VK News Today https://validator.w3.org/feed/docs/rss2.html Psychology says people are being emotionally bankrupt and don’t even know: Philosopher explains how Vaibhav Sooryavanshi misses out again as India hand debuts to Prince Yadav and Suryansh Shedge Arshad Warsi says circuit from ‘Munna Bhai M.B.B.S.’ could never fit into ‘Golmaal’: ‘The mentality and the sensibility will simply not match’ Saudi Aramco helicopter crash kills 14 in Ras Tanura; probe under way Ukraine strikes major Russian oil refinery in drone barrage; two killed ‘Janhvi Kapoor, Sidharth Malhotra and Ranbir Kapoor’: Boney Kapoor reveals dream cast for modern reamake of ‘Woh 7 Din’ The magical relationship rule that Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Nick Jonas swear by to keep their marriage strong 11 killed in civilian plane crash in France’s Tomblaine town UAE condemns Iranian attacks on Bahrain, Kuwait; reiterates full solidarity with Gulf neighbours Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath stepped up his attack on Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav amid the alleged Ayodhya donation embezzlement row, asking him to visit the Ram Temple and “do penance” to gain “good sense”. Yogi Adityanath asks Akhilesh Yadav to visit Ram temple and ‘do penance’ amid donation theft rowPM Modi dedicates Seychelles’ ‘Guardian of the Blue Horizon’ honour to nations battling climate changeIndia rejects Pakistan’s Karachi blast allegations, asks Islamabad to ‘look inwards’Sonam Wangchuk begins indefinite hunger strike at Jantar Mantar in support of CJP protestNovak Djokovic reveals years-long bond with Virat Kohli despite never meeting him in personVisit Ram Temple, do penance to gain good sense: Yogi Adityanath to Akhilesh amid donation theft rowUttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath stepped up his attack on Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav amid the alleged Ayodhya donation embezzlement row, asking him to visit the Ram Temple and “do penance” to gain “good sense”. Read full story’Dedicate it to nations battling climate change’: PM Modi honoured with ‘Guardian of the Blue Horizon’ by SeychellesPrime Minister Narendra Modi was conferred Seychelles’ ‘Guardian of the Blue Horizon’ honour during his visit to the island nation. Accepting the award, he dedicated the recognition to countries working to combat climate change and highlighted the MAHASAGAR vision as a pillar of India-Seychelles cooperation. Read full storyLook inwards: India tears into Pakistan over Karachi blast allegationsIndia strongly rejected Pakistan’s allegations linking it to the Karachi blast, calling the claims baseless and urging Islamabad to “look inwards” instead of blaming others for its internal challenges. New Delhi said attempts to shift responsibility would not change the facts. Read full storySonam Wangchuk begins indefinite hunger strike at Jantar Mantar in support of CJP protestClimate activist Sonam Wangchuk began an indefinite hunger strike at Jantar Mantar, where the CJP has been protesting since June 20 over alleged examination irregularities. The protest also comes amid allegations that some farmer leaders were placed under house arrest to prevent them from reaching the demonstration site. Read full story’We’ve never met in person’: Novak Djokovic reveals special years-long bond with Virat KohliTennis legend Novak Djokovic revealed that he and Virat Kohli have shared a special bond built on mutual admiration despite never meeting in person. Djokovic said the two sporting icons have remained connected over the years through messages and respect for each other’s achievements. Read full story Get the latest India news and live updates. Download the TOI App.About the AuthorTOI News DeskThe TOI News Desk comprises a dedicated and tireless team of journalists who operate around the clock to deliver the most current and comprehensive news and updates to the readers of The Times of India worldwide. With an unwavering commitment to excellence in journalism, our team is at the forefront of gathering, verifying, and presenting breaking news, in-depth analysis, and insightful reports on a wide range of topics. The TOI News Desk is your trusted source for staying informed and connected to the ever-evolving global landscape, ensuring that our readers are equipped with the latest developments that matter most.”Read MoreEnd of ArticleFollow Us On Social MediaVideos’Visit Ram Temple, Do Penance’: Yogi Adityanath Attacks Akhilesh Yadav Amid Donation Row | AyodhyaDelhi-Varanasi Bullet Train To Cut Delhi-Lucknow Travel Time To 2 Hours 10 Minutes: Ashwini VaishnawMahua Moitra’s Explosive Attack Over Ram