Greater Noida (National Desk): A LinkedIn post by Hyderabad-based company Cleanroom Containment CEO Ravikumar Tummalacharla has sparked a heated debate on the holiday culture in India and its impact on productivity. He said that the abundance of public and optional holidays in the country, when combined with weekends, slows down the pace of work and affects the efficiency of businesses.
He specifically gave the example of April 2025 and said that due to more than 10 holidays in that month, file movement in many offices may stop. In this context, he also appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Ministry of Labor to intervene so that India’s holiday calendar can be re-evaluated.
“China is 60 years ahead” – Users furious with the comparison
In his post, Tummalacharla compared India and China, saying, “China is 60 years ahead of us because it prioritises economic speed. In India, we look for faster and smoother processes abroad, but do not improve our own country.” Social media users reacted sharply to this comparison. One user wrote, “Is the solution to India’s economic problems to cancel Diwali, Eid and Good Friday? Productivity dies not from holidays, but from bad systems and red tape.”
“Combining weekends and holidays is wrong” – Critics react
Many professionals objected to the fact that the CEO exaggerated the number of ‘non-working days’ by combining weekends and optional holidays. One user quipped, “It seems like Mr Founder’s office runs 24×7. But please note, most private companies have a 5-day work week.”
Some responses linked the debate to work-life balance and India’s cultural diversity. “It is unfair to compare India and China unless their social, cultural and political contexts are understood. We need to find India-friendly solutions,” said another user. One also suggested that we should not see holidays as a hindrance but an opportunity to manage them better – so that productivity is not affected.
CEO responds – “Ease is more of a concern than holidays”
Following the controversy, Ravikumar Tummalacharla said in a follow-up post that his aim was not to criticise holidays altogether but to warn against too much “ease”. “I am not advocating a 70-hour work week, but if we don’t take work seriously, how will any system survive?” he wrote.
He also rejected AI and automation as a solution to filling the gaps during holidays: “AI cannot build roads, protect borders or treat patients. India still runs on people who work even during holidays.”
He ended the debate with a thoughtful question, “Do we understand the value behind holidays, or are we just excited for a long weekend?” He said the country needs more *contributors*, not just critics. While the post is inspiring a fresh look at work culture, it is also a reminder that change begins with attitude.
