How should a complete beginner start investing with a small amount of money?

The sequence matters more than the products. In order: Step 0 — before ANY investing: one month of expenses as buffer in savings, high-interest debt cleared (credit card debt at 36–42% APR outruns every investment ever; paying it off IS a guaranteed 40% return), and know your monthly burn number. Step 1 — emergency fund: 3–6 months of expenses, boring and liquid (sweep-in FD or liquid fund). Not optional, not investable. This fund is what prevents you from selling investments at the worst moment when life happens. Step 2 — the actual investing (this is where your ₹5k goes): a SIP into one broad, low-cost index fund — Nifty 50 or a total-market fund, DIRECT plan (direct vs regular = ~1% yearly fee difference, which compounds into lakhs over decades). Automate it for the day after salary lands. Done. That single boring instrument beats what most active pickers achieve, and 'one fund, automated, ignored' is a complete strategy at your stage — diversification sophistication can come after the portfolio crosses a few lakhs. Step 3 — the behavior (this determines everything): never stop the SIP in a crash — falling markets are your best purchases; check the portfolio quarterly, not daily; increase the SIP with every raise (5k→8k does more than any fund-picking cleverness ever will). What to ignore for now: stock tips, crypto beyond play money you'd burn, insurance-as-investment products (buy pure term insurance separately if anyone depends on you), and anyone whose income depends on your transaction. At 24 with ₹5k/month and 30+ years of compounding runway, time in the market is your entire edge — the jargon can wait; the automation can't.