. You avoid sun due to “UV rays” but take Vitamin D pills.

34. You drink packet milk and think it’s pure.

35. You depend on Zomato for every meal.

36. You refrigerate, microwave, and then complain of stomach issues.

37. You eat "sugar-free" sweets with 5 chemicals in them.

38. You need a phone to count your calories.

39. You call it food but don’t know where it was grown.

40. You drink soft drinks but avoid coconut water.

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MEDICAL DEPENDENCE

41. You do health checkups yearly but never check your lifestyle.

42. You treat side effects with more medicines.

43. You believe only white coat experts can heal.

44. You feel guilty for skipping a pill, not skipping junk food.

45. You start BP medicines but never stop.

46. You never ask doctors about long-term harm.

47. You’re told “this has no cure, take medicine for life”.

48. You depend on lab reports, not how your body feels.

49. You treat cough and fever as emergency.

50. You don’t trust healing unless it's expensive.

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CONTENT & MIND PROGRAMMING

51. You believe headlines without reading full articles.

52. You think scrolling Instagram is relaxation.

53. You forward WhatsApp messages without checking.

54. You follow people for their looks, not their wisdom.

55. You get influenced by strangers called "influencers".

56. You consume 100 reels a day but can’t sit for 10 mins silently.

57. You feel your opinion is your own—but it was fed to you.

58. You watch someone else's vacation while your own life is ignored.

59. You get angry at news but don’t do anything real.

60. You trust memes over books.

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SOCIAL LIFE REDESIGN

61. You meet your relatives more on WhatsApp than in real life.

62. You click photos before enjoying a moment.

63. You announce everything online, but talk less at home.

64. You feel "seen" only if people react online.

65. You talk to strangers online, ignore elders at home.

66. You fear missing out on updates but miss your own child's words.

67. You wish birthdays publicly but forget real feelings.

68. You think long messages = real friendship.

69. You haven’t sat quietly with family for even 30 minutes this week.

70. You want likes, not love.

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FINANCE & WORK LIFE CONTROL

71. You can’t survive one month without salary.

72. You earn ₹1L but live with ₹90K EMI stress.

73. You work late to buy things you don’t need.

74. You feel poor if your phone is one year old.

75. You are trapped in EMI to prove success.

76. You use credit card more than your own money.

77. You think job loss means identity loss.

78. You can’t start a business due to fear, not lack of skill.

79. You spend more time on Zoom than on ground.

80. You need HR permission to take a half-day leave.

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GOVERNANCE AND GLOBAL CONTROL

81. You think your vote changes everything.

82. You don’t know who funds the politicians.

83. You see laws passed, but don't know who benefits.

84. You trust slogans more than policies.

85. You hear about global summits, but don’t know who attends.

86. You accept rules without asking “why now?”.

87. You think UN, WHO, etc., are neutral, but they have funders.

88. You think “climate” is a new emergency, but village wisdom is ignored.

89. You think “green” means plastic packaging with leaf logo.

90. You don't notice when Indian laws copy foreign models.

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FUTURE CONTROL (COMING SOON)

91. You will rent even your clothes, not own them.

92. You will get loans based on social behaviour, not salary.

93. You will get food coupons, not freedom.

94. You will get medicines based on health app score.

95. You will see deepfake leaders and fake events on screens.

96. You will be told not to farm because lab food is “safe”.

97. You will be praised for being “paperless, cashless, trackable”.

98. You will fear speaking freely, even at home.

99. You will be replaced at work by a tool you once used.

100. You will feel free, but all your life will be owned by a silent system.

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Reclaim Your Life: Reverse Guide to the Fourth Riche (100 Ways)

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TECHNOLOGY AND DIGITAL DEPENDENCE

1. Don’t touch your phone till after sunrise. Sit for 5 minutes silently.

2. Ask a local or shopkeeper instead of Google Maps.

3. Spend 1 day per week without internet.

4. Fix a “no scroll” time after 9 PM.

5. Store photos offline in a hard drive or photo album.

6. Walk to the kirana shop. Talk to the shopkeeper.

7. Use your memory or notebook instead of voice assistants.

8. Go 12 hours without charging your phone—see what changes.

9. Use cash where possible. Learn manual ways.

10. Learn how to fix small things. Ask local repairmen.

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DATA CONTROL AND SURVEILLANCE

