By Sanjay Raman Sinha and Rajeev Sharma
In a star-studded function at Vigyan Bhawan, the 5th edition of APN Swadesh Conclave 2024 was set off to a glittering start. The function was graced by ministers, industry leaders, global thinkers, celebrities and social media influencers.
The inaugural function started with the lighting of the ceremonial lamps. Ganesh Vandana was rendered by renowned singer Usha Uthup. The lighting of lamps was attended by former Chief Justice of India (CJI) Justice NV Ramana; Rajeev Juneja, Managing Director and Vice-Chairman, Mankind Pharma Ltd.; Sunanda Sharma, classical vocalist; Pradeep Rai, senior advocate and chairman, India Legal Research Foundation (ILRF) and Rajshri Rai, editor-in-chief, APN.
Hosted by the Balaji Foundation in association with APN News and India Legal, Swadesh Conclave 2024 focused on the theme of Brand Bharat. It aimed to elevate Brand Bharat worldwide by showcasing India’s strengths, achievements and contributions across various sectors.
The sessions analysed India’s growth curve and cultural, economic and social presence on the global stage.
The Conclave’s aim included showcasing India’s strengths, achievements and contributions across various fields. It emphasised India’s pivotal role in the global arena, fostering partnerships and collaborations. The Swadesh Samman was also conferred to a chosen few who had made an exemplary mark in their respective fields.
The Conclave began with an address by Pradeep Rai, who said that during Justice Ramana’s term as CJI, he appointed 250 High Court judges and nine Supreme Court ones, out of which three were women. Justice Ramana impressed not only the bench but also the bar with his work, he added. On Juneja’s achievements, Rai said the Mankind Pharma MD had single-handedly established a Rs 75,000-crore company with sheer determination and effort. Rai also praised the role of social media influencers and said that social media was brainstream media and its credibility and reach had increased over the years. It is now a serious contender to mainstream media.
It is noteworthy that ILRF is unique in the sense that it provides high quality legal aid to those who are unable to afford it.
Justice NV Ramana who spoke next said that governments that had ruled India did not give importance to developing judicial infrastructure as the judiciary was seen as unproductive and ignored it. Justice Ramana commended the efforts of NALSA in taking legal aid to the people so that justice was made far more accessible. He said even the ratio of judges when compared to the population was very low. Despite this handicap, he said, constitutional courts had played an important role in the history of India. Justice Ramana said: “The structure of justice is not a shield for those in power.” He said he was glad that the current justice delivery system was doing its best even with huge pendency. He said efforts should be made to appoint judges at all forums of justice soon.
Meanwhile, Rajeev Juneja, Managing Director and Vice-Chairman Mankind Pharma, was conferred with the Outstanding Business Leadership Award in healthcare industry. In his address, Juneja said that every fifth tablet or injection sold in the world was India-made. This is a matter of pride. He stressed the need for research in the field of medicine. India has skills, but needs funds and research to boost its pharma industry, he added. Mankind Pharma is the fourth largest pharmaceutical company (by domestic sales). It focuses on affordability, accessibility and quality.
Speaking at the Conclave, Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari said the country had moved ahead on economic growth and was well on its way to becoming Viksit Bharat. He said India can well become the number one economy in the world, but it would take some effort and the proper utilisation of technology and innovation even as it is on course to dislodge Japan in the rankings.
Gadkari asserted that India’s fuel import bill of Rs 16 lakh crore can be reduced by the use of alternative fuels such as bio-ethanol and bio-CNG, which would also give farmers a lifeline for greater prosperity. He said if biofuel can be used to reduce India’s fuel import bill, it can be used instead to improve agriculture. The ethanol industry is a boon for farmers, with the demand for it set to increase, thus reshaping India’s agricultural economy, he affirmed.
NK Singh, the 15th Finance Commission Chairman, addressed the session on India’s economic growth. He said the country’s GDP had been growing at about 8% over the last four years. India used to contribute 25% of the world’s GDP. Singh said this government is focused on economic growth and capital expenditure to foster private investment. He drew attention to the challenges posed by climate change which now calls for restructuring agriculture. The road to Viksit Bharat 2047 lies in promoting services and manufacturing equally, with added focus on setting up labour-intensive industries, he said.
Samajwadi Party President and MP Akhilesh Yadav also attended the Conclave. Listing UP’s achievements under the Samajwadi Party government, Yadav made a pointed reference to the claims being made on expressways by central and state governments. He said: “Our government completed Agra-Lucknow Expressway in 21 months.” He recounted that even a Sukhoi of the Indian Air Force made a landing on the Expressway. Yadav noted the changes introduced by his government in UP, which had brought about changes in education and ensured mid-day meals in schools. Yadav said his government brought the Metro to UP and built the maximum number of metros in various cities in the state. But no one remembers it now, he complained. Launching a scathing attack on the incumbent BJP government in UP, Yadav said it has stolen the credit for work done during the SP’s tenure. Yadav also condemned the Agniveer Yojana.
Incidentally, Yadav’s reply to a question about his income made news headlines. To the query on his income growth, the former chief minister had retorted: “I’ve been under CBI scrutiny for over 20 years. If you want to know my income, go to the CBI and Income Tax office.”
BJP MP and singer Manoj Tiwari countered Yadav’s stand on Agniveer and said that much false propaganda had been generated against this scheme. He lauded it and said that these youth get proper training and their career prospects are bright.
