Arun Mehta

@arunwatches
Former startup engineer turned tech observer. I write about India's digital economy — the UPI stack, gaming boom, fintech wave, and the developers building for the next billion. Based in Bengaluru since 2017.
Bengaluru, India

Two Months of Watching Live Dealer in India: An April-May 2026 Retrospective

A personal retrospective covering 8 weeks of watching India's live dealer category — Hindi-table inventory that materialized vs stalled, PROGA Act 2025 first-quarter operational reality, app store moderation patterns I noticed on my Pixel, UPI/MCC routing changes, and what the May 2026 ground-level picture says about where the category goes through 2026.

The Hindi-Speaking Gaming Long Tail in May 2026: A Pixel Notebook

A Bengaluru notebook on the Hindi-default Play Store tray in May 2026 — Andar Bahar finally getting real engineering, Teen Patti UX conventions crystallizing, the matka subsegment more segmented than English-side coverage admits, and where Hindi-first design actually shows up versus where it remains marketing façade.

Watching Live Dealer Apps Land on Indian App Stores: An April Notebook

A Bengaluru notebook on the live-dealer app trickle of April 2026 — what showed up on my Pixel, what got pulled, and why this category feels different.

AI in India's Tech Ecosystem: Hype vs Reality in 2026

India's AI narrative is loud. But what's actually shipping? A ground-level look at what companies are building versus what's being marketed.

Online Gaming Regulation in India: A Tech Perspective

The 2023 IT Rules on online gaming changed everything. Here's what the technical implementation looks like from inside the ecosystem.

The Real Cost of Building a Startup in Bengaluru

Beyond the Silicon Valley comparisons — actual numbers, real burn rates, and what it costs to build in India's startup capital.

Mobile-First India: Designing for the Next Billion Users

Low-end Android, patchy 4G, and price-sensitive users. The UX constraints that shaped India's app design philosophy.

Why Indian Developers Are Building for the World

The shift from IT services to product companies is real. How Indian engineers are now shipping global-first products.

The Rise of Indian Fintech: From Paytm to the Next Wave

Post-Paytm turbulence, what does India's fintech landscape look like? Account aggregators, ONDC, and the infrastructure plays.

Digital India at Scale: What the Numbers Really Tell Us

1.4 billion Aadhaar IDs, 300M UPI users, 800M internet connections. Behind the headline numbers, a more complicated story.

10 Apps Every Indian Smartphone User Needs in 2026

From payments to entertainment — my personal shortlist of apps that have genuinely improved daily life in India.

India's Gaming Boom: Why 500 Million Players Changed Everything

India went from 'gaming is for kids' to the world's largest mobile gaming market in under a decade.

The UPI Revolution: How India Built the World's Fastest Payment System

The engineering and policy decisions that turned UPI into the world's most used real-time payment rail.

I've Been Watching India's Slot App Category for 18 Months — Here's What I See

An observer's take on the slot app category in India — install patterns, regulatory exposure, UX trends, and what the category looks like from outside the operator bubble.

The Digital Transition of Satta Matka: What a Tech Observer Sees in 2026

Satta matka — one of India's oldest informal betting formats — has moved online. What the technical transition looks like, why it's regulatorily complicated, and what it means for India's broader gaming landscape.