Harvard’s India Conference 2018 seeks solutions for nation’s path to global leadership

Business leaders, entertainment professionals, government officials, philanthropists and thought leaders came together this month to engage in a conversation about India’s path to global leadership. The 15th edition of the annual Harvard India Conference, held Feb. 10 and 11, brought together major stakeholders in different industries to share insights relevant to India.

Organized by graduate students of Harvard University, the conference is one of the largest India-focused, student-led conferences in the U.S. Discussions took on issues related to Aadhaar, Unified Payment Interface, technology-based education and health delivery and low-cost solar power. Organizers said they hoped students, professionals and leaders across industries will continue such discussions to find tangible solutions to some of India’s key issues.

Opening the conference, Indian TV anchor, writer and journalist Ravish Kumar talked about India’s political scenario and the media. India, he said, has two types of government: Government of India and Government of Media. Speaking in Hindi, Kumar thanked the student organizers for inviting him to speak at a time when, he said, “no one is listening to anyone.”

“The credibility of the interview,” he said, “has fallen so much that now only the support of speech and stand-up comedy remains. There are no answers to questions, but the blessings of the leaders.”

Other speakers included Union Minister Suresh Prabhu, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, actor-director-producer Kamal Haasan, journalists Barkha Dutt, Nidhi Razdan and Ravish Kumar, fashion designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee, author Amish Tripathi, Quality Council of India Chairman Adil Zainulbhai; KKR India CEO Sanjay Nayar, Yes Bank CEO Rana Kapoor and Nitin Paranjpe, former CEO of Unilever India and current president of Unilever Home Care.

Their theme was “India – Disruptive Innovations.”

Panel discussions also took on caste geographies, news and media, women, the Indian education system and digital governance.

Manish Sisodia, deputy chief minister of Delhi and a senior leader of the Aam Aadmi Party, said people in India need “health assurance,” not insurance. His speech on healthcare, education and the Delhi model highlighted how his AAP government has brought focus to the Education Department which for the last several decades saw stagnant budget allocations and declining standards of infrastructure in government-run public schools. After the AAP came to power in 2015, the first budget saw a huge increase in education budget - the equivalent of a little more than $1.5 billion - which is 106 percent over the previous government’s allocation, he said.

Kamal Haasan talked about how, he said, “mediocrity in polity is plaguing Tamil Nadu” and that the rot in the system had “sunk to the lowest depth.” Clad in a veshti, the actor-turned-politician  opened his keynote address with a loud and clear “Vanakkam” (namaste). "I come from a global village called Tamil Nadu. A state that has many things to be proud of... however, all is not well now," Haasan said. The actor also launched his website naalainamadhe.maiam.com (“Tomorrow is ours”) with a vision to set up sustainable villages across the state. The business of the new age politician should be to set a contest and be an enabler to embed the new wheel within our society, he said.

Fashion designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee spoke openly – and drew some flak – when he shamed women who could not drape a sari. “I think, if you tell me that you do not know how to wear a sari, I would say shame on you. It’s a part of your culture, [you] need to stand up for it,” he said. The backlash spurred the designer to post an Instagram note to clarify his stance.

 “Allow me to sincerely apologise for the words that I used while answering impromptu questions at a conference at Harvard,” he wrote. “I am sorry that I used the word ‘shame’ in reference to some women’s inability to wear a sari. I truly regret that the way in which I tried to make a point about the sari enabled it to be interpreted as misogynistic, patriarchal, and non-inclusive – this was certainly not my intention,” Mukherjee said.