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PALKI SHARMA: The Rise Of India | Powerful English Speech — Transcript

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0:01[applause]
0:01>> It's a big bold subject that we are
0:03taking up today.
0:07And I want to start with a very basic
0:10simple question.
0:12What is
0:14New India?
0:18It is not a slogan or a PR line.
0:23It is a reality that is taking shape
0:25before our very eyes.
0:28New India
0:29is digital,
0:31confident,
0:33global.
0:35New India is 1.4 billion people.
0:40It's the largest democracy on Earth,
0:43the fastest-growing major economy,
0:46the youngest population in the world,
0:49perhaps also the most impatient.
0:54We are a startup nation.
0:56We are a space power,
0:59and we are a voice in the global South.
1:03A country that negotiates with
1:05Washington,
1:07trades with Moscow,
1:09competes with China,
1:12>> [applause]
1:16>> deals with Tokyo,
1:18and still finds time to send mangoes to
1:21West Asia.
1:23>> [applause]
1:27>> New India does not ask for a seat at the
1:29table. We build the table and tell the
1:32world to join.
1:35>> [applause]
1:38>> And whatever I've said so far is not
1:40rhetoric.
1:42It is our reality which is reflected in
1:44our numbers.
1:48And I'm a big fan of storytelling with
1:50numbers.
1:52Last quarter our GDP grew at 7.8%.
2:01And this happened at a time when the US
2:03is
2:05staring at a slowdown. You must have
2:06seen the latest Fitch report.
2:10It also happened at a time when Europe
2:12is flirting with recession.
2:14When China
2:16is struggling with the weight of its
2:18debt burden.
2:20India is running.
2:23>> [applause]
2:27>> Last month UPI
2:29crossed 20 billion transactions. Total
2:31value more than 24 lakh crore rupees.
2:37It's a world record and we are far from
2:39done.
2:43India is the world's fourth largest
2:45economy.
2:46On course to becoming the third largest
2:48by 2027 behind just US and China ahead
2:51of Germany and Japan.
2:55And our story, ladies and gentlemen, is
2:57not just about size.
3:00It is about scale,
3:02scope, and speed.
3:07Our digital economy is exploding.
3:11Our space mission
3:13is landing near the South Pole of the
3:15moon.
3:17Our startups are valued in billions. We
3:19have more than 100 unicorns now in our
3:21country.
3:25Our diaspora remittances crossed 135
3:28billion dollars last year. The highest
3:31in the world.
3:34This is new India.
3:37A country once written off as a basket
3:39case is today called a bright spot in
3:43the global economy.
3:46>> [applause]
3:50>> So, what makes New India tick?
3:56I can think of five D's.
4:00My first D is demography.
4:03Half our population is under 30 years of
4:05age.
4:07Yes, they spend too much time on
4:09Instagram.
4:12They also want a promotion
4:14in the first month in office.
4:18But they're ambitious.
4:21They're unafraid.
4:23They're entrepreneurial.
4:25They're hungry to make a mark, and that
4:27is our strength that we must celebrate.
4:34My second D is democracy.
4:38In a world that is drifting towards
4:40authoritarianism,
4:42India stands out.
4:45We are very chaotic. We argue, we
4:47disagree, we protest, we vote.
4:50But we move on. We've always had a
4:52peaceful transition of power.
4:57And sometimes it feels like
5:00democracy is slowing us down.
5:05But we must remember
5:06that democracy is also what saves us. It
5:08is what makes us who we are,
5:11a noisy, chaotic family of 1.4 billion
5:14people.
5:16>> [applause]
5:19>> The third D on my list is diversity.
5:2422 official languages,
5:27hundreds of dialects,
5:30and every religion under the sun.
5:36India is not a melting pot.
5:39We are a very big thali,
5:43where every dish retains its unique
5:46taste, and together it makes a meal.
5:51>> [applause]
5:54>> The fourth D is digital power.
5:58From Aadhaar to UPI,
6:01India is building a digital public
6:04infrastructure at scale.
