A great shift is underway in how we buy, eat, move, work and sell owing to technological intervention. Tech platforms—whether a Swiggy, Amazon or Uber in India, a Foodpanda in Pakistan or a Pathao in Bangladesh or Nepal—have eased the pressures of modern life. They have freed up our time, provided jobs to grateful millions and delivered guilty pleasures and last-minute necessities to online buyers.
But behind the dazzle of the digital, much is opaque. Gig workers live a precarious life while internet retailers cope with the oppressive rules of global behemoths. Consumers wonder if there are are consequences to instant gratification and the extreme ease of living.
OTP Please delves into the wondrous new world of electronic commerce by connecting diverse stories and perspectives gathered across South Asia, from Peshawar to Patna and Colombo to Kathmandu. It explores the emotional dynamics between the different actors on this stage, the workings of tech companies and the implications for policy. Deeply researched and breezily narrated, it is essential reading to understand this extraordinary digital age that we inhabit.
Imprint: India Penguin
Published: Jul/2025
ISBN: 9780143463399
Length : 384 Pages
MRP : ₹499.00
India’s gig economy is often celebrated for creating jobs – but what happens when the apps stop paying, the incentives disappear, and the workers start protesting? In this excerpt from OTP Please, Vandana Vasudevan captures the voice of an Uber driver whose rise and fall mirrors the fate of gig workers across India. […]
