There is no singular idea of India. The nation is a behemoth, an amalgamation of cultures and ideas, of histories that have shaped the country we know today. Therefore, we celebrate the ideas of India. In 2022, India is on a crossroad. With technology as a driving force, India is taking giant leaps towards a brave new future. ABP organised Ideas of India Summit 2022 with thought leaders, visionary businessmen, cultural stars, and civil society pioneers. The guests spoke of, and commented on India’s future, and the challenges the country is facing today. The meet focused on varied topics, in retrospect, the varied ideas of the country. Here are some of the key commentaries by the esteemed guests.
Our primary focus is on nationalism: Nitin Gadkari
Union Minister Nitin Gadkari recently vouched for justice for all - irrespective of caste, religion, language, and sex. He also said that there will be zero appeasement in the country. The Minister was speaking at ABP Network’s inaugural ‘Ideas of India’ summit to delve into the topic of New India, New Manifesto.
“Sometimes, Hindutva is projected in a wrong light. The basic principle of Hindutva is: Justice for all and appeasement of none,” he said.
At his session titled, ‘New India, New Manifesto - Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas Aur Sabka Vishwas,’ he said, “In the philosophy of BJP, the primary focus is on nationalism. The second focus lies in good governance and development. The third most important pillar is Antyodaya, under which we try to uplift those who belong to the socially and economically backward classes. On the day, when these people will have food, clothes and their own houses, we will feel that our work is done.”
Gadkari also explained at length about the development initiatives being undertaken under his watch. When asked about the high petrol and diesel prices, and how the government plans to address these problems in future, he emphasized on the need for developing indigenous energy generation capabilities.
He said, “India will soon have a 40,000 crore ethanol, methanol and bio-ethanol production economy, reducing our dependence on petroleum imports. Leading car and two-wheeler manufacturers in India are working on developing products with flex-fuel engines, which will be launched in the coming months.”
“The rates of petroleum and electric vehicles will be at par in India in the next two years. We are working on developing green hydrogen production indigenously by harnessing it from sources like sewage water and biomass,” he added.
Every Indian should be proud of his or her religion: Shashi Tharoor
“As a nation and people, we, the Indians, should practice not just tolerance, but acceptance of all religions,” said Dr. Shashi Tharoor, senior Congress leader and Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha.
Dr. Tharoor was speaking at ABP Network’s inaugural ‘Ideas of India’ summit to delve on the topic of ‘The Idea of Freedom - Law, Liberty, and the Limits of Democracy: A functioning anarchy or a Non-negotiable Democracy?’
He said, “We should practice what Swami Vivekananda taught us. He held all religions to be true. The Shiva Mahimna Stotram says - thousands of streams flow in different directions – some straight, some in curve, but finally they dissolve in one ocean. Similarly, despite having various religious practices, all such doctrines ultimately dissolve in the Sachchidananda Swaroopa. Also, every Indian should be proud of his or her religion.”
On the issue of some individuals and political parties hijacking the credit of making India an independent country, he said, “The Indian National Congress fought for freedom. The Hindutva view was represented by Hindu Mahasabha and RSS, and neither of them participated in the freedom struggle. In fact, both of these organisations, in different ways, had recommended people to collaborate with the British. The Hindu Mahasabha had joined hands with the Muslim League to usurp power in Bengal. We should use terms such as pluralism and diversity instead of secularism.”
Jagdeep Dhankhar, governor of West Bengal, who was a co-speaker at the same event, said that he is always governed by the constitution. “Let us not be apologetic about our religion. We are passing through a critical period. The nation today is facing challenges from within and outside. No other nation on the planet is facing such challenges. The courage of conviction should never be in captivity,” he observed.
The session was chaired by senior journalist and TV presenter Vir Sanghvi.
Young India is changing, dreaming of better, bigger things: Ritesh Agarwal
Ritesh Agarwal, Founder & Group CEO, OYO, spoke at ABP Network’s inaugural ‘Ideas of India,’ where he said that young India is changing, and is dreaming of better, bigger things. He said that the best in India is chasing the best in the world. They have the resources and the wherewithal. All they need is a gentle push.
Agarwal was speaking on the topic of ‘Making Business Sense - Small Towns, Big Dreams: Why Entrepreneurship Matters.’ Urging young entrepreneurs to believe in themselves, he said, “One should at least try. One can, of course, fail at anything as there is risk everywhere, but that effort must be there.”