6:06We have shown
6:08that technology can deliver inclusion
6:11and in such large numbers.
6:16My fifth D is diaspora. 35 million
6:19Indians abroad.
6:21Policy makers, CEOs of global giants,
6:24doctors, engineers, entrepreneurs,
6:29they are India's brand ambassadors.
6:32No PR agency can match them.
6:37Now, if you put these five D's together,
6:39demography, democracy, diversity,
6:43digital power, diaspora,
6:47>> [snorts]
6:47>> what you get is a country that is not
6:49just a regional player, it is a global
6:51power.
6:53>> [applause]
6:57>> Not just a market,
6:59but a shaper of rules.
7:02Not just a voice,
7:04but an agenda setter.
7:12But we cannot operate in isolation, so
7:13we have to step out of our borders, look
7:15at our neighborhood,
7:18and look at our world.
7:22Our world is changing fast,
7:24unpredictably, and often chaotically.
7:29American unipolarity is over.
7:33Chinese ascendancy is facing headwinds.
7:37Europe is struggling for relevance.
7:41Russia is gambling with aggression.
7:46West Asia remains a powder keg.
7:51Africa is demanding long overdue
7:53attention.
7:55Latin America is looking for partners.
7:59The institutions created after the
8:00Second World War
8:02are showing their age. Today, the United
8:04Nations Security Council does not
8:06reflect the realities of 2025. It
8:09reflects the realities of 1945.
8:13>> [applause]
8:19>> The World Trade Organization is
8:20struggling to function.
8:22The IMF
8:24and the World Bank face questions of
8:26legitimacy.
8:29Technology is redrawing power maps
8:31faster than diplomats can update their
8:33talking points.
8:37Artificial intelligence
8:39quantum computing, biotechnology, these
8:41are not buzzwords.
8:45These are the new currencies of global
8:46influence.
8:49Climate change, it does not respect
8:52national borders.
8:53It does not respect protocol.
8:56It creates new vulnerabilities, new
8:58conflicts, new migration patterns.
9:02And everywhere
9:04nationalism is resurgent, not always in
9:06the best way.
9:09The promise of borderless globalization
9:12has given way to strategic patriotism.
9:18This is not a stable world order.
9:21This is a world in transition
9:25where rules are being rewritten,
9:27power is being redistributed,
9:29and alliances are being reconsidered.
9:35And for decades, India was a recipient
9:37of these changes. We adapted to what the
9:41world decided and did.
9:45But today we have the opportunity
9:48and why just opportunity? I would say
9:49today we have the responsibility
9:52to shape our world ourselves.
9:58So the question is how do we do that?
10:02We do it with a domestic policy
10:05that does justice to our talent and our
10:07aspirations.
10:10And a foreign policy
10:12that is bold,
10:13agile,
10:15and unapologetic.
10:18>> [applause]
10:24>> Look at the G20 in Delhi.
10:26India was a chair last year.
10:29We put the global south at the center of
10:32the conversation.
10:34Look at BRICS.
10:35Look at the Quad.
10:37Look at the SCO.
10:39India is part of all these clubs.
10:45Sometimes competing,
10:47sometimes cooperating,
10:50always balancing, and always
10:52consequential.
10:56And this is new India's foreign policy.
10:58It is not non-alignment.
11:00It is multi-alignment.
11:04>> [applause]
11:08>> We engage with everyone,
11:10but we depend on no one.
11:14>> [applause]
11:18>> And our biggest commitment
11:21is to our national interest.
11:24>> [applause]
11:29>> And it's not easy to walk this path,
11:32especially in a neighborhood as
11:34difficult as ours. I would say South
11:35Asia is one of the most volatile regions
11:37in the world today.
11:39Look at the past 3 years.
11:41Coup in Myanmar,
11:43economic collapse in Sri Lanka, radical
11:45takeover in Bangladesh, and I'm sure you
11:47followed what happened in Nepal this
11:49week.
