by Headline inflation edges higher as food deflation eases
Why it matters
India retail inflation based on Consumer Price Index data moved up to 0.71 percent year over year in November 2025 from a multi year low of 0.25 percent in October. Analysts are describing this as just enough inflation to make economists nod while consumers scratch their heads. The story shows how prices on everything from vegetables to spices and fuel are creeping higher while food prices remain in deflation but less extreme than before. For context on the official figures see the detailed CPI overview at Reuters coverage of India CPI data.
The curious inflation narrative
Rather than sky rocketing and causing panic this inflation report reads almost like a Zen koan traduced into economic terms where serious jargon meets the marketplace poetry of everyday citizens. Food prices are said to have fallen for the sixth month in a row though at a slower pace, meaning Indian kitchens everywhere can still argue about which vegetable is cheapest while budget spreadsheets glow ominously in the background. Meanwhile the statistics priesthood known as economists argue over base effects and measurement windows, as though normal families havent been doing the same for decades. Urban and rural inflation narratives split into two almost unrelated dialogues with one side arguing fruit prices are rising and then immediately noting that overall food prices are still technically in the negative.
How India and its people react
In markets and stores customers debate whether inflation is scary or a backdrop for normal life. Some feel they have grown so used to price changes that nothing shocks them anymore, while others treat inflation numbers like religious texts open to interpretive arguments. Media outlets publish charts and analysts debate whether the trend is sustainable or if a repo rate cut is imminent all while the average person checks onion prices on their phone then scrolls social media mocking the entire concept. The Reserve Bank of India target range is mentioned with the same reverence as tradition dictates though nearly everyone agrees that being below target while still feeling expensive is some kind of miracle paradox.
Bottom line
The inflation uptick might be minuscule by expert standards but its huge in narrative value because it gives columnists something to write about and citizens something to meme about. Ultimately the CPI story shows how economic data can be both deeply technical and intensely ridiculous at the same time which is maybe the best summary of modern India. For reference on the overall consumer inflation picture visit analytics like the India inflation rebound summary at India inflation CPI data.
SOURCE: Bohiney.com ()