On learnings from Peter Thiel’s fellowship, he outlined three big takeaways. “First, Think Big: one should not be constrained by the background where one comes from. If one wants to think, s/he might as well think big. Second, naivety is good at the beginning, but don’t end up being naive. Third, Value of Talent: one good person can change the trajectory of a company. So, be ready to share ownership and credit,” he said.
On learnings from criticism, he commented, “Reduce the noise from the signals. There is always an opportunity to learn. Learn to ignore the noise, while paying attention to the signals. I believe, most of the people around us want us to succeed as we want to win fair and square,” he further added.
On important qualities in a business partner, he outlined three principal parameters. “First, there is an opportunity to get a better version of oneself; a character who helps you improve. Second, have a mutual understanding on alignment and have mutual appreciation. Third, ability to dream, wanting to see the stars and say there is so much to do in life.”
Men account for 80% of people calling on mental health helpline: Neerja Birla
“Individuals having mental health issues have become commonplace these days, but even within this, the statistics is disproportionately skewed towards males. It is men who account for 80% of people calling for help on Mpower’s mental health helpline.”, said Neerja Birla, Founder and Chairperson of Aditya Birla Trust.
Birla was speaking at ABP Network’s inaugural ‘Ideas of India’ summit, on the topic, ‘World of Wellbeing - Learning to Speak Up: Breaking the Silence.’ She said, “We found this statistics after we created a helpline for addressing mental health issues at Mpower. This further raises the question on the reasons for this tremendous difference. I am concerned about women not addressing their issues or not seeking help. The awareness towards the importance of mental wellbeing is lacking. Even when one is aware, s/he has very few choices when it requires professional help.”
Speaking on postpartum depression, she said that the ignorance about it had affected her a lot. “Had I known about this, I would have been able to deal with it much better, and would have spoken about it openly early on,” she added.
She observed, “A person may be a high-achiever and do extremely well in professional life, but s/he may also struggle with mental health concerns. So, it’s very important to address that. Having a mental health concern can make one feel that s/he has failed as an individual, but the fact is - anybody can have anxiety.”
When asked about the reforms in the mental health legislation and its impact, she said, “The Mental Healthcare Act 2017 now actually protects the rights of people suffering from mental illness. It also gives them the right to decide what modalities of treatment they want. The biggest achievement of this Act is decriminalising suicide.”
Chhattisgarh’s rural policy is inspiring other states now: Bhupesh Baghel
“Chhattisgarh’s novel policy of buying cow dung at Rs 2/kilo under the Godhan Nyay Yojana has led to multiple positive effects, and is now inspiring other states to implement the same policy,” said Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel at ABP Network’s inaugural ‘Ideas of India.’
The Chief Minister was speaking on the topic, ‘Rural Evolution - Farmer Power: Field of Dreams.’ Recalling the days before this policy was introduced, he said, “Many people in Chhattisgarh were abandoning cows because of rising costs of fodder. We realised that the issue of cattle had to be linked with economy. The cattle was neglected even at the government-managed cow-shelters as the workers were not working in the spirit of service.”
“Once we introduced the policy of buying cow dung at Rs 2/kilo, these cows started to be looked after properly and fed properly as their caretakers realised that without fodder, there won’t be any cow dung. Today we are using the same cow dung to make natural fertilisers. We are also in the process of manufacturing paints and generating power using it.”
Baghel said that Gujarat has contributed a lot to India and it has given us illustrious sons such as Mahatma Gandhi, and Vallabhbhai Patel. “But now, four individuals from the same state are at play. Two are selling and the other two are buying,” he observed, while referring to Modi-Shah and Ambani-Adani. “They are working to sell what Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi built, even then they are unable to stabilise the economy,” he added.
On the film, ‘The Kashmir Files’, he said, “While the film director has his rights, the role of the ruling party was not shown. The then-Governor of J&K had asked Kashmiri Hindus to leave the state, and the army was sent in only after Rajiv Gandhi had protested.”
Babur, an invader, but Bahadur Shah Zafar, an Indian: Sudheendra Kulkarni
Sudheendra Kulkarni, Author & Socio-Political Activist, spoke at ABP Network’s inaugural ‘Ideas of India.’ Kulkarni spoke on the topic, ‘Excavating the Past - India’s History: Change or Continuity?’
