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Before Bill Gates returned to India in March 2025 for the third time in three years, he wrote an insightful blog about his successful healthcare initiatives in the country with the government over two decades. The Microsoft Co-founder also wrote about how impressed he was with the deep progress India has made in healthcare, including polio eradication, and infrastructure. He mentioned India’s upper hand in technology, including Artificial Intelligence (AI), in the fields of agriculture and healthcare, especially in detecting and treating tuberculosis, and vaccination for children. India is exporting its digital and AI expertise to the world, he said. Bill Gates may be a known name among techies and the educated general public because of Microsoft Windows, but how many really know him as the Founder of one of the biggest tech companies in the world? How many in India know about the Gates Foundation (formerly Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation) and its work? In a country with almost 1.5 billion of population, Bill Gates is still not a household name, as some movie stars may be. So, it seems, to stay relevant, Bill Gates may have an ‘India Strategy’. Let’s take a look at what that is. ‘Jai Shri Krishna’: Bill Gates Greets Smriti Irani’s Tulsi in ‘Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2’ Special Episode (Watch Video). Bill Gates’ India Strategy to Stay Relevant So, what is the gameplan of Bill Gates for India to grab the attention of the masses? On the one hand, the tech entrepreneur hobnobs with the prime ministers and presidents of the world and renowned businesspeople. On the other hand, in India, Bill Gates meets with a streetside chaiwala – serving tea in his unique style – a Nagpur-based influencer named Dolly Chaiwala aka Sunil Patil. The big tech biggie met the tea vendor in the Indian tech city of Hyderabad and made him a social media sensation. In 2025, Gates has gone a step ahead! What is that? Read on to know. Bill Gates Appears on ‘Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2’ Bill Gates got himself an appearance on the second season of one of the most successful daily soaps of Indian television, Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2. The revamped version of TV producer Ekta Kapoor’s OG Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi that ran from 2000-2008, Kyunki 2 is establishing itself as an equally loved TV soap opera. Actress and former union minister Smriti Irani still leads the show as Tulsi Virani, the main protagonist of Kyunki. It is Tulsi who does the talking to Bill Gates on the show. But what is Bill Gates doing in a Hindi TV serial on the channel Star Plus? It was reportedly the idea of Smriti Irani to bring in the Microsoft founder. Bill Gates agreed and decided to make a video appearance in an episode of Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2, appearing as himself on October 23, 2025. What did he do on the show? In his first appearance on Indian TV in a fiction show, Bill Gates promoted awareness about mother and child health. This is a cause championed by the Gates Foundation, formerly known as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Bill Gates Says India Building Digital Innovations To Transform Global Health and Development, Not Just Its Citizens. On October 23, the Smriti Irani Office handle on X tweeted the promo video of Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2 with Bill Gates and the former union minister. “From Shantiniketan to Seattle, one shared mission and a crossover no one saw coming! 🤓 @BillGates joins Tulsi on #KyunkiSaasBhiKabhiBahuThi to share a powerful message on maternal and child health. Tune in today for this unmissable episode!” read the caption. Take a look. Smriti Irani Tweets Bill Gates’ Promo of ‘Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2’ – Watch Video: From Shantiniketan to Seattle, one shared mission and a crossover no one saw coming! 🤓@BillGates joins Tulsi on #KyunkiSaasBhiKabhiBahuThi to share a powerful message on maternal and child health. Tune in today for this unmissable episode! pic.twitter.com/FnSuYnQqrg — Smriti Irani Office (@SmritiIraniOffc) October 23, 2025 In the promo of Kyunki 2 on October 23, Bill Gates is seen speaking Hindi, as he greets Smriti Irani’s character on Kyunki through a FaceTime /video call. She greets him with a “Jai Shri Krishna,” (Victory be to Lord Krishna), to which Bill Gates says in Hindi, “Namaste, Tulsi ji. Jai Shri Krishna.” Tulsi replies, “Bahot achcha laga yeh jaanke ki aap seedha America se mere parivar se jud rahe hai. Aapka hum sab besabri se intezaar kar rahe hain.” (“It feels nice that you are connecting with my family directly from America. We are eagerly waiting to interact with you.”) Bill Gates replies with “Thank you Tulsi ji”. In the full episode of Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2, Smriti Irani (as Tulsi Virani) and Bill Gates talk about the concept of Godhbharai (baby shower) in India, and how it celebrates the health of a pregnant woman, a to-be mother. Bill Gates Meets Dolly Chaiwala On February 28, 2024, Bill Gates tweeted a video of influencer and tea vendor Dolly Chaiwala making tea and serving it in the streetside glass chai tumbler to one of the richest men in the world. The video became an instant hit, and has got 11.4 million views a year-and-a-half later. This simple clip with a roadside chaiwala, albeit now a polished influencer in his clan, created more buzz for Bill Gates and his foundation than his software services could ever do. Mission accomplished for the billionaire philanthropist! It also displayed a humane side of Gates, who has been under controversy, especially during the COVID-19 period, for his support of vaccination. Bill Gates Has Indian Chai With Dolly Chaiwala – Watch Video: View this post on Instagram A post shared by Bill Gates (@thisisbillgates) Smriti Irani on Bill Gates' Collaboration With ‘Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2’ Smriti Irani said in a statement about the Gates Foundation collaboration with Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2: “This marks a historic moment for Indian television. For too long, women’s and children’s health has remained at the margins of mainstream dialogue. Kyunki has always been more than a show; it’s been a movement that mirrors our society. With Bill Gates’ presence, we’re taking that spirit forward — highlighting that when mothers are healthy, children thrive, and communities grow stronger.” Ekta Kapoor, Managing Director, Balaji Telefilms, the producer of Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi, said in a statement, “Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi has always been a reflection of India’s changing social fabric, a show that connects generations through emotion and storytelling. With the new season of Kyunki, our aim was to evolve that legacy by giving entertainment a larger purpose. Having Bill Gates join this journey is truly a moment of pride, not just for us at Balaji but for Indian television as a whole. It is a testament to how stories can transcend boundaries and spark meaningful conversations about issues that truly matter, including women’s and children’s health, nutrition, and the power of community.” Gates Foundation Work in India “With the goal of improving the lives of millions of Indian people, we work in collaboration with the Indian government and other partners on various issues, from health care and sanitation to gender equality, agricultural development, and financial empowerment of the most vulnerable populations,” reads the Gates Foundation mission statement on its website. The Foundation has been working in India for 25 years now, and will now be working in AI more extensively with the country. Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw tweeted in March 2025, tagiing the Gates Foundation, "AI solutions for better crops, stronger healthcare, smarter education & climate resilience— MoU soon between India AI Mission & @gatesfoundation ." Ashwini Vaishnaw With Bill Gates - See Post: AI solutions for better crops, stronger healthcare, smarter education & climate resilience— MoU soon between India AI Mission & @gatesfoundation pic.twitter.com/YnyEHnGhQt — Ashwini Vaishnaw (@AshwiniVaishnaw) March 19, 2025 India Inspires Bill Gates “I always leave India inspired,” Bill Gates ended his blog last year with these lines, hoping to learn something new from Indians and share his ideas with the nation, which he considers an increasingly important country in the Global South. Bill Gates will reportedly appear in more episodes of Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2, or be a part of other such collaborations.