11:53Nepal is our close closest neighbor and
11:55closest oldest civilizational partner.
12:00This week it was in turmoil.
12:03The government tried to ban social
12:05media, Gen Z hit the streets.
12:08Dozens of people died, protesters
12:10clashed with the police, the prime
12:11minister had to resign. Now they have an
12:13interim government in place, social
12:15media has been restored.
12:19But Nepal's fault lines
12:22have not been addressed.
12:25They've not been repaired.
12:29And for India, this These stories are
12:30not abstract. They have real
12:32consequences for us.
12:36Security, trade, refugees.
12:42To our west, we have a terror state
12:43called Pakistan.
12:49First time I'm hearing people cheering
12:51for Pakistan.
12:56We have Afghanistan that is ruled by the
12:58Taliban.
13:00And we have China, which remains our
13:01biggest challenge. I think the
13:03handshakes in Tianjin will not change
13:06China's DNA.
13:08We must remember that.
13:09>> [applause]
13:13>> Our friendship may be framed on paper,
13:16India and China,
13:19but the reality is steel and barbed wire
13:22along the LAC.
13:24And we must remember that.
13:27China wants Asia for itself. India says
13:29there's room for all of us to grow. And
13:31that contest
13:34will define this century.
13:39And what makes life even more
13:41complicated
13:43is the uncertainty around us. I recently
13:45learned a new term
13:47called Vuca. Have you heard of Vuca? V U
13:49C A?
13:52V for vulnerability,
13:54U for uncertainty, C for complexity,
13:57and A for ambiguity. They say we live in
13:59a Vuca world. That's Vuca for you.
14:02In America, they have a different name
14:03for it. It's Donald Trump.
14:11>> [applause]
14:17>> His tariffs have single-handedly
14:20destabilized the world.
14:23He believes, I think he truly believes
14:25that it's a magic wand.
14:28But it's proven to be a wrecking ball,
14:29and no one's telling him that.
14:33He wants to sell us corn and dairy, and
14:34he wants us to stop buying Russian oil.
14:39So, what has India done?
14:42We continue talking.
14:44We pursue a deal.
14:47But we insist on a deal that works for
14:49both of us.
14:53Again, that's new India for you. We
14:54stand our ground.
14:58>> [applause]
15:02>> But the larger point I'm making is this,
15:05that our world is messy,
15:08and our neighborhood is chaotic.
15:11And it is in this setting
15:14that India must maintain its momentum.
15:20Plus, we have our own challenges.
15:24Challenges that we cannot afford to
15:25ignore. I will not sugarcoat reality for
15:28you. I'm sure you did not call me here
15:29to offer comfortable platitudes.
15:36It's important that we do an honest
15:37assessment.
15:39If we are to grow, we must understand
15:42our strengths and our limitations with
15:45unflinching clarity.
15:50Because opportunity does not
15:51automatically translate into
15:53achievement.
15:55And potential does not guarantee
15:57performance. We have to work towards it.
16:01As one country.
16:05So, I have a list of challenges too. I
16:06think our biggest challenge today is
16:08jobs.
16:09We have millions of people entering
16:11their most productive years, millions of
16:13people entering the workforce or the job
16:15market every year.
16:18We talked about demographics, and we
16:20like to think of that as a dividend.
16:23But it can also be a disaster.
16:28It depends entirely on what we do with
16:29our human potential.
16:33Our growth is strong, that is
16:35undeniable.
16:37But manufacturing jobs are not, and
16:39services cannot absorb everyone.
16:46There's been an aggressive push to make
16:47in India. It has delivered on a lot of
16:49counts.
16:50But as things stand, even today, we
16:52still risk skipping the industrial phase
16:55that creates mass employment.
17:00And this is linked to our second
17:01challenge, which is human capital.
17:05You mentioned Sundar Pichai.
17:07I did not understand Tamil, but I got
17:09that.
17:12So, at the top,
17:14we have created
17:16Sundar Pichais and Satya Nadella's.
17:20But at the bottom, you've also left
17:22millions behind.