11. Say no to biometric attendance. Ask for alternatives.

12. Delete fitness trackers. Walk by instinct.

13. Say no to Aadhaar when it’s optional.

14. Use offline bookings when possible.

15. Refuse school fingerprint rules. Ask “why is it needed?”

16. Choose places without CCTV for personal meetings.

17. Use browsers like Firefox with privacy features.

18. Remove apps that demand full access.

19. Speak your thoughts, don’t search everything.

20. Turn off location tracking unless needed.

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EDUCATION TRAP

21. Let your child walk barefoot in mud.

22. Buy storybooks from street vendors.

23. Choose schools that still teach with real-world experience.

24. Teach cleaning, cooking, planting, and mending.

25. Share your real-life wisdom with your kids.

26. Make them do physical work daily.

27. Learn from elders, not just from “certified” trainers.

28. Teach your kids job-free survival—grow, fix, trade.

29. Judge schools by peace, not by gadgets.

30. Watch your child learn by living, not scoring.

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FOOD AND HEALTH CAPTURE

31. Soak 5 almonds every morning. Eat slowly.

32. Eat a banana instead of packaged snacks.

33. Spend 15 mins daily in sunlight.

34. Shift to local milk, or reduce milk.

35. Cook basic meals at home.

36. Avoid microwave. Eat freshly prepared food.

37. Use jaggery or dates in sweets.

38. Stop calorie counting. Eat natural.

39. Visit local markets. Ask farmers questions.

40. Drink coconut water or buttermilk daily.

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MEDICAL DEPENDENCE

41. Track your energy, breath, and sleep—not just reports.

42. Cut down pills slowly. Add natural healing.

43. Ask doctors about side effects and alternatives.

44. Focus on lifestyle—walk, sun, sleep, real food.

45. Use castor oil therapy, reduce medicine slowly.

46. Keep records. Ask questions. Get second opinions.

47. Learn from success stories of natural healing.

48. Spend time in nature, not in labs.

49. Trust your body's signals.

50. Spend on clean food, not on more tests.

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CONTENT & MIND PROGRAMMING

51. Read full articles. Avoid dramatic headlines.

52. Sit silently for 15 mins instead of watching reels.

53. Verify facts before forwarding.

54. Follow people who live with integrity, not filters.

55. Unfollow toxic influencers. Follow farmers, healers, creators.

56. Do one real activity daily—planting, cooking, sweeping.

57. Journal your own thoughts.

58. Take your own trip. Make your own memories.

59. Turn off TV for one week. See how you feel.

60. Read 5 pages from a physical book daily.

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SOCIAL LIFE REDESIGN

61. Visit one relative per month in person.

62. Enjoy moments before photographing.

63. Talk to your parents daily—without screens.

64. Meet people for real conversations.

65. Play with children—no phone in hand.

66. Prioritize face-to-face talk.

67. Celebrate privately, not for social media.

68. Call instead of long messages.

69. Eat one meal daily with the whole family.

70. Build closeness with time, not posts.

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FINANCE & WORK LIFE CONTROL

71. Build a 3-month emergency fund.

72. Reduce EMI stress by downsizing life.

73. Ask: “Do I need this, or am I proving something?”

74. Use your phone till it breaks.

75. Cancel non-essential subscriptions.

76. Use debit card more than credit.

77. Learn a backup income skill.

78. Start small: sell, trade, repair, teach.

79. Spend more time in action, less in meetings.

80. Create flexible work routines. Negotiate freedom.

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GOVERNANCE AND GLOBAL CONTROL

81. Ask what happens after you vote.

82. Learn who funds whom.

83. Read policy drafts. Ask how it affects you.

84. Study real impact, not just slogans.

85. Track who runs these global summits.

86. Ask your MLA or MP questions.

87. Question international agencies’ decisions.

88. Follow old Indian farming & healing traditions.

89. Say no to plastic in disguise.

90. Demand local solutions, not foreign imports.

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FUTURE CONTROL (COMING SOON)

91. Own few but good clothes. Share or exchange with friends.

92. Build your reputation offline—in your community.

93. Grow food at home, even in pots.

94. Track your health manually—breath, pulse, strength.

95. Question digital images. Look for real proof.

96. Save native seeds. Grow something every season.

97. Use paper, cash, handwritten notes.

98. Talk openly at home.

99. Use tools with skill, not dependence.

100. Choose real life. Unplug. Plant. Breathe. Slow down.

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“We Thought We Were Free”: A Dialogue on the Fourth Riche

(A conversation that takes place over one slow day in Madhukar’s village. Set in rural Karnataka. Gopal is a mid-level IT manager. Sneha is a schoolteacher. Their son is 11. This is their third visit to Madhukar.)

