Highlighting India's unique diplomatic positioning, Jaishankar noted that the country is among the few that can engage with conflicting sides, including Russia and Ukraine, Israel and Iran, as well as the Quad and BRICS. "Sabka saath, sabka vikas applies equally to foreign policy," he remarked.
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00:00Namaskar and it's a great good evening. It's a great pleasure to join you all
00:07today at this event that Business Today organizes annually. Now I suppose it's
00:17not very often that a minister is selected for a business award but I take
00:25it as a reflection of the government's support for our economic interests
00:31abroad as well as for foreign policy decisions that have facilitated growth
00:37and development at home. Now ladies and gentlemen it has never been more
00:46important to read the geopolitical tea leaves right because today they
00:54fundamentally impinge both on our opportunities and our challenges. Let me
01:02underline that while we may be speaking here in this hall of businesses at the
01:10end of the day this is really about job creation in many ways it is about our
01:16national progress and prosperity. It is only when businesses are successful at
01:24home or abroad that we can have the resources, the technologies, indeed the
01:31opportunities that would ensure a vixit Bharat. Now like any other domain
01:40business also faces the challenges of a world in churn. In fact I would say to
01:50some extent even in disarray. The last few years have already seen multiple
01:57stresses on the global economy which is already in difficulties. The underlying
02:04issue has been the accumulated consequences of over concentrated
02:09manufacturing as well as massive subsidies and sectoral protection. The
02:17full impact of that was visible during the COVID pandemic on the fragility of
02:24supply chains. The Ukraine conflict created an additional set of concerns
02:31especially those pertaining to food, to fuel and to fertilizers and when
02:38sourcing from key producers became challenging its ripple impact actually
02:43spread across all businesses and all geographies. The fighting that we have
02:50seen since October 2023 in West Asia or the Middle East has added another
02:57dimension because we have seen maritime shipping disrupted and this has
03:02particular consequences for the Asia-Europe traffic. From time to time
03:08business in fact international economy has also experienced the effects of
03:16extreme climate events. Now on top of all of this there are the economic
03:24consequences of sharper geopolitical competition. The digital and the
03:30technology worlds have felt the implication of this polarization most
03:36visibly. After decades of hearing the virtues of globalization today the world
03:44is grappling with the reality of industrial policies, export controls and
03:51tariff wars. In such a scenario it is essential to identify advantageous
04:01trends and adapt our policies accordingly. First and foremost there is
04:08a widespread concern today about de-risking the global economy. The
04:14solution lies in more diversified manufacturing, Mr. Birla referred to it,
04:20in more innovation and technology and in stronger trade including those that
04:27pertain directly to food and health security. Put together what that means is
04:34a re-globalization that is fairer, that is more democratic, that is less riskier
04:42than its earlier model. Now we in India know this as Atmanirbhar Bharat when it
04:51comes to our own policy which is propelled in particular by Make in India.
04:57Other nations of course have their own particular variants. Now flowing from
05:05that is the next priority of creating reliable, resilient and I would even argue
05:13redundant supply chains. In some domains such as food, health or energy that could
05:21mean shorter supply chains. For example we have seen where the Gulf is concerned
05:26that they value India particularly because we are approximate and a
05:32reliable provider of daily necessities. But it could also mean more distant
05:38sourcing if costs and logistics support it. Our growing trade for example with
05:45Latin America is an example. Now while this will present us in India with new
05:52opportunities it also means that we will have to raise the level of our game.
06:00The infrastructure progress that we have seen especially after we launched the
06:06Gati Shakti initiative has also been greatly helpful in this regard. We need
06:12today a parallel endeavor in regard to human resources so that our skills and
06:19talents meet the requirements of our contemporary times. There is a reordering
06:24happening right now both in terms of location and flows. India must strive to
06:32capture its benefits to the extent possible. The digital world has an even
06:40greater sense of insecurity when it comes to sourcing and collaboration.
