Who I am
I'm Syed Umar Farooq. I keep my personal life private: if you know me, you already know the rest. This page is about what I believe and what I intend to build.
Many people learn to accept the world as it is: rising prices, neglected roads, and rules that bend for those with money and influence. I don't.
I'm ambitious, and my ambition is not only personal. I want my life's work to make a real difference for people everywhere. Below are the seven principles I stand for, each with a short example you can try.
Principle 01
Privacy
Your life belongs to you. What you do, where you go, what you say and what you buy should never be collected, sold or monitored without your clear permission.
Almost every app, website and device now records something about the people who use it. Most of the time, that consent is not truly given: we click "accept" because there is no real alternative. The data is then used to market to us, to shape our opinions, and in some cases to control what we see.
Personal data is now one of the most traded resources in the world. Some governments have begun to respond: Europe's GDPR gives people the right to see and erase their data, and India passed the Digital Personal Data Protection Act in 2023. Laws are a start, but privacy will only be real when it is built into products from the first day.
What I wantPrivacy by default, not a setting hidden in a menu. Nothing collected without a clear yes, and a simple right to see, correct and delete whatever is held about you.
Next: Owning, not rentingFigure 1. What this page can see about you, right now.
This is read inside your own browser. Nothing is saved and nothing is sent anywhere.
Principle 02
Owning, not renting
When you pay for something, it should be yours.
Increasingly, we no longer buy things; we rent them. Software, music, films and even features already built into cars and phones are locked behind monthly fees. Stop paying, and access disappears, even after years of payments. The model guarantees companies a permanent income. For customers, it means paying indefinitely and owning nothing.
Many digital "purchases" are really licences that can be withdrawn at any time. In response, a growing right-to-repair movement is pushing for people to be allowed to fix, keep and truly own what they pay for.
What I wantThe right to buy once and own for life. Subscriptions should be an option people choose, never the only option they are given.
Next: Real quality at the real priceFigure 2. Slide the years and compare.
Illustrative prices.
Principle 03
Real quality at the real price
Everyone deserves the best quality at an honest price: the true cost of making something, plus a fair profit. Not a price inflated by greed.
Much of what we pay has little to do with what things actually cost to make. Layers of middlemen, brand mark-ups and hidden charges push prices up while quality quietly declines. Some products are even designed to wear out early, so that they have to be replaced.
In India, the MRP printed on a pack is only the maximum a seller is allowed to charge. It says nothing about what the product cost to make. Honest businesses can change that by being open about their costs and their margins.
What I wantTransparent pricing, honest quality, and products built to last.
Next: An end to corrupt politicsFigure 3. Tap each layer to remove it.
Illustrative figures.
Principle 04
An end to corrupt politics
Taxes are the people's money, held in trust. Every rupee should return to the public as roads, services and systems that work.
Everyone pays tax: on income, on purchases, on fuel. That money exists to build good roads, clean water, functioning hospitals and schools. Too often it is lost along the way, while some of those entrusted with it live in comfort at the public's expense. The roads remain broken, and citizens are told there is no money.
Citizens already have tools for accountability, such as India's Right to Information Act of 2005, which lets anyone ask how public money is spent. What is missing is openness by default: budgets and contracts published for everyone to see, and real consequences when money is misused.
What I wantFull transparency on public spending, real accountability for misuse, and public money spent on the public. Managed honestly, it could deliver what seems out of reach today, such as free electricity for every home.
Next: Freedom for farmersFigure 4. Switch where the taxes go.
Broken road. Dark lamps. Dark homes.
Principle 05
Freedom for farmers
The people who grow our food should be free to own their land, to decide what they grow, and to grow it naturally.
Farmers feed everyone, yet they are among the least free. Debt, regulation and controlled markets dictate much of their lives. Growing truly natural, organic food is made difficult and poorly rewarded, even though it is better for the soil, for the farmer and for everyone who eats it.
Most farmers in India work small plots and depend on loans and middlemen to reach the market, which leaves them little room to choose. Fair prices, direct access to buyers and real support for natural farming would give them that room back.
What I wantFarmers who own what they work, make their own decisions, and are properly rewarded for growing healthy food the natural way.
Next: Safe foodFigure 5. Remove what holds the farmer back.
Three things hold the field back.
Principle 06
Safe food
Food sold to people must be safe, and someone must actually check that it is.
Almost all of us eat processed and packaged food every day. But who is truly checking what goes into it: the chemicals, the colours, the preservatives, the oils? Inspections are weak or absent, laws are inconsistently enforced, and we pay the price with our health.
India has a national food regulator, FSSAI, and detailed rules on what food may contain. The gap is enforcement: regular, independent testing, and penalties strong enough that no one finds it cheaper to break the rules.
What I wantStrict, regular and honest inspections, labels anyone can understand, and real penalties for anyone who sells unsafe food.
Next: An end to briberyFigure 6. Move over the label to read the small print.
Tasty Crunch Snack
Ingredients: refined oil (source not stated), sugar, salt, colour (150d), flavour enhancer (621), preservative (211), added flavours, emulsifier (322). Contains permitted synthetic food colours and added flavours.An example label. Who checks that it's true and safe?
Principle 07
An end to bribery
A public servant is paid by the public to serve the public, not to be paid again under the table.
For many people, getting something simple done still means paying a bribe: a certificate, a licence, a file that needs to move. Those who can pay are served. Those who cannot are left behind. Bribery also makes every other problem on this page worse.
Strong laws already exist, including India's Prevention of Corruption Act. Where services have moved online, with fixed timelines and tracking, the room for bribes has shrunk. The aim is to make every public service work that way.
What I wantA system where nothing needs a bribe: clear rules, fixed deadlines, every step traceable, and strict consequences for anyone who asks for one or offers one.
Next: How it all connectsFigure 7. Send a file through the office.
How it all connects
These are not seven separate problems. They grow from the same root: those with power taking from those without it.
Bribery allows unsafe food to pass inspection and poor roads to pass approval. Corrupt politics keeps prices high and farmers powerless. Harvesting people's data and turning every purchase into a subscription are the same habit in a newer form: taking more and giving less. Fix the root, and every branch improves.
The brightest part
My dream
Identifying what is wrong is not enough. My goal is to build what is right.
- Honest businessesCompanies that sell real quality at the real price, and are proud to show what things truly cost.
- A people's movementOrdinary people standing together for their rights and against corruption and bribery.
- Privacy-first technologyApps and tools that respect people, collect nothing they don't need, and that you truly own.
- Fair food and farmingFree farmers, natural food, and safe food on every table.
Which of these matters most to you?
Choose one. Your answer stays on your screen; nothing is saved or sent.
My nature
By nature I am gentle and considerate, like a single rare flower in a garden the size of the world: warm, calm and good to be around.
I treat people with respect and expect the same in return. My calm should never be mistaken for weakness.
This is the line.
You crossed the line.
Not even the worst tsunami, earthquake or volcano comes close to me.