Mandir Donation Row| ’70 KG Silver, 1,250 KG Gold Missing?’Mumbai Police Foil Alleged Mass Poisoning Bid at Muharram Procession; 14,900 Toxic Capsules SeizedCong Seeks Bigger Role in UP Alliance; New In-Charge’s ‘Equal Share’ Pitch Raises Stakes: ReportsBharat Taxi Rolls Out as India’s First Cooperative Cab Service; 500-City Expansion PlannedSix Op Sindoor Personnel Honoured; Opposition Questions Rajnath Singh’s Parliament RemarksOver 1.2 Lakh Waqf Assets Still Await Verification As June 30 Deadline NearsKarnataka Man Pulls Out Crude Bombs After Lover ‘Refused’ To Marry Him, Dies In ExplosionNCB Report Warns Of Nitazenes, Myanmar Route; Flags Telegram As Key Hub For Drug Ads123PhotostoriesSingle or married? Scientists discover rare link between marital status and cancer riskThree- two- three: The magical relationship rule that Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Nick Jonas swear by to keep their marriage strongPsychology says women who retain their surname after marriage may have these 7 common personality traitsForget overnight oats! Try these 6 traditional Indian porridges for breakfastScience says these 7 parenting beliefs may be quietly making life harder for parents and childrenTrisha Krishnan’s champagne gold silk saree is serving rich bridesmaid energy and we’re completely obsessedCan grief shorten your life? 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Students use it to join public channels for notes, current-affairs PDFs, revision sheets, and lecture clips, and to join private groups for doubt-solving, peer discussion, and exam updates. It supports channels, discussion groups, pinned posts, large file sharing, and access across devices.Students use Telegram for information disseminationStudents also use Telegram as a library. The platform’s searchable posts and easy forwarding make it a convenient place to store and retrieve study material, especially for competitive exam preparation where speed matters. In practical terms, Telegram often replaces fragmented WhatsApp forwarding chains with a more organised archive of lectures, PDFs, and revision content.”For me, Telegram acts as a supplementary academic tool rather than a replacement for standard sources. It also serves as a bridge between those who can afford expensive study material and those who cannot”, said Anurag Pandey, a UPSC aspirant.“Banning Telegram is not a universal remedy; there should be a strict standard operating procedure and clear punishment for those responsible for paper leaks”, he added.However, the same features that make Telegram useful for legitimate learning also make it an attractive platform for unauthorised distribution of educational content.A clickbait on a Telegram channelHow paid educational content circulates for free Subscription-based courses offered online range from thousands to several lakhs, depending on the programme, faculty, and duration.On Telegram, however, lectures from these paid courses are frequently leaked and circulated freely through channels, private groups, and mirror accounts, allowing users to access material without paying the original fee.This has turned Telegram into an informal redistribution network for premium educational content, especially in the test-preparation market where scarcity and high demand make such material highly valuable.The same pattern extends to current-affairs resources and e-newspapers. Many competitive exam aspirants rely on paid newspapers, magazines, compilations, and curated current-affairs PDFs that are normally protected by paywalls or subscription models. Yet these materials are often uploaded to Telegram in scanned, PDF, or forwarded formats and then shared widely at no cost. For students, this creates a cheap and convenient alternative to paid access. For publishers and coaching institutes, it represents a direct loss of control over content that was intended to be monetised.This dual use of Telegram has produced a divided response from coaching institutes. While some seem to be relatively lenient and see unofficial circulation as a form of indirect publicity, others drag the app to court.Telegram’s copyright battles in court There have been multiple instances when coaching institutes have filed cases against the app for copyright infringements.In 2022, Neetu Singh, a prominent educationist and author, filed a case against Telegram after her institute’s copyrighted educational material, including books and lecture videos, was repeatedly circulated without authorisation from multiple channels of the platform.The Delhi High Court observed that mere deletion of one channel was not enough, as new channels kept emerging. It directed Telegram to