17:26The education gaps, the health gaps, the
17:28skill gaps, they're all real and they
17:30must be addressed urgently.
17:34Our third challenge is institutions.
17:37Do you know how many pending court cases
17:39we have in our country?
17:4150 million.
17:4450 million. Our justice system is
17:46clogged.
17:49In a digital world, our bureaucracy is
17:51still moving at analog speed.
17:57And I don't want to take away from the
17:59efforts that have been made to boost
18:01efficiency.
18:03We have made leaps.
18:06And yet
18:08we have regulations that create
18:11roadblocks rather than roads.
18:15The fourth challenge is social cohesion.
18:20Our diversity is a strength only if it
18:22is maintained maintained and managed
18:24well.
18:27But it's a vulnerability
18:30if it is exploited by vested interests.
18:34Polarization, inequality, gender gaps,
18:36these are not social issues.
18:39These are strategic limitations
18:42on our national power.
18:46The fifth is environment. It is a
18:47challenge. It's a story that repeats
18:49every year. Delhi chokes.
18:51We are bracing for that season to come.
18:53Chennai floods.
18:55Farmers face
18:57droughts.
19:01Again, these are present constraints on
19:02our development.
19:04And the sixth and my favorite topic,
19:06unfortunately,
19:08is global perception.
19:12Old stereotypes still haunt us. We may
19:14have reached the moon, but the world is
19:16still talking about snake charmers, call
19:19centers, poverty porn.
19:22The world often sees us through someone
19:24else's lens.
19:26And that narrative must change, and no
19:27one else is going to do it for us. We
19:29have to do it for ourselves. We have to
19:31take charge of our story.
19:35>> [applause]
19:38>> And all the challenges that I just
19:39listed are not reasons for despair.
19:42I think they should be reasons for
19:44determination.
19:46We have to be clear-eyed if we want our
19:49vision
19:51to turn into reality.
19:54Thankfully for us,
19:57India also stands at a vantage point.
20:02The great supply chain reorganization is
20:04underway. I keep talking about it on my
20:06show.
20:07The pandemic
20:09and the politics that followed has
20:10taught the world the risks of
20:12over-dependence on China. So, companies
20:14are looking for other markets. They're
20:16relocating, and India offers a
20:19compelling alternative.
20:22I think the best example is Apple.
20:25Apple is making iPhones in India, and
20:27this is not just an investment story.
20:30When one of the world's most valuable
20:32companies
20:35invests
20:37in India,
20:38builds in India, commits to India, then
20:41it's a message to the whole world.
20:45>> [applause]
20:51>> Then we have energy transition. The
20:52world is talking about clean fuel, and
20:53here India
20:56is poised to take the leadership role.
21:01Our renewable capacity is growing
21:03impressively. Tamil Nadu again is a
21:05great example.
21:07Our potential for solar power is
21:09enormous.
21:11And our ambitions for green hydrogen are
21:13substantial.
21:15We must take the lead here.
21:19I've already spoken about the digital
21:20transformation of UPI digital locker. We
21:23built the pipes.
21:25Our technology talent is globally
21:27recognized, but what we need to focus on
21:29is tech sovereignty.
21:32We need to build our systems at home.
21:36For ourselves and to share with the
21:37world. We can't just be creating a big
21:40market for Silicon Valley.
21:45And finally global governance. India
21:47must take the lead here.
21:52Like I said, international institutions
21:54are outdated.
21:56Our G20 presidency showed the world what
21:58is possible.
22:01We brought the African Union into the
22:03fold.
22:05In a divided world, India has emerged as
22:07a bridging power.
22:11And increasingly the world has come to
22:12value this role.
22:14You see countries across Africa, Latin
22:16America, Asia,
22:18they're looking for partners.
22:21They're not looking for powers that
22:23offer them binary choices.
22:29They want partners who respect their
22:31sovereignty,
22:33who share with them practical
22:34development models. And I think India's
22:36experience resonates with a lot of these
22:38countries much more than Western models
22:40do.
