Hyderabad CEO Blaming Festival Holidays for Poor Productivity Backfires, Triggers Heated Debate

Viral Post: A LinkedIn post by a Hyderabad-based CEO has gone viral for all the wrong reasons, sparking a heated debate about work culture, holidays, and productivity in India.

Ravikumar Tummalacharla, founder and CEO of Cleanrooms Containments, claimed that India’s long list of public holidays, and long weekends is bringing work to a halt especially in April 2025, where he said there were ’10+ holidays’ and ‘no file movement for weeks.’

“Too many holidays, no work moving!” he wrote, urging Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Labour Ministry to step in and rethink the country’s holiday calendar. He even compared India to China, saying, “China is 60 years ahead because they prioritise economic momentum.”

One user clapped back, “So the solution is to cancel Diwali, Eid, and Good Friday? Productivity isn’t killed by holidays, it’s killed by red tape, poor systems, and glorifying overwork. China didn’t skip festivals to grow — they invested in tech and efficiency.”

Another pointed out a factual flaw, “You included all Saturdays and Sundays most private offices follow a 5-day week. Please get your numbers right.”

Others felt the CEO was ignoring India’s cultural diversity and the importance of work-life balance. “It’s unfair to compare India and China without considering their very different contexts,” one commenter wrote.

In response to the backlash, Tummalacharla posted a follow-up, saying critics should try seeing things from an entrepreneur’s perspective. “We chase comfort and still complain,” he wrote. “Too much ease is dulling our ambition.”

He clarified that he wasn’t calling for 70-hour workweeks, but warning against a culture that, in his words, “doesn’t respect time and the 8-hour workday.”

On suggestions that AI could help during holidays, he responded, “AI can’t build roads, guard borders, or treat patients. India still runs on people who work when others rest.”

He ended with a provocative question, “Are we overdoing holidays? Do we think about their meaning or just enjoy the long weekends?”

While some agreed with his points, many felt the post missed the bigger picture that real productivity comes from better systems, not fewer holidays.