disclose the details of the channels and associated data such as emails, mobile numbers, IP addresses, and server-related information.Telegram initially objected on the grounds of privacy and jurisdiction, stating its servers were located outside India, and the disclosure would hamper the privacy of its users, but eventually complied with the order.Two years before the case, the high court had banned Telegram from broadcasting any copyrighted content belonging to a prominent coaching institute based in Kota, Rajasthan.Premium content on free circulationSince then, the application has become increasingly visible as an intermediary through which educational copyright infringement is being organised at scale, with multiple copyright-related lawsuits being filed against it.When a coaching institute creates materials like recorded lectures, study notes, test series, question banks, mock tests, E-books, and presentation slides, they automatically receive copyright protection under the Copyright Act, 1957.The act gives them the exclusive right to sell the material, reproduce and distribute copies, license access, create adaptations, and communicate it to the public.India’s shadow education economy Besides school and college, millions of students pay for private tuition, coaching centres, and exam preparation classes. It is most visible in competitive-exam ecosystems such as NEET, JEE, UPSC, SSC, banking, and state recruitment tests, where coaching is often treated as necessary rather than optional.As per the Comprehensive Modular Survey (CMS) on education, 2025, one out of every three school students attends private coaching.A 2021 report published in the South Asia Research journal estimates India’s shadow educational economy somewhere between $ 40-70 billion. Telegram adds a digital layer to an already existing market.It sits at the intersection of three aspects of the education economy: legitimate learning communities, paid coaching businesses, and third parties selling unauthorised content. Telegram makes the market more anonymous and difficult to police, allowing third parties to redistribute premium content without authorisation.The debate surrounding Telegram therefore extends beyond a single platform. It reflects larger questions about the affordability of educational resources, the growing dependence on coaching, the enforcement of copyright in the digital age, and the challenges of regulating online communities used by millions of students.The controversy has also highlighted a difficult balancing act for policymakers: protecting intellectual property and exam integrity while ensuring that students are not excluded from educational opportunities because of cost. Whether Telegram is viewed as a learning tool, a copyright challenge, or a regulatory concern often depends on which side of that boat one sits on.Criticism of the banAfter the platform was banned, an X user’s post was retweeted by the leader of the opposition, Rahul Gandhi. The user claimed their brother’s paid NEET PG notes, videos and study groups were all on the app, forcing him to message pirates just to access what he already paid for.Gandhi’s post framed the move as a “new trick” to stop paper leaks, comparing it to “locking the victim’s door” rather than catching the thief. He also said that “lakhs of students” had been using Telegram for years for notes, test series, discussions, and preparation, so cutting access did not solve the underlying problem.“Most of my notes are in digital format. I uploaded them on Telegram so that I can access them at any time but banning it outright created frustration, lost access to my notes,” said Ravi Maurya, another aspirant.Pavel Durov, founder of Telegram, criticised the ban, calling it a punishment for over ⁠150 million ​app users, claiming the leaks would have moved to ​other apps.Get the latest India news and live updates. Download the TOI App.About the AuthorPranjal PandeyPranjal Pandey is an intern at The Times of India. He holds a PG Diploma in English Journalism from the Indian Institute of Mass Communication and covers Real Estate, Defence, and International Relations, among other beats.Read MoreEnd of ArticleFollow Us On Social MediaVideosDelhi-Varanasi Bullet Train To Cut Delhi-Lucknow Travel Time To 2 Hours 10 Minutes: Ashwini VaishnawMahua Moitra’s Explosive Attack Over Ram Mandir Donation Row| ’70 KG Silver, 1,250 KG Gold Missing?’Mumbai Police Foil Alleged Mass Poisoning Bid at Muharram Procession; 14,900 Toxic Capsules SeizedCong Seeks Bigger Role in UP Alliance; New In-Charge’s ‘Equal Share’ Pitch Raises Stakes: ReportsBharat Taxi Rolls Out as India’s First Cooperative Cab Service; 500-City