06:45Where data is taught, where it is processed and how it is deployed are
06:51today a matter of crucial importance as we enter the world as we enter the era
06:57of AI. The logic of the market has to be balanced by the compulsions of privacy
07:05and of security. Stronger political relationships become a factor in
07:12calculations. Putting efficiency, talent and such comfort together it is
07:18understandable today that India features much more strongly on the radars of
07:24others especially when it comes to global capability centers. Translating
07:30trust into business will be an overwhelming compulsion. The Trade and
07:37Technology Council TTC that we established with the European Union is
07:42designed to address this precise objective. A policy decision that has
07:49significant economic implications in recent years was our assertion of energy
07:55choices in the aftermath of the Ukraine conflict. The truth was that every nation
08:02did what was in their self-interest even if some professed otherwise. But as a
08:09larger trend the fifth biggest economy of the world must necessarily develop a
08:15broad and diverse set of energy relationships. Technology and logistics
08:22advancements have ensured that distance is no longer a consideration. This is not
08:28just about multiplicity of sources they give us better outcomes as well. Now
08:35ensuring that our nation has a favorable energy environment because we have
08:41decades of growth ahead of us. To ensure that we have a favorable energy
08:47environment for coming decades is understandably one of our key diplomatic
08:53objectives. Beyond fossil fuels it extends to developing and deploying
08:59renewables on a large scale as well as exploring the potential of small modular
09:05reactors. Remember the world of AI and the world of EV are going to generate
09:14much higher energy demands on top of the natural needs of greater prosperity. If
09:22data is the new oil then data centers are the new refineries and they will
09:28need to be powered. Ladies and gentlemen the global marketplace was always a
09:37competitive one but the trend has been accentuated by governments all over the
09:44world now stepping out more vigorously in support of businesses. We cannot and
09:52should not be otherwise. You would all agree that Indian embassies today are
09:59far more active than before in the pursuit of our commercial interests. They
10:05inform, they advise, they facilitate wherever possible to ensure that our
10:12businesses do well. We have also been proactive in many regions organizing
10:17business conclaves to familiarize ourselves with the landscape and its
10:21opportunities. In fact we just did one last week in respect of Latin America
10:27and the Caribbean and we have done it a little bit before with regard to Africa
10:31and the Mediterranean. In my own visits abroad the advocacy of our interest is
10:38supported by the presence of business representatives. One mechanism that has
10:46been effective in introducing Indian products and services into new markets
10:51has been under the line of credits which are offered under what we call the ideas
10:58scheme. On occasion this has been supplemented by grant assistance. In the
11:04last decade we have engaged as many as 78 nations so 78 different markets
11:11through such mechanisms. In many cases whether it is projects, exports or
11:18servicing there have been repeat orders or additional businesses directly placed
11:25by the partner nation or in fact by others for whom work even if not done in
11:31their own country has nevertheless served as a reference point. So we have
11:36seen this from water pipelines to road building to power transmission even to
11:41the supply of buses. Now as we contemplate a more technology and
11:51services driven future it is important to plan and prepare for the global
11:57workplace. The mismatch between demand and demography is by now glaringly
12:04apparent in many societies but the reconciliation does not happen by itself.
12:10It requires engaging the concerned governments as well as building
12:16a national brand of talent and of our work ethic. With many nations it has
12:23taken the form of mobility partnerships others have preferred a less structured
12:29solution that are based on their own practices and pathways. We have in fact
12:36steered our partner nations towards educational talent and skill reservoirs
12:43so that they understand the value that India today has to offer. This has
12:49involved engaging government agencies as much as educational institutions
12:54corporates and service providers. As our citizens go out in greater numbers for
13:02business for jobs for education or even for tourism it is also important that
13:09they feel secure in their travels. We have gone the extra mile to ensure
13:15whether it is through evacuation operations, resources for assisting those
13:21in distress or just something as simple as efficient replacement of travel
13:26documents. We have gone the extra mile to ensure that this happens. Another facet
13:33of globalization has been the growth of tourism. Today we see that not just as a
13:41leisure industry but one essential to the mice world as indeed to the medical
13:47one. As India connects better through stronger aviation and more airports the
13:54potential that tourism holds as an economic driver only increases. In fact
14:00just as GCC addresses the demands of industry a similar phenomenon is
14:07unfolding in respect of health. Heal in India is a concept whose moment has
14:15arrived but to make all of this to make all of this deliver better India's
14:21branding and ease of access has to grow along with the infrastructure. Therefore
14:28tourism promotion has become an equally significant aspect of our diplomacy.
14:33Friends I have so far touched upon different aspects of how foreign policy
14:40advances our economic goals be they at home or abroad. While each would have its
14:47own players and constituencies a large economy like India also needs an overall
14:54strategy. You can call it a business strategy an economic one or the core of
15:01our efforts to promote and strengthen our comprehensive national power but it
15:06is only a consolidated approach that can give effective guidance to those who
15:13engage with other economies and countries. At its most basic level such
15:20a strategy would lay out a landscape of our challenges and opportunities in
15:27national terms. Going beyond that it spells out specific domains for
15:32advantageous engagement. On occasion it could highlight risks and issues in
15:39particular relationships or transactions but most of all it is only
15:46through strategizing that we can bridge divides and expand convergences. Moreover
15:53by pulling together different dimensions of our strengths and attractions we can
16:00actually credibly present brand India before the world. A strategic approach
16:07also helps to widen options. In the current polarized era India is among the
16:14few nations that can simultaneously engage Russia and Ukraine, Israel and
16:20Iran, the Democratic West and the Global South and the BRICS and the Quad. We have
16:27initiated or joined more than 40 different groupings devoted to specific
16:33agendas from renewables and biofuels to disaster resilience and connectivity.