He said, “In Indian history, there have been many invaders, who came from outside the country and plundered this land. But it is India’s innate quality that absorbed all of them. So, Babur may have been an invader but Bahadur Shah Zafar was as Indian as Jhansi ki Rani Lakshmi Bai.”
He further said, “There is not a single Indian who is an alien Indian. Everyone is an equal Indian – whether it’s the Hindus, Muslims, Christians, or Sikhs. Similarly, irrespective of the political party – whether it’s the Congress, RSS, BJP, or the Left – all are Indians and all are equal Indians.”
“BJP today is just paying lip service to their ideological founder Deendayal Upadhyaya. But they are not following his guidance. What we need today is politics of reconciliation, politics of samvaad and samanvay (concerted conversation). Unfortunately, those who take the name of Deendayal Upadhyay today, are in the business of excavating the past,” he added.
Mr Kulkarni also addressed the topic of politics and polarisation, and commented, “The politics of division and polarsation is recent; it must be rejected. During the recent assembly elections, a popular political leader said this is a battle of 80:20 and he ended up winning the election.”
The co-speaker at the same session, Prof. Makarand R Paranjape, author and academician, said, “History is a very recent form of epistemology. The brutality of the conquest of India, the destruction of the monuments and the temples, the loots - all of these were airbrushed. We can’t write revenge histories, but these things have to be told so that we have a truth and reconciliation type of movement within India to know what happened.”
Purpose is a key driver to profits: Dr. Anish Shah
While speaking at ABP Network’s inaugural ‘Ideas of India’ summit to delve into the topic of Reinventing Business: Purpose vs Profits, Dr. Anish Shah said that the world today has changed leaps and bounds. In our world today, it has become more important to focus on purpose, which has remained a key driver to profits.
He elaborated, “The term ‘purpose’ is not a recently coined one. In fact, I’ll go back to the time when our founders had started Mahindra & Mahindra in 1945. They put out an advertisement in The Times of India, outlining the principles on which the company was born. Those principles talked about dignity of labour, meritocracy and responsibility to the society. They outlined, in effect, what purpose meant to the organisation.”
“Being socially responsible gives a clear benefit to the brand value of a corporate. Among native American Indians, there’s a saying- we don’t inherit the world, we borrow it from our children,” he said.
According to Shah, the one thing that the Mahindra Group has always done well is having a lot of empathy towards its associates, and having the ability to meet their needs. “Work From Home is something that we are looking at closely in terms of what form it should be taking. One important thing that is lost in WFH is the physical aspect of meeting colleagues and developing relationships, which helps to co-create and co-innovate,” he added.
On ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ campaign, Dr. Shah said, “I think the policy formulation part has been very sound, and we can see that a tremendous amount of incentives has been given to ‘Make in India’ and ‘Aatmanirbhar.’ It will create a much stronger boost, and we will start seeing its effects in the next 5-7 years.”
India can regain its position as a ‘golden bird’: Kailash Satyarthi
One idea that would again propel India to its erstwhile position as a ‘golden bird’ is that every child in this country can be fearless with complete freedom. Also, children should get the same education that children of top industrialists or top political leaders do.
The Nobel Laureate was speaking at ABP Network’s inaugural ‘Ideas of India’ summit that has brought together the brightest brains from diverse sectors to discuss India’s 75-year journey, its present status, and the way ahead.
At a session titled, ‘The Humanity Index - Surakshit Bachhpan, Surakshit Bharat,’ Dr Satyarthi said, “Imagine a girl child belonging to one of the poor families from our country’s hinterlands, who is vulnerable to sexual predators or trafficking. Can we put all our efforts together to bring some cheer in her life? If we can, then India will be truly considered sone ki chidiya or golden bird.”
If human society doesn’t exist, talks about development is nothing: Aaditya Thackeray
“When we are talking about development, we are including everyone in it, and when we are talking about sustainability, we are again doing the same. If we as a human society don’t exist, then talks about development are nothing. If we talk about sustainable development, then I think our nation can go ahead,” said Aaditya Thackeray, Maharashtra’s Minister for Tourism, Environment & Protocol.
Thackeray was speaking at ABP Network’s inaugural ‘Ideas of India’ summit to delve on the topic of India 2047: Vision of a Young Politician.
Speaking at the keynote conversation, Thackeray spoke on challenges to cooperative federalism between centre and states. Referring to the use of central agencies, he said, “As I have said earlier you can see a pattern. In whichever states the elections are coming in, central agencies are being used as a tool to launch the election campaign. Post central agencies, the mud-slinging against certain parties begin.”
