About Anand Mahindra
Anand Mahindra, Chairman of the Mahindra Group, delivered a series of speeches at the Telangana Rising Global Summit in late 2025 and early 2026, praising the state's vision document as "one of the most ambitious and genuinely people centric visions I have ever encountered, not just in India, but globally." He described Telangana as being at a "pivotal juncture" and emphasized that the vision was "cocreated" through consultation with citizens and experts. Mahindra noted the Mahindra Group's participation in this journey, citing its women-led battery manufacturing facility in Zahiraabad as a "statement of belief in the future." He also spoke about his role as chairman of the Young India Skills University, stating that he initially hesitated to accept the position but was persuaded by Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, whom he described as "someone who doesn't take no for an answer."
In his summit addresses, Mahindra offered a contrarian view on artificial intelligence, arguing that "the more digital the world becomes, the more valuable the human touch will be." He stated that as AI absorbs repetitive tasks, value shifts to human skills such as "the skill of the hand, the intuition of the crafts person, the empathy of the caregiver, and the problem-solving grit of the technician." He asserted that developed economies face a "hollowing out of skilled real-world talent" and a "surplus of managers but a shortage of makers," and that through the Young India Skills University, "we are asserting that blue collar is the new gold collar." Mahindra also commented on the work-hours debate, saying the focus should be on "the quality of work, not on the quantity of work," adding, "Even if it's 10 hours, you can change the world in 10 hours."
Source: AI-verified profile updated from Anand Mahindra's recent appearances.
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Anand Mahindra0:00
Hello and good evening. What a memorable occasion this is — it's a triple celebration: it's Nikunj's father's birthday, it's the 25th anniversary of JS4 Wheels, and it also is the 25th anniversary of your association with Mahindra. Nikunj, some may say that your father and the business that shares his birthday were both born under a lucky star, but I've known the family long enough to know that luck had only a very small part to play. It was the entrepreneurialism and the hard work of your father and yourself that account for your success, and you deserve to enjoy every moment of it. Our M&M dealership network has always been very special to me because my late father set it up, and being the kind of person he was, it wasn't just financial capacity or business acumen that he looked for in a dealer. What he really looked for was a congruence of beliefs, a similarity of outlook that made for a good relationship. And he must have got it right, because many of our dealers have been with us for more than one generation, and many like Nikunj have become very good family friends. Nikunj, it's you and people like you who represent the best of what my father wanted to build. You started small; so did we. 25 years later, we have grown to become a multi-billion-dollar group, and you have risen to become one of our top three dealers and one of the best automotive dealerships in the country. Your story is the perfect example of the essence of the Mahindra philosophy: we believe that we can rise, and we can help all those associated with us to rise as well, and between us we can help India to rise. So I very much value the long years of our relationship, and I thank you for making our business part of the ship so very successful. But you know what I value even more? Our personal friendship over the years. I have developed a great personal rapport with Nikunj, and what I really appreciate is your total openness and frankness. You're a person who speaks your mind and tells it like it is. In an age where we are bombarded with so much information and disinformation, at a time when political correctness often wins out over the truth, your directness is both refreshing and immensely valuable to me. So thank you for your friendship, Nikunj. This celebration is as special to me as it is to you, and I'm very sorry I couldn't join you all. But you know, I've done the next best thing: I've just popped a bottle of champagne, and I'd like to raise a toast to your family, Nikunj, to you, and to your continued health, success, and happiness. To the success of the last 25 years, and to a glorious future. Cheers! Have a very good evening.