16:39Even in a sensitive domain like defense or security Indian diplomacy actually
16:47ensures that both our armed forces and our businesses have the widest possible
16:53selection of partners. When it comes to international cooperation we have also
16:59shown the ability to forge different combinations for different domains be it
17:04trade, technology, energy or security. The endeavor in the final analysis is to
17:11keep as many doors open as possible. I have always maintained that
17:16sabka saath sabka vikas applies equally to foreign policy. Trade agreements have
17:25always occupied a salient position when it comes to a global economic engagement.
17:31This is even more so now a reality that India must recognize. Currently we are
17:41engaged in three particularly important negotiations the FTAs with European Union
17:48and the United Kingdom and the BTA with the United States. Just this week we
17:55launched negotiations with New Zealand as well. There are also a few others
18:00which were already in the pipeline. In the current uncertain and volatile world
18:07it is essential that we appreciate the value of such endeavors. We have to
18:14carefully assess the costs and benefits as well as weigh the price of action
18:20versus inaction. There could also be collateral benefits of such
18:25understandings especially when it comes to sensitive technologies. India will
18:32take obviously an India first approach in this regard with Vixit Bharat as our
18:39goal. Thinking will also be guided by the prospect of tapping unrealized
18:46potential in these relationships. Most of our earlier FTAs are with Asian
18:54economies many of a competitive character. Introducing an overall balance
19:00by engaging the Gulf and Western economies has not just an economic logic
19:06but a strategic one as well. Another issue that has strong connotations strong
19:13strategic connotations is connectivity. India has been a victim of colonialism
19:21of the partition and of our own past economic policies. We are now in the
19:27midst of rectification. This involves a range of connectivity initiatives with
19:34multiple partners. To the west the IMEC corridor and the INSTC are notable. To
19:41the east we are working on the trilateral highway and the Chennai Vladivostok
19:46corridor. These are initiatives that require great perseverance and
19:52commitment but what they hold is the ability to actually transform our
19:58business environment making access to and from India much more efficient,
20:03stable, diverse and competitive. Let us not forget that the fifth largest economy
20:11which could be third by the end of the decade if not earlier needs more such
20:16secure pathways. Even more compelling however are the demands of our immediate
20:24neighborhood. It is India's interest that there is greater regional
20:30integration because politics is not always easy. It must be driven meaning
20:38integration must be driven by business, connectivity and contacts. In the last
20:45decade the neighborhood first policy has been undertaking to realize these very
20:51goals. We now see power grids, fuel pipelines, new integrated checkpoints,
20:57roads, trains and railways, waterways, usage of ports, much higher volumes of
21:04transactions and flows. So whether it is near or far, whether it is with the
21:10developed or the developing, whether it is in goods or services, the importance
21:15of business in connecting India to the world cannot be overstated. For some
21:23decades now we have also seen Indian businesses establish a global footprint.
21:29I was briefly associated with one myself. Shri Kumar Mangalam Birlaji just now has
21:36spoken about it. I just want to say that such endeavors really help to shape our
21:44image abroad. So ladies and gentlemen, let me conclude on this note. The last
21:53decade has witnessed the cumulative impact of making it easier to do
21:58business, of promoting ease of living at home and abroad, of building a digital
22:05public infrastructure and through Gatishakti a physical one as well. This
22:12has made make in India much more viable and much more credible. Even as that
22:19strikes roots, our talent pool offers the attractions of research, design and
22:27innovate in India. Our diplomacy is currently tasked with taking that message
22:34out to the world. This is best done by deepening our partnership and I'm
22:40confident that this sentiment is shared by all of you and I look forward to
22:46working together as Team India. I thank you for your attention.
22:51Thank you so much Dr. Jayashankar for sharing such brilliant insights with all of us.
22:56We'll now request Rahul Kawal to conduct a nice Q&A session with you sir.
23:04You know it's almost never that you have a member of the opposition and that too
23:11someone as erudite as Dr. Shashi Tharoor saying that he has egg on his face as he
23:18wanders at the marvel of how Dr. Jayashankar and the Indian Foreign
23:23Ministry navigated the trapeze of handling both Ukraine and Russia with
23:29such elan. It's highly magnanimous of Dr. Shashi Tharoor for saying so. Poor guy
23:35got into some trouble in his own party. I've always admired his judgment, particularly
23:40about us. You'll get him into more trouble but the fact is when that war
23:47broke and the kind of position that you said, you said we're not in anybody's
23:50side. We're on the side of peace and to be able to maintain that position through
23:55the conflict and actually in hindsight have the world say yes you were right
24:00and this is happening in real time where policy is being made by a practitioner
24:04such as yourself. Do you want to give us a broad overview of, it's like cricket.