Thackeray also spoke on the issue of Kashmiri Pandits and the demands to make the movie ‘Kashmir Files,’ tax free in Maharashtra. He commented, “In the exodus of Kashmiri Pandits, only one man was standing with the entire community, and we are still there with them. On the other hand, the issue of making the film tax free in Maharashtra is only relevant when people are not watching the film. But, on the ground, a lot of people are going to cinema halls and watching the film.”
If we transform schools, we will transform the future: Sumeet Mehta
As a majority of students in India go to government schools or affordable private schools and their basic literacy and numeracy are not being delivered, it compelled LEAD to enter the education sector, said Sumeet Mehta, Co-founder and CEO at LEAD.
Mehta was speaking at ABP Network’s inaugural ‘Ideas of India’ summit that has brought together the brightest brains from diverse sectors to discuss India’s 75-year journey, its present status, and the way ahead.
Mehta was speaking on ‘Revolution 2022: Deepening Democracy or Amplifying the Divide?’ He said, “We thought that if we are able to transform schools in India, then we can transform the future.”
Addressing the delegates, he added, “We have been privileged to go to good schools, but the majority of students in this country do not have that opportunity. I am really proud that LEAD is now serving 2 million students.” He further emphasized on the need to concentrate in the schools of the country because a child spends 6 to 8 hours in school.
The session was chaired by author and columnist Chetan Bhagat. It had Anand Kumar, Founder of Super 30, and Phalgun Kompalli, Co-founder, UpGrad and they talked about online education in India.
Businesses that choose empathy are the best businesses: Sonam Wangchuk
Sonam Wangchuk, the Ladakh-based engineer-turned-education reformer, while speaking at ABP Network’s inaugural ‘Ideas of India’ summit, said that empathy helps one make sustainable choices.
“Businesses that choose empathy are the best businesses. These businesses make everyone happy. Only the pursuit of profit has left us in a soup”, he added.
At his discussion titled, ‘A sustainable Society - Managing Nature’s Backlash: Recycle, Reuse and Renew,’ Wangchuk appealed to those living in big cities.
“Please live simply. Walk instead of using your car, whenever possible. Also, please keep your air-conditioner at 26 degrees. This will reduce pollution and global warming. I make this request to you so that people in the mountains can simply live.”
Monk, lifestyle and motivational strategist, author and filmmaker, Gaur Gopal Das, who also participated in the summit, spoke on the topic of ‘Pursuit of Happiness - The World and its Worries: How to deal with Life’s Challenges.’ He shared in his keynote address, “All of us have the innate ability and choice to be happy. We have the collective and individual responsibility to craft a happy life. Collective happiness is absolutely linked with good governance. And being humane is absolutely crucial in this pursuit of happiness. Religion and faith have boundaries, spirituality is beyond any boundaries of faith.”
Das also shared an acronym coined for individual responsibility - CAR. Change what you can change; Accept what you can’t change; Remove yourself from situations you can’t accept or rise above.
“Religion with a spirit is spirituality, without it, it is a set of rituals,” he added.
Create incentive scheme for software professionals, companies: N. R. Narayana Murthy
N. R. Narayana Murthy, Founder and Chairman Emeritus, Infosys, recently said that creating an incentive scheme for software professionals and Indian software companies to participate more enthusiastically in public governance digitalisation projects is critical to develop a digitised India at par with the developed nations.
Murthy was speaking at ABP Network’s inaugural ‘Ideas of India’ summit that has brought together the brightest brains from diverse sectors to discuss India’s 75-year journey, its present status, and the way ahead.
Murthy spoke at a special session titled, ‘How can India leverage the power of digitalization for bettering its future?’ He addressed the need for transformation of culture among IT professionals. “The biggest challenge for India is whether we can develop a culture of aspiration, national pride, problem solving orientation, benchmarking with the global best, professionalism, discipline, meritocracy, encouraging English education, hard work, quality, productivity, honesty, open mindedness, pluralism, humility, and learning from people who are better than us.”
“How can digitalisation accelerate national development? What is national development? National development can be defined by three parameters, and those parameters help in improving the quality of life of its citizens and the future of our nation. The first parameter is good, innovative, efficient, and honest public governance; the second is human development index; and the third is per capita work productivity, innovation, and problem-solving resulting in improved per capita gross national product,”
he added.
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
