We are extremely grateful and extend our deep regards to Union Cabinet Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports and Labour and Employment, Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya ji, a true champion of youth. We also have with us Shri Anand Mahindra ji, Chairman of Mahindra Group, the national icon for today's event. His strategic foresight and dynamic leadership have elevated the Bharat manufacturing sector to a global scale. We also have Smt. Pallaki Sharma Upadhyay ji, a trailblazer in journalism. Ladies and gentlemen, an exceptionally vibrant morning to everyone. This is the celebration of youth, the celebration of Viksit Bharat, the Reimagine National Youth Festival, Viksit Bharat Young Leaders Dialogue 2025. The talented youth here have been selected through three categories: Viksit Bharat Challenge, State Level Youth Festival, and Young Trailblazers. 30 lakh participants from 12 languages and 4 stages brought together 3000 remarkable young leaders. This event is of the youth, for the youth, and by the youth. I request our My Bharat volunteers to welcome our honored guests. Let us welcome Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya, Raksha Khadse, Shri Anand Mahindra, Pallaki Sharma, ISRO Chairman S. Somnath, and Pawan Goenka. Swami Vivekananda ji once said that Mother Bharat will ascend the throne to guide the world, and that time is only a century away. We stand a century later, proving that great men's words never go in vain. We are the youth of Bharat who want to perform our duties, reform the present, and transform the future into Viksit Bharat. Thank you.
Good morning everybody! The strength of a nation lies in its young people. Today we are honored to have a trailblazer among us: Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya ji, Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports and Labour and Employment. He has transformed healthcare through Jan Aushadhi Kendras and led India's vaccination drive to 2 billion doses. Please join me in welcoming him with a thunderous round of applause!
On the occasion of the Viksit Bharat Young Leader Dialogue, we have gathered here with Anand Mahindra ji, Pallaki ji, Somnath ji, Raksha ji, Pawan ji, and young leaders from across the country. Every year on 12th January, we celebrate National Youth Day in memory of Swami Vivekananda. This year, inspired by Prime Minister Modi ji, we have organized this festival in a unique way. Our youth volunteers have done all the planning and execution. 25 youth volunteers decided to hold a competition. Over 30 lakh youth participated in a quiz, from which 2 lakh wrote essays on 10 tracks. 6000 essays were evaluated, and 3000 young leaders are here today. This program is of the youth, by the youth, and for the youth. I am confident that you will build the Viksit Bharat of Modi ji's dreams by 2047. India has suffered centuries of subjugation, but now under Modi ji's leadership, we are moving towards becoming a developed nation. I urge you to participate fully in these two days and present your visions to the Prime Minister tomorrow. My best wishes to all.
Thank you once again sir for leading us towards a brighter future. Now it's time for the most anticipated interaction with a national icon. Let me introduce the moderator for this conversation: Pallaki Sharma Upadhyay ma'am. A fearless voice who has made India's story resonate globally. Please welcome her.
There are leaders who build businesses, and visionaries who build legacies. Shri Anand Mahindra ji belongs to the latter. Chairman of the Mahindra Group, he has driven innovation across automobiles, IT, and aerospace, and empowered underprivileged girls through Nanhi Kali. He has modernized sports with Pro Kabaddi League and promoted chess globally. Please welcome him to the stage. Sir, please take your seat. Now I request you to start the interaction.
Thank you for the warm welcome. It is a privilege to be part of the Young Leaders Dialogue. Viksit Bharat 2047 is the most transformative goal we have set as a nation. It is a shared mission requiring the active participation of every citizen, especially the 600 million young people in this country. Their energy will drive our transformation. We have visionaries like Mr. Anand Mahindra with us.
Mister Mahindra, good morning, how are you?
Good morning Pallaki. This is the first time I've been in this hall. I'm amazed at its scale and the organization. Today, the future of India is sitting here. I want to thank the minister for inviting me. When he said it's a youth program, I joked that I'm 69, why are you turning this into a party? But he didn't take no for an answer. I'm delighted to be here. Pallaki, back to you.
We're talking about young leaders. How do you envision the role of youth in nation building in the journey towards Viksit Bharat 2047? What qualities should they nurture to achieve this feat?
They never give a perfect answer to such questions. But what was useful to me was about a month ago, at our annual leadership conclave, I described the reasons for our group's success. The first quality is audacity. Look at the independence struggle: Bhagat Singh was thinking of a goal that seemed impossible. Audacity is needed to overcome the colonial mindset, which is psychological rather than economic. The second quality is integrity. A developed nation cannot be defined only in material terms. It's not how big you become, but how you become big. You have to do it the right way. And there is one more quality: adaptability to change.
Because you come to innovation, you will always stumble, fall, and fail. The fear of failure is what we must overcome. The head of ISRO goes into space almost every day because he is not afraid of failing. We need to understand we will fall but we have to get up and rise again. Those are the three qualities we need to become a developed nation. This event was a collective effort, not managed by an event manager. Young people don't want an anarchic situation; they want empowerment to be part of the solution. We don't like to be pushed, we like to be led. I don't see a leaderless future; collective leadership like this event will be the most powerful. Purpose and profit go together. Our group was born in 1945 on the cusp of independence. My grandfather and grand uncle were working with the British government but were fired up by the idea of independence and created our company out of purpose. We have made more profit and been more resilient because of purpose. Every entrepreneur is building the nation. The biggest growth opportunities are in nation building. India is the fastest growing economy. So let's do away with the distinction: purpose and profit go together. For young innovators, I flip the question: it's not how we can help them, but they will help us rise. I started Enterprise Bharat on social media to invest in grassroots innovators. I am now supporting Professor Anil Gupta of IIM.
This is fantastic. This energy is amazing. I was going to ask you about advice for young entrepreneurs, but first a question from Jigyasa Jan from Madhya Pradesh. She asks: 'Young people need guidance to enter startups and business. How should we choose a mentor or guru?'
The best thing is our tradition of mentorship, the guru-shishya parampara. It is in our nature to help young people. You don't have to search; everyone will come willingly. Today we can use technology to create a platform. There is the Aspire Institute started by Professor Tarun Khanna of Harvard Business School. He created it for first-generation college-goers. You can sign up for a 10-week immersion course and get mentors. This year he targets a million people. Minister ji, we should connect with them. Viksit Bharat should become a platform, not just an event. It should be a permanent platform where young people can log on for mentors, courses, network support. I am sure Satya Nadella will sign on. If we get all resources on one platform, it will be a revolution.
Corporate leaders have created many jobs in India, but the young have their own understanding of how they want to lead their lives. There is a debate about work-life balance, with prescriptions of 70-hour or 90-hour work weeks. How do you address that? What is your idea of balance and how much is too much?
I have huge respect for Mr. Narayana Murthy, but I think this debate is in the wrong direction. It's about the quantity of work, but we should focus on the quality of work. It's not about 40, 70, or 90 hours. What output are you doing? Even in 10 hours you can change the world. The minister just sent me a note saying the My Bharat platform will integrate with Aspire. That's an action-oriented government. Coming back to your question, you need leaders who make wise decisions. A mind exposed to holistic thinking, open to inputs from arts and culture, makes better decisions. That's why we support art and culture. If you don't spend time with family, friends, reading, reflecting, how will you understand what customers want? There is no such thing as work-life balance; it's about making good decisions with a holistic life. Sometimes you need to push, like Narayana Murthy, but you shouldn't be in a tunnel all the time.
You are very successful. If I could ask, how many hours a week do you work?