Expansion PlannedSix Op Sindoor Personnel Honoured; Opposition Questions Rajnath Singh’s Parliament RemarksOver 1.2 Lakh Waqf Assets Still Await Verification As June 30 Deadline NearsKarnataka Man Pulls Out Crude Bombs After Lover ‘Refused’ To Marry Him, Dies In ExplosionNCB Report Warns Of Nitazenes, Myanmar Route; Flags Telegram As Key Hub For Drug AdsMaharashtra TET Exam Postponed After ‘Paper Leak’, 3 Arrested, CM Fadnavis Orders SIT Probe123PhotostoriesSingle or married? Scientists discover rare link between marital status and cancer riskThree- two- three: The magical relationship rule that Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Nick Jonas swear by to keep their marriage strongPsychology says women who retain their surname after marriage may have these 7 common personality traitsForget overnight oats! Try these 6 traditional Indian porridges for breakfastScience says these 7 parenting beliefs may be quietly making life harder for parents and childrenTrisha Krishnan’s champagne gold silk saree is serving rich bridesmaid energy and we’re completely obsessedCan grief shorten your life? 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Bureau of Immigration shares registration, visa extension rules for international students ‘Baby Do Die Do’ star Huma Qureshi teases Yash’s ‘Toxic’ after watching an early cut: ‘This will be the biggest treat for his fans’ Amphitheatres, Jacuzzis and Outdoor Chess: Viral video sparks debate on ‘fake’ housing amenities Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw: Biocon founder Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw calls Bengaluru ‘garbage city’, shares visual of ‘what we could have built’ NEW DELHI: The ministry of external Affairs on Sunday rejected allegations made by Pakistan linking India to the recent terrorist attack in Karachi, advising Islamabad to take credible action against terror rather than pointing fingers.The ministry, in a statement, said that Pakistan should rid itself of its habitual tendency to rely on terrorism as an instrument of state policy.”We have seen Pakistani reports making baseless allegations against India regarding the recent incident in Karachi. We categorically reject them. Instead of pointing fingers at others, Pakistan would do better to look inwards, take credible action against the terror infrastructure on its territory and rid itself of its proclivity to rely on terrorism as an instrument of state policy,” MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said.This comes after three members of Pakistan’s paramilitary Rangers force were killed and four others wounded in fighting after militants launched an attack on a regional headquarters in the southern port city of Karachi.A militant rammed an explosives-laden vehicle into the provincial headquarters of the Pakistan Rangers in Karachi on Saturday night, triggering an intense exchange of gunfire with security forces, according to police and witnesses.In a statement, the military said security forces had killed three attackers and captured a fourth, who was wounded. It identified the captured suspect as an Afghan national.The military said operations were continuing in the area and warned that Pakistan would retaliate against those responsible for the assault. Pakistan has carried out airstrikes inside Afghanistan in recent years, saying they targeted militants responsible for attacks inside Pakistan. Kabul has repeatedly denied allowing militant groups to use Afghan territory to launch cross-border attacks.Pakistan has witnessed a surge in militant attacks targeting police and security forces in recent years.The military said operations were still under way to eliminate any remaining accomplices of the attackers.Get the latest India news and live updates. Download the TOI App.About the AuthorTOI News DeskThe TOI News Desk comprises a dedicated and tireless team of journalists who operate around the clock to deliver the most current and comprehensive news and updates to the readers of The Times of India worldwide. With an unwavering commitment to excellence in journalism, our team is at the forefront of gathering, verifying, and presenting breaking news, in-depth analysis, and insightful reports on a wide range of topics. The TOI News Desk is your trusted source for staying informed and connected to the ever-evolving global landscape, ensuring that our readers are equipped with the latest developments that matter most.”Read MoreEnd of ArticleFollow Us On Social MediaVideosDelhi-Varanasi Bullet Train To Cut Delhi-Lucknow Travel Time To 2 Hours 10 Minutes: Ashwini VaishnawMahua Moitra’s Explosive Attack Over Ram Mandir Donation Row| ’70 KG Silver, 