22:44I would also like to add here that
22:45India's rise is responsible.
22:48I said that we our commitment is to
22:50national interest.
22:54But we also fulfill our international
22:56responsibility and we showed that
22:58during the pandemic.
23:01When vaccine nationalism was closing
23:03doors,
23:05we launched vaccine मैत्री.
23:12India sent
23:14vaccine doses and medical supplies to
23:15more than 100 countries because
23:18our strategy was solidarity.
23:22On climate, we co-founded the
23:24International Solar Alliance. More than
23:26100 countries are part of it. Again,
23:28this puts the global south at the heart
23:30of the energy transition.
23:34And then, of course, our digital public
23:36goods. Countries are increasingly
23:37learning from them
23:40and adopting them. So, we don't just
23:41speak for the global south, we also
23:43build for it.
23:46And a big part of what we're building is
23:48strength,
23:49including military strength.
23:53India is emerging as a defense exporter.
23:58And
23:59>> [applause]
24:02>> we are offering the world systems which
24:04are affordable and reliable.
24:07And we showed
24:10what they're capable of in operation
24:12Sindoor.
24:14>> [applause]
24:19>> The Philippines is buying our BrahMos
24:20missiles.
24:22Many Many other countries have shown
24:23interest. And this is not just an export
24:25story.
24:27This also re-positions India as
24:31a security provider in the region and
24:32the world.
24:37Now, if you connect these dots,
24:39you'll see that India is not just
24:41guarding its borders,
24:43it is designing the boundaries of
24:46possibility.
24:50>> [applause]
24:52>> And to make the most of it, we have to
24:53address one more question.
24:57What does the world want from India and
24:59what do we want from the world?
25:03Partners want India's market,
25:06India's talent,
25:07and India's credibility.
25:10They also want India's voice.
25:14Because we can speak
25:17to Washington and Moscow, Iran and
25:19Israel, China and Japan
25:22often in the same sentence.
25:25>> [applause]
25:29>> Without India, there is no credible
25:32climate pathway.
25:34There is no Indo-Pacific balance.
25:38There is no resilient supply chain
25:40story. The world needs India very much.
25:44>> [applause]
25:47>> And what do we want in return?
25:52We want respect for our choices.
25:56>> [applause]
25:59>> We want room for our growth.
26:02We want fair rules for tech, trade, and
26:05climate.
26:10Not lectures, but latitude.
26:15Not vetoes, but partnership.
26:20So, new India must
26:22define the red lines and set
26:24expectations.
26:30And this will happen with a deeper
26:31change,
26:33which I dare say is already underway.
26:37It is less visible than GDP, but more
26:39powerful than policy.
26:43It is the cultural code of our country
26:47that is catching up with our
26:49capabilities.
26:54We are done with self-doubt.
26:58We don't dismiss tradition
27:01as an enemy of modernization.
27:06We don't treat ambition
27:08as arrogance.
27:10We don't confuse noise with relevance.
27:16We are comfortable saying no when it
27:17matters,
27:19yes when it makes sense,
27:25and not yet
27:26when prudence demands patience.
27:33So, what is the message today?
27:39India's rise is not inevitable.
27:42India's rise is intentional.
27:49This new India that we all dream of,
27:51that we talk about, must be built brick
27:54by brick, bite by bite.
27:58It will take ambition.
28:01It will also take patience.
28:05Boldness
28:06and humility.
28:09Strength
28:10and compassion.
28:14And the world is watching us.
28:19Some with hope,
28:21some with envy,
28:23and some with doubt.
28:27It is not our job to prove them wrong.
28:30It is our job to prove ourselves right.
28:34>> [applause]
28:41>> Think of ourselves as a national
28:42project.
28:44Imperfect, impatient, incomplete,
28:47but unstoppable.
28:50>> [applause]
28:54>> And the world better make room because
28:55India has arrived and it is here to
28:58stay.
28:59Thank you.
29:01>> [applause]
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