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Scene:

Madhukar’s mud-and-lime home. A slow morning. Castor oil smell lingers in the air. His two daughters, Adhya and Anju, help clean fresh curry leaves, and roast groundnuts. Gopal and Sneha arrive from the nearby town.

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Sneha (settling down):

We were reading the 100-point list you gave us last month. It felt like a mirror. Painful, but true.

Gopal:

It felt like we’re being ruled, but we don’t even know who’s ruling us.

Madhukar (smiles gently):

That’s the Fourth Riche. They don’t need to beat you. They just need you to obey silently—with your phone, your diet, your child’s schoolbag, your medical reports, your thumbprint.

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Gopal:

I used to feel proud. I earn ₹18 lakhs a year, we have two cars, our son goes to an international school, we order clean groceries.

But now... everything feels hollow. Like it’s not ours. Like we’re just… leasing a lifestyle.

Sneha:

Even our time isn’t ours. We're always rushing. Or scrolling. Or checking something.

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Madhukar:

They don’t want your money. They want your patterns.

You didn’t choose that school.

The algorithm nudged you.

You didn’t buy those shoes.

A reel made you want them.

You didn’t ask your doctor what’s in that tablet.

Because the system made you believe questions are rude.

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Adhya (quietly, as she sorts curry leaves):

Appa says freedom is what you do when no one is watching you.

Sneha (smiling sadly):

Even our son can’t go one hour without his phone. We tried locking it. He gets restless, like withdrawal.

Madhukar:

They don’t sell phones. They sell control.

They’ve trained you to think boredom is a disease.

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Gopal:

We noticed something strange last week.

We were talking about holidaying in Coorg…

and within ten minutes, both our phones showed resort ads.

We hadn’t typed anything.

Madhukar:

Your voice is mined. Your child’s learning style is sold.

Your heart rate is monitored if you wear smartwatches.

That’s not privacy.

That’s digital feudalism.

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Sneha:

Even schools have gone mad. Our son was asked to install a "well-being tracker" app to report his mood.

Every day.

Why can't he just play in the mud?

Madhukar:

Because they want to raise data sets, not children.

He is a potential customer, not a child to them.

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Anju (chirps in):

Yesterday I climbed our drumstick tree and sat for 30 minutes.

Felt like I was floating.

No one watching, no phone, no noise.

Sneha (to Madhukar):

You’ve raised your girls beautifully.

Our son only knows how to unlock an iPad, not a cycle lock.

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Madhukar:

I want them to know how to carry water on their head, how to make kanji from nothing, how to ask questions when something feels wrong—even if the whole world is silent.

Gopal:

I feel like we’ve outsourced everything—meals, entertainment, education, even thinking.

Sneha:

And now, we’re trapped.

What if we lose our jobs?

We can’t survive without the system.

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Madhukar (gently):

That’s the catch.

They want you to need them—like a patient needs a machine.

They give you convenience and take away your capacity.

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Sneha:

Even food has changed. Our fridge is full, but we feel tired.

I take multivitamins, health drinks… but no strength.

Madhukar:

Because your food is dead.

Plastic milk. Air-fried snacks.

Polished rice, packet oil, fridge veggies.

It keeps you running—but not living.

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Adhya:

Sneha aunty, you can try our ragi ambali. Appa makes it every Ekadashi.

Sneha (laughs):

We fast by ordering salad bowls from Swiggy.

Madhukar:

That’s not fasting. That’s calorie-counting.

Real fasting is a break from consumption.

Of food, screens, noise, even opinions.

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Gopal:

What about money, Madhukar?

We’re neck deep in EMIs.

It’s like our future is already sold.

Madhukar:

The Fourth Riche doesn’t want to rob you.

They want you to rob yourself—by chasing approval, prestige, upgrades.

You’ll do their job for them.

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Sneha:

What about identity? We can’t even open a bank account without giving Aadhaar, face scan, thumbprint.

Are we still citizens, or data packets?

Madhukar:

Digital slavery comes disguised as security.

You will own nothing. Not even your self.

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Gopal (softly):

How do we exit? Is it even possible?

Madhukar (pauses):

You don’t need to exit. You need to unplug—one cord at a time.