1,250 KG Gold Missing?’Mumbai Police Foil Alleged Mass Poisoning Bid at Muharram Procession; 14,900 Toxic Capsules SeizedCong Seeks Bigger Role in UP Alliance; New In-Charge’s ‘Equal Share’ Pitch Raises Stakes: ReportsBharat Taxi Rolls Out as India’s First Cooperative Cab Service; 500-City Expansion PlannedSix Op Sindoor Personnel Honoured; Opposition Questions Rajnath Singh’s Parliament RemarksOver 1.2 Lakh Waqf Assets Still Await Verification As June 30 Deadline NearsKarnataka Man Pulls Out Crude Bombs After Lover ‘Refused’ To Marry Him, Dies In ExplosionNCB Report Warns Of Nitazenes, Myanmar Route; Flags Telegram As Key Hub For Drug AdsMaharashtra TET Exam Postponed After ‘Paper Leak’, 3 Arrested, CM Fadnavis Orders SIT Probe123PhotostoriesThree- two- three: The magical relationship rule that Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Nick Jonas swear by to keep their marriage strongPsychology says women who retain their surname after marriage may have these 7 common personality traitsForget overnight oats! Try these 6 traditional Indian porridges for breakfastScience says these 7 parenting beliefs may be quietly making life harder for parents and childrenTrisha Krishnan’s champagne gold silk saree is serving rich bridesmaid energy and we’re completely obsessedCan grief shorten your life? 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Similarly, it will be implemented in West Bengal. I will inform the Assembly on Monday,” he had said.The CM’s emphasis on procedure appeared aimed at countering criticism from opponents who have argued that a reform with significant social and legal implications should be preceded by extensive consultations.The legislation seeks to replace religion-based personal laws in matters such as marriage, divorce, succession, inheritance and adoption with a common legal framework applicable to all citizens, while retaining constitutional exemptions available to certain categories.The proposed legislation is expected to dominate the ongoing Budget session and set the stage for a wider debate over identity, equality, secularism, constitutional rights and the relationship between personal laws and state authority.This comes after the BJP, in its ‘Sankalp Patra’, promised to implement the UCC in West Bengal within six months, projecting it as a measure aimed at ensuring equality before the law irrespective of faith.’UCC won’t apply to tribals’Ahead of the introduction of the Bill, state BJP chief Samik Bhattacharya asserted that constitutionally protected tribal communities would remain outside its ambit.”The BJP’s position on the UCC is longstanding and unequivocal. It is part of our political commitment and election manifesto,” Bhattacharya said in a social media post on X.Bhattacharya also rejected allegations that the proposed legislation was linked to family-size regulation, saying such provisions were “neither the objective nor a part of the UCC”.Meanwhile, the Trinamool Congress has accused the BJP of attempting to use the legislation as a political instrument rather than pursuing genuine legal reform.TMC chairperson and former CM Mamata Banerjee directed the party to mount an aggressive resistance to the Bill inside and outside the Assembly, arguing that the proposal raises larger questions about constitutional morality, social consent and India’s plural character.”The question is whether the UCC is genuinely being brought for the welfare of citizens and constitutional values, or whether it is being used as an instrument of political polarisation,” a senior TMC leader said, reflecting the party’s official position.Leader of the opposition Ritabrata Banerjee, whose rebel faction has challenged Banerjee’s leadership, has also questioned the government’s urgency.”I don’t understand what the hurry is. A matter like the UCC requires extensive discussion and consultation,” Banerjee said recently, arguing that legislation affecting personal laws and family matters should not be rushed through without broader public debate.Get the latest India news and live updates. Download the TOI App.About the AuthorTOI News DeskThe TOI News Desk comprises a dedicated and tireless team of journalists who operate around the clock to deliver the most current and comprehensive news and updates to the readers of The Times of India worldwide. With an unwavering commitment to excellence in journalism, our team is at the forefront of gathering, verifying, and presenting breaking news, in-depth analysis, and insightful reports on a wide range of topics. The TOI News Desk is your trusted source for staying informed and connected to the ever-evolving global landscape, ensuring that our readers are