SP Singh Baghel, minister of state for Panchayati Raj, another guest at the Conclave, stressed the importance of rural development in the making of Brand India. He said that the Pradhan Mantri Gramin Awas Yojana was instrumental in providing the roof over the heads of millions of rural folk. Baghel also held that art and culture can make India a soft power and a powerful brand.
Anurag Thakur, BJP MP, said the Swadesh Conclave was not an event, but a movement, a campaign. It was the youth who gave India independence. The young generation of that time had sacrificed for the country; now sacrifice is not needed, but contribution is needed.
(Dr.) Jagvinder Singh Virk, Chairman of the India Australia Strategic Alliance, also graced the Conclave. In 2013, Virk established the India Australia Strategic Alliance to promote closer business ties between mid-sized businesses in India and Australia. He said that today we lack technology and innovation and this was inhibiting growth and development. The youth is getting attracted to foreign countries as the nation lacks the necessary infrastructure.
His Holiness Saddguru Shri Dayal, a globally-renowned spiritual guru, held forth on Brand India and said that each citizen makes up the nation. Everyone should fulfill his/her responsibility, only then can the nation prosper. His teachings revolve around Shabda Yoga, the practice of attuning oneself to cosmic sounds and embarking on a spiritual journey within. With millions of disciples across the globe, Guruji’s influence extends far and wide.
Vice-Chancellor of North Eastern Hill University (NEHU), Professor Dr Prabha Shankar Shukla, joined the Conclave via video conferencing and said that NEHU was built on the bedrock of Brand Bharat. He asserted that the University had initiated plans to maintain its excellence in the field of education and thus contribute to the building of Brand Bharat.
Meitra Hospital received the Excellence in Healthcare Innovation Award. This Hospital is a centre of clinical care of international standards and is located in Calicut (Kerala). It not only provides excellent medical services, but also makes vital healthcare services available to the underprivileged sections of society.
Navneet Sehgal, Chairman, Prasar Bharati, was also a participant of the Conclave. A bureaucrat, Seghal stressed that India was the fifth largest economy and soon it would ascend to a higher ranking due to its growth trajectory. As a major economic and strategic power, we should be proud of our achievements, he added.
Well-known adman and filmmaker Prahlad Kakkar was conferred with the Lifetime Time Achievement in Advertising and Media. Kakkar is director and co-founder of Genesis Film Production, one of India’s oldest and foremost ad-film production houses and has many memorable brand-building campaigns to its credit. Kakkar said that first it should be settled by the people of India about the nomenclature of the country—should it be called India or Bharat. Then we can decide on the country’s brand-building exercise, he asserted.
VA Shrikumar Menon, brand strategist and film director, also put forth his views on Brand India. He said that we should be proud of the Indian culture and celebrate it. We have Indian idols, but we look towards the West and borrow their icons and idols. There was a time when the world came to India for education in Nalanda; now our youth goes abroad to study. We should remedy the situation. Only then can Brand India develop, he said. Menon has directed more than 400 commercials for various brands. He is the chairman and MD of Push Integrated Communications, a marketing company. He had directed Odiyan, the highest-grossing Malayalam film of all time.
Iconic Indian pop singer Usha Uthup was conferred with the Lifetime Achievement Award for her contribution to music. Uthup made her mark in Indian pop, filmi, jazz, and playback singing and was very popular during the late 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. At the Conclave, she stressed the uniqueness of Indian culture and exhorted one and all to be proud of the country’s unity and diversity.
Well-known classical singer Sunanda Sharma highlighted the contribution of classical Indian music in the building of Brand Bharat. She explained that Indian classical music is a sadhana and many big singers globally want to learn classical music to polish their singing talent.
Kailash Kher, another well-known singer, was awarded the Swadesh Samman for his contribution in the field of popular music. Kher belted out his popular numbers and kept the audience spellbound.
Sushant Divgikr (Rani KoHEnur), a Mumbai-based LGBTQIA+ activist, actor, singer and model, was awarded the Swadesh Padak for her contribution to acting and singing. She took part in the panel discussion on Brand India. She argued that art and culture are genderless, and we should enjoy and appreciate the arts overlooking the gender of the artiste. She also sang in male and female tones and mesmerised the audience with her charismatic presence.
Moushumi Chakraborty, DG, All India Radio (AIR) received the Excellence in Public Broadcasting Award on behalf of AIR. She said that since the pre-independence period, AIR had promoted and encouraged art and culture and provided credible news, and will continue to do so. AIR, established in 1936, had played a pivotal role in the dissemination of news, education and entertainment across India. AIR also made significant contributions to the field of music by archiving and promoting classical, folk and contemporary music. Its news services were known for their credibility and accuracy.
His Holiness Dalai Lama, the revered spiritual head of the “Yellow Hat” order of Tibetan Buddhism, was conferred with the Swadesh Lifetime Achievement Award for his enduring contribution to peace and brotherhood. His Holiness advocates peaceful resolution of Tibetan occupation and promotes human brotherhood, religious harmony and environmental care. In 1989, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of his non-violent campaign to end Chinese domination of Tibet.
Rajshri Rai, editor-in-chief of APN news channel, moderated the panel discussions. She said: “Swadesh Conclave 2024 is not merely a platform for political debate, but a meaningful forum for brainstorming on constructive suggestions for the nation’s socio-economic and strategic policies. For the past four years, Swadesh Conclave has consistently contributed to the intellectual development of the country, offering valuable insights and collaboration.” She said that the Swadesh Conclave family feels honoured to recognise and celebrate these dedicated individuals, who exemplify extraordinary commitment and achievement. Vinay Rai, managing editor of APN, was also present on the occasion.