Start with:

Morning sun instead of screen

Real food instead of health apps

Family talks instead of therapy reels

Ground contact instead of GPS

Slow money, not fast debt

Local trust, not global noise

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Adhya (hands Gopal some roasted groundnuts):

Appa says chewing slowly is one kind of rebellion.

Gopal (smiles):

I like that rebellion.

It’s the only thing in years that doesn’t feel bought.

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Sneha (tearing up slightly):

We came thinking we’ll learn something.

But now I feel we must unlearn everything.

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Madhukar:

Good. That means you’re ready.

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Epilogue (two months later, from Sneha’s diary):

> “We now spend weekends screen-free.

We eat together. We compost.

Gopal has cut 4 apps from his phone.

I’ve stopped buying energy bars and started soaking almonds.

Our son plays in the mud. No app required.

The Fourth Riche is real. But they shrink when we grow roots.”

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“We Got Our Life Back”: One Year After Escaping the Fourth Riche

(A final dialogue, full of silent truths and practical change)

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Scene:

Madhukar’s homestead. Late monsoon. Mud paths glisten. Birds return to the neem tree. A large pot of ragi is simmering on the firewood stove. Adhya and Anju are drying curry leaves on a jute sack. Gopal and Sneha arrive on foot, carrying a small cloth bag of jaggery.

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Sneha (hugging Madhukar’s wife):

One year. No Swiggy. No Alexa. No reel binge.

Just ragi, rain, reading, and rest.

Gopal:

We didn’t fully escape the Fourth Riche.

But now, it doesn’t live inside us.

Madhukar:

That’s the win. You didn’t move to the forest.

You moved into awareness.

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Adhya (to Anju):

They’re glowing. Remember how tired they looked last year?

Anju (grins):

They used to smell like mall perfume. Now they smell like turmeric.

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Sneha:

We gave away the smart TV.

My son said: “What do we do now?”

We said: “Anything real.”

Now he paints, walks, helps grind batter.

Gopal:

We cut down internet to 3 hours a day.

Our home is quieter. Even arguments are slower.

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Madhukar:

Did people around you understand?

Gopal (laughs):

Not at all. They said:

“What if your child falls behind?”

“What if you miss an opportunity?”

“What if you get left out?”

So we asked:

Left out of what?

Burnout? Medical debt? Empty friendships?

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Sneha:

I stopped following school WhatsApp groups.

Instead, I talk to my son’s teacher every month in person.

Gopal:

I started growing tomatoes. Not much.

But that soil under fingernails...

It healed things that money couldn’t.

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Madhukar (softly):

You’ve stopped being customers.

You’ve started being humans again.

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Anju (joking):

Did you uninstall all your apps?

Sneha (grinning):

Almost. Except one for weather.

But we also watch the ants now. They know better.

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Gopal:

We’ve had failures too.

Some days we slipped.

Watched crap. Ate junk. Got sucked back.

Sneha:

But now we catch ourselves.

We forgive. We reset.

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Madhukar:

That’s how you beat the Fourth Riche.

Not with one big act.

But with 1000 small refusals.

Sneha (nodding):

Yes. We started:

Walking instead of scrolling

Talking instead of forwarding

Cooking instead of ordering

Sitting instead of posting

Observing instead of reacting

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Gopal:

We also changed our spending.

Fewer things. More tools.

We bought a hand flour mill.

Stopped using the fridge for everything.

Learned to dry and store like our grandparents.

Sneha:

We make our own soap. And our son loves to help.

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Madhukar:

Your son was born to learn life, not live inside a screen.

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Adhya (curious):

What about EMIs?

Gopal:

We paid off one early.

Sold some gadgets.

We shifted to a smaller house.

Fewer rooms. More time.

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Sneha:

We used to think we were upgrading.

Now we know—we were downloading dependence.

Madhukar:

The Fourth Riche can only rule where there is hurry, fear, and imitation.

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Anju (serving hot ragi drink):

This has no barcode. No expiry. No artificial vanilla. Only real.

Sneha (sipping, smiling):

Like our life now.

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Gopal:

We came last year looking for control.

Today, we came to say thank you.

Not for answers—

But for helping us see the traps.

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Madhukar:

You didn’t escape the system.

You escaped system-thinking.

You took back your time.

Your food.

Your attention.

Your child.

Your breath.

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Sneha (tears in eyes):

We thought healing was some fancy retreat.

Turns out, it was castor oil packs, rice kanji, and removing 100 things from life.