equipped with the latest developments that matter most.”Read MoreEnd of ArticleFollow Us On Social MediaVideosDelhi-Varanasi Bullet Train To Cut Delhi-Lucknow Travel Time To 2 Hours 10 Minutes: Ashwini VaishnawMahua Moitra’s Explosive Attack Over Ram Mandir Donation Row| ’70 KG Silver, 1,250 KG Gold Missing?’Mumbai Police Foil Alleged Mass Poisoning Bid at Muharram Procession; 14,900 Toxic Capsules SeizedCong Seeks Bigger Role in UP Alliance; New In-Charge’s ‘Equal Share’ Pitch Raises Stakes: ReportsBharat Taxi Rolls Out as India’s First Cooperative Cab Service; 500-City Expansion PlannedSix Op Sindoor Personnel Honoured; Opposition Questions Rajnath Singh’s Parliament RemarksOver 1.2 Lakh Waqf Assets Still Await Verification As June 30 Deadline NearsKarnataka Man Pulls Out Crude Bombs After Lover ‘Refused’ To Marry Him, Dies In ExplosionNCB Report Warns Of Nitazenes, Myanmar Route; Flags Telegram As Key Hub For Drug AdsMaharashtra TET Exam Postponed After ‘Paper Leak’, 3 Arrested, CM Fadnavis Orders SIT Probe123PhotostoriesPsychology says women who retain their surname after marriage may have these 7 common personality traitsForget overnight oats! Try these 6 traditional Indian porridges for breakfastScience says these 7 parenting beliefs may be quietly making life harder for parents and childrenTrisha Krishnan’s champagne gold silk saree is serving rich bridesmaid energy and we’re completely obsessedCan grief shorten your life? The 10-year risk scientists are warning aboutRivers in Delhi NCR: The lifelines that shape the National Capital Region7 Most beautiful grasslands to visit in IndiaNarayan Murthy’s gut-friendly Mysore-style curry is perfect for summer lunch; detailed recipe insidePM Modi enjoys coconut water with Seychelles President: 5 ways to enjoy this hydrating drink and foods to combine with itMumbai before Independence: 6 irreplaceable historic monuments that still define the city123Hot PicksChinese proverb of the dayJapanese Proverb Of The DayErling Haaland and Isabel Haugseng Combined Net worthFIFA world cup 2026Rams FanRam Temple DonationNigerian Proverb of the dayUS Strike on IranKetan Agarwal MurderTop TrendingK BhagyarajMumbai Local Train DeathRam Temple Donation RowFIFA World Cup 2026NFL TradeUS Iran CeasefirePriyanka GandhiSergei IvanovMK StalinMumbai Local Train News Jun 28, 2026, 16:15 IST In company of Brian Lara and Chris Gayle: Amir Jangoo becomes only third West Indies batter to … | Cricket News UP Home Guard result 2026 released at uppbpb.gov.in; 1,07,221 candidates shortlisted for PST: Direct link here Waitress Musical Sydney Cancellation: Australian musical ‘Waitress’ gets cancelled for Sydney season: ‘This is disappointing news’ | English Movie News Science says these 7 parenting beliefs may be quietly making life harder for parents and children Venezuela quake: Race against time as rescuers battle rubble to find survivors; death toll tops 1400 Prince Harry may cancel UK visit with Meghan, children after being denied police protection Jun 28, 2026, 16:13 IST CBSE issues revised Class 12 result for Vedant Srivastava; Physics marks unchanged after answer sheet mix-up ‘Ikka’ director Siddharth P. Malhotra praises ‘Dhurandhar’ star Akshaye Khanna: ‘He brings tremendous depth to every role’ Why Uthukuli butter is one of Tamil Nadu’s most famous dairy delicacies India’s debt market not ready to fund next growth phase: Report 400,000 dogs vanished before South Korea’s meat ban. Where did hundreds of thousands of dogs go? ‘Age ko chodhiye’: India-origin Ireland pacer Jai Moondra makes big Vaibhav Sooryavanshi admission – Watch | Cricket News Gold, silver rate outlook: Prices face key test next week as US dollar, Iran tensions and jobs data take centre stage K Bhagyaraj cremated with state honours, fans gather in large numbers on the streets of Chennai to participate in his funeral procession Russia deploys its most powerful nuclear warship near key Nato sea routes in the Arctic Three firefighters killed battling wildfires on Colorado-Utah border as blazes spread across US West New Zealand 127/3 in 40.4 Overs Abhishek Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai and Aaradhya jet out of the city in matching black outfits, netizens praise their parenting as daughter carries the luggage – WATCH VIDEO Jyeshtha Purnima on June 29, 2026: Date, timings, puja rituals and significance Meet Aarya, Indian-origin toddler set to become the youngest person to visit all 63 American National Parks | Iraqi security forces raid Baghdad Green Zone, arrest MPs and senior officials in anti-corruption crackdown Journey from secret to saturated follows a pattern recognisable across almost every offbeat