‘Kids have no choice but to slog’: A viral post on Indians being the most overworked people is raising concern

Working overtime to complete a project or pulling an overnighter for an exam, for most of the Indians this does not sound like something that deserves any credit.

Advertisement

This is how we are taught to function from a very young age.

A post on X recently went Viral, it claimed that Indians are the most overworked people on earth and the internet seems to agree. After all, prioritising work over your mental and physical health is considered a norm here.

Akshat Shrivastva, a user on X, in reply to a post discussing reservation said “Indians are the most overworked people on earth. Not by Choice. But by system,” raising a concern about what could its ‘root cause’.

[1] Indians are the most overworked people on earth.

Not by choice. But, by system.

Example: kids studying for IITs would easily study 10-12 hours/day. This ability to "slog" continues at work.

[2] This habit to "slog" continues in adult life. Example: many hardworking… https://t.co/TkQ5YF4djQ

— Akshat Shrivastava (@Akshat_World) June 19, 2025

Shrivastva also talked about how the habit of slogging is developed at a young age. “Example: kids studying for IITs would easily study 10-12 hours/day. This ability to "slog" continues at work,” he said.

He further added how building merit is equivalent of building a better life for people here because apparently “That’s there only option”

The internet also supported this claim of a flaw in our system.

“Indians don’t hustle out of ambition. They hustle because the system taught them there’s no safety net, only grind or fall,” said a user in reply to this. While the other said “it’s not hustle culture, it’s survival culture. For many Indians, hard work isn’t ambition—it’s the only way out.”