Madhukar:

Healing is subtraction, not addition.

Less control. More living.

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Epilogue (written by Gopal, six months later):

We are no longer addicted to being seen.

We’re okay being slow.

Our son plays with snails, not screens.

I stopped following stocks. I started following clouds.

We still fail, but we fall on the soil now—not on the screen.

The Fourth Riche is not gone.

But it is no longer the centre of our life.

The centre is now a warm meal,

a quiet evening,

and a child’s muddy hands asking for help planting okra.

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YOU WANT ESCAPE, BUT YOU ARE COMFORTABLE

They came quiet, not like the kings,

Not like the landlords with iron rings,

Not even like tech bros with plastic smiles.

They came as helpful, humble,

polite.

Not asking for too much.

Not selling anything directly.

Not grabbing land.

Not screaming in English.

Just... being everywhere.

With filtered water and clean sandals.

With neat forms and health apps.

With words like "well-being", "happiness",

“resilience”,

“solutions”.

They didn’t build castles.

They built platforms.

They didn’t hoard gold.

They hoarded trust.

You thought they were your friend

because they didn’t flaunt wealth.

But they held the strings

that held the hands

that held the guns

that held the laws

that held you.

They weren’t the first riche.

That was land.

Then came the second—factories.

Then the third—tech, code, data.

But this one?

This fourth?

It’s the one that entered the soul

without asking.

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They offered healing

but kept you sick just enough.

Offered education

but only the kind that kept you employable,

not wise.

Offered peace

but only inside meditation apps,

not in villages, not in families,

not in lungs full of real air.

They asked no fees upfront.

Only your time.

Your hopes.

Your attention.

Your surrender.

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The Fourth Riche

doesn’t live in mansions.

It lives inside

startups, NGOs,

climate grants,

pilot projects,

sustainable cities

you will never enter.

It wears khadi but owns equity.

Eats millets but files patents.

Says “empower”

but means “manage”.

Says “local voices”

but funds them with foreign contracts.

They don’t buy land.

They manage it for you.

They don’t ban you.

They nudge you gently.

They don’t rule.

They guide.

They mentor.

They build capacity

until you forget

you had it in the first place.

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The Fourth Riche

smells like eucalyptus oil

and gender policy

and carbon offsets.

They run workshops

on organic farming

but their kids drink almond milk

flown in from California.

They say “freedom”

but want every child

screened, tracked, mapped,

and taught to meditate

before they can walk barefoot.

They say “community”

but mean:

“What can we extract from you

while making you feel special?”

They give awards to poor women

then send them back

to homes with no water.

They write research papers

on your pain

then fly business class

to present it.

---

This is not capitalism.

Not socialism.

Not fascism.

Not feudalism.

It’s all of them.

None of them.

A new thing.

A clean thing.

A soft thing.

A virus

that wears glasses

and carries consent forms.

---

The Fourth Riche doesn’t need guns.

It needs your faith.

It collects your stories.

Refines them.

Sells them to donors

like raw diamonds.

You are the case study.

You are the "insight".

You are the footnote

in their TED talk.

---

One day you’ll find yourself

speaking their words

without knowing why.

Saying things like

“scaling impact”,

“gender lens”,

“intergenerational equity”,

while the soil dies under your feet.

While the well dries.

While your grandmother forgets

how to make pickles

because someone paid her

to “document” it.

---

They didn’t take your land.

They made you lease it

to your own future.

They didn’t take your labour.

They made you believe

that your story

was worth more than your sweat.

They didn’t take your gods.

They just gave you

new rituals—

surveys, indicators,

Zoom calls,

impact dashboards,

monthly reports.

---

The Fourth Riche

wears your language

like a mask.

Eats your food

for content.

Hugs your children

for Instagram.

Funds your dreams

till they look like theirs.

---

And now it’s too late.

They’ve partnered

with your local temple trust.

They've signed an MOU

with your forest.

They've digitised

your entire childhood

into a “resilience index”.

You never noticed.

Because they never shouted.

They smiled.

They clapped.

They called you “inspiring”.

---

Your only rebellion now

is silence.

Planting something

without geotagging it.

Sitting under a tree

without a grant.

Feeding a child

without training them.

Staying poor

and unmeasured.

Staying human

in a world

that wants you

monetised.

---

This is the Fourth Riche.

And it is here.

In your district.

In your village.

In your mind.

And it’s not going anywhere

until you

start naming it.

.end.