destination in India There was a time when planning a holiday was itself the holiday. Families would spend evenings hunched over railway timetables and dog-eared travel magazines, tracing routes with their fingers, arguing over which train to take and whether the overnight journey was worth it. Stations along the way were not just stops, they were destinations themselves. You ate at them. You bought things from them. The kachori at Mathura, the chai at Kanpur, these were non-negotiable. The bus ride after, winding up into the hills or down to the coast, was part of the experience too. Nobody called any of this “experiential travel.” It was just travel.Then things got easier, which is another way of saying things got busier. Disposable incomes rose, information became readily available, and Indians started moving, in larger numbers and with greater frequency. Hotels that once remained closed through the off-season started staying open year-round to meet demand. The word “touristy” entered the vocabulary, and not as a compliment. At peak season, Nainital’s Mall Road became a slow shuffle of bodies. Goa’s beaches started to look less like beaches and more like open-air malls. The destinations hadn’t changed, but what you could do in them had.The pandemic broke something, and then rearranged it. When travel opened back up, it came with a kind of urgency, people had spent long enough sitting still. But returning to the same overcrowded hills and the same overpriced beach shacks felt like a poor use of that urgency. Something had shifted in what people were looking for. Fewer crowds. More room. Something that felt, if not undiscovered, then at least not exhausted.So travelers started going elsewhere. To Meghalaya, where roads give way to root bridges buried in forest. To Gokarna, quieter and less groomed than Goa. To Hampi, with its boulder-strewn landscape and the strange feeling of walking through a place time forgot to flatten. To Ziro Valley, Spiti, Majuli, Shitlakhet, names that, until recently, most Indian travelers would have had to look up on a map.The question now is a familiar one. Because offbeat destinations have a shelf life. The very things that make a place worth seeking out, the quiet, the lack of infrastructure, the sense that you got there before everyone else, tend not to survive the discovery.The anatomy of a boomCoorg was not always a weekend destination. For years, it was the kind of place that people who had been there mentioned quietly, almost protectively, to people they thought would treat it well. You heard about it from a colleague who had family there, or from someone who had driven up on a whim and stayed longer than planned. There were no listicles. No reels on social media. The coffee estates and the mist and the near-total absence of other tourists were, in a way, the point of it all.That version of Coorg is harder to get a hold of now.The journey from secret to saturated follows a pattern recognisable across almost every offbeat destination in India. It usually begins with a trickle, backpackers, photographers, the occasional travel writer looking for something that isn’t Shimla. They come back with photographs and stories. The photographs find their way online. The stories get shared. A travel influencer visits, posts a reel that racks up a few hundred thousand views, and suddenly a place that received a few thousand visitors a year is fielding ten times that number in a single season.Social media doesn’t just spread information about a place, it manufactures aspiration around it.Budget airlines accelerated this in ways that are easy to underestimate. When airlines open a new route, it doesn’t just make a destination more accessible, it makes it accessible to an entirely different kind of traveler, one who might not have considered the place at all if it had required a long train journey or an overnight bus. Connectivity compresses distance, and compressed distance compresses the timeline from discovery to overcrowding.Social media does something slightly different. It doesn’t just spread information about a place, it manufactures aspiration around it. A photograph of Dzukou Valley or Tirthan Valley isn’t just a photograph. It functions as a kind of social signal, proof of taste, proof of having gone somewhere others haven’t yet. The problem is that once enough people have posted that photograph, the signal stops working. The destination has to be replaced by another. And then another.Travel platforms and aggregators complete the loop. A destination trends on Instagram, gets picked up by a travel blog, finds its way onto a “hidden gems” list on a booking platform, and within a season or two, the homestay that once had two rooms has expanded to twelve. The roads get widened. A café opens. Then another.None of this happens slowly anymore.For Sanghrita, a Kolkata-based media professional who has been to Darjeeling twice, the decision to go further came from familiarity. “I have been to Darjeeling twice already. The toy train, the Tiger Hill sunrise, the Chowrasta, I love all of it, but I knew it by heart,” she says. A friend’s offhand mention of Kolakham, quiet, unhurried, no mall road, was all it took.Kolakham delivered. But it was Jorpokhri, a small protected lake village a little further up, that stayed with her. “You can see Kanchenjunga on a clear morning without fighting anyone for the view,” she says. The operative phrase being, for now. On that same trip, she noticed newer homestays coming up, groups arriving that were larger than the roads seemed built for. “It hasn’t become as mainstream yet, but you can feel it might,” she says. It is a sentence that could apply to almost every offbeat destination in India at this precise moment.So who pays the price?Tourism has always been sold as a good news story. Jobs created, local economies boosted, forgotten places finally getting their due. And there is truth in that, a well-run homestay in Sangla or a locally owned café in Ziro does put money directly into the hands of the people who live there. But the fuller picture is more complicated, and the places that have lived with mass tourism the longest are the ones saying so most loudly.In Spain, residents of Barcelona and the Canary Islands have taken to the streets in protest. In Amsterdam, the city government has actively tried to discourage certain kinds of tourists from coming at all. In small British coastal towns like Whitby and St Ives, the damage is quieter but no less real — useful shops replaced by souvenir stores, roads choked through summer, streets hollow through winter, and housing prices pushed beyond the reach of the people who actually live and work there year-round. The short-term rental market, fed by tourism demand, has made it more lucrative for landlords to list on Airbnb than to rent to a local family. The town fills up for a season and empties out into something that no longer quite resembles a community.The question of responsibility does not have a clean answer, and most honest travelers will tell you so.India has not yet seen protests of that scale, but the early signs are visible. In Manali and Kasol, locals speak of rivers that run darker during peak season. In Coorg, plantation owners describe the noise and litter that now accompanies what were once quiet estate visits. In Spiti, a valley with roads that were not built for the volume of vehicles now using them, the question of carrying capacity has moved from an abstract policy concern to something residents feel in daily life.It is partly in response to this that “quiet travel” has emerged as a conscious philosophy among a certain kind of traveler. The idea is not simply to go somewhere less crowded, it is to travel in a way that leaves a lighter mark. Visiting in the off-season. Staying longer in fewer places rather than ticking off a list. Choosing locally owned accommodation over chain hotels. Eating where residents eat. Moving slowly enough to actually notice where you are.The question of responsibility does not have a clean answer, and most honest travelers will tell you so. Sanghrita did not have one either. She stayed at family-run homestays both times, ate whatever was cooked, did not ask for a menu or a wifi password. “I think that matters more than people realise, where the money actually goes,” she says. But she also posted about both places. The photographs are still up. “I’m not going to pretend I’m not part of the cycle,” she added.That discomfort might be the most accurate thing anyone has said about the state of Indian travel right now. The awareness is there. The intention is often good. And yet the posts go up, the tags accumulate, and somewhere a valley that was quiet last season is now on a list.So is there always a next offbeat? For now, yes. India is large enough and uneven enough in its infrastructure that there will always be places that remain difficult to reach, and difficulty of access remains the most reliable filter for crowds. The red pandas of Jorpokhri and the living root bridges of Meghalaya survive, in part, because getting there still requires effort. But infrastructure has a way of catching up. Roads get built. Flights get added. The effort required shrinks, and with it, the filter.Get the latest India news and live updates. 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