24:08You know the ball comes, you have a fraction of a second of deciding what to
24:10do. You could have chosen like many other countries did on being on Ukraine side
24:15or pushing further towards Russia. To be able to maintain that balance again and
24:19again requires a very high level of expertise. Do you want to give us a
24:23framework into how, because a lot of the world order is being appended just as we
24:28speak, how you're making those decisions. The thinking behind that. Well I think
24:33like cricket you need a lot of net practice. I think you have today a
24:39government which is in its third term. It has a lot of experience at its command
24:46particularly when it comes to national security and foreign policy and I think
24:50that makes a difference. But more than that, look what in a way we looked at the
24:58conflict, the drivers of it, the larger environment in a very objective way, you
25:07know. I think a lot of other players understandably perhaps were carried away
25:13emotionally about it and that clouded their judgment. I think it perhaps created
25:22calculations and expectations which are not really well founded. And you know and
25:29the other point, look we've also been tracking not just the Ukraine situation
25:35but the global situation with a certain amount of again in a very sensible way
25:42without being you know swayed by the propaganda and the prejudices that we
25:48have seen over the last five, six, seven years. So when there were trends at play
25:52we saw those trends. You know I'm not saying we predicted every electoral win
25:57but we certainly saw there were forces at play. We saw this is a world that is
26:02changing. We assisted from our own interest but from the interest of the
26:06world is it. So I do put it in a way to a certain amount of objectivity. I think
26:15particularly Prime Minister Modi's very you know the range of relationships that
26:20he has built, the insights he had and which these relationships have you know
26:26in a way added to it. I think we are seeing a cumulative impact of all of that.
26:30I'm sure many of you sitting here already know but Dr. Jayashankar's father
26:34K. Subramanian was one of India's foremost strategic affairs experts and one of the
26:38things Dr. Jay is very, very passionate about is to try and inculcate Indian
26:43strategic doctrine from the Ramayana to the Mahabharata to Chanakya, Kautilya and
26:49you've even written books about that. To what extent have you succeeded in
26:52ensuring that Indian foreign policy practitioners, students and the public at
26:57large refer to Indian strategic doctrine when they try and make a framework of
27:02how to look at what's happening in the world?
27:04You know it's very hard for me to give a reply about how well or not well I have
27:15done. I think the answer is there but what I have seen over the last say 10-11
27:22years, I've seen in the country among people who you would not normally expect
27:30much greater interest in foreign policy what we are doing.
27:35There are many reasons for it. One is technology, social media,
27:41smartphones, you know people are more connected.
27:44They are able to understand and take interest in many more things.
27:48There is also a sense you know they are my people, you know somebody is looking
27:54after them. I should also be involved in that process.
27:57So I think the behaviour of the government and the policies of the
28:00government have instilled in the people a much greater sense of pride and a sense
28:06of ownership about what happens abroad. But beyond that I feel in many ways, look
28:14if you give an analogy, you know an example which people identify, you know
28:22you tell people, you know look at this Ukraine, now let me tell you in Mahabharata
28:28also this used to happen, you know. Or you know Bhagwan Shri Krishna had, he
28:32gave this advice in that situation. Immediately people get it.
28:37So you know when you, for example I've built a lot both you know one book to some
28:44extent on what Shri Krishna did on the Mahabharata, the other one on to some
28:49extent on what you know Hanuman did in service of Prabhu Shri Ram. So you know
28:56if you appeal or give, make people think about something they know well, they
29:02immediately get it. And I think that's been very helpful and we should because
29:07if we don't take pride in our history and tradition, you know how can we expect
29:13other countries to do that. Okay, quiz question. Who were amongst the
29:17greatest diplomats in Indian history? Who are, you can just put your hand up if you
29:22think you know the answer. If you've read his book then that's a different matter
29:25but if you, if you intuitively know the answer, yes sir. Hanumanji and Shri Krishna.
29:34He said Angad. Yeah, no that's correct. So thank you, well done. Can we have a round of
29:41applause for him please. We had historian William Darrell Imple at the India Today
29:47Conclave recently and one of the things he says and I'm very curious to know
29:51what you think of it. He makes the argument that the Chinese silk route is
29:55a modern-day construct and that going back in history there was no real massive
30:00trading volume between mainland China and Europe. The real trading was between
30:04India and the Roman Empire and he makes the argument that India hasn't marketed
30:10its remarkable history especially outside and also the fact that the likes
30:16of say an Aryabhat, Brahmagupta, Indians don't know as much about and that
30:21that should be known much more. How do you look at the fact that Xi Jinping and
30:25China, modern-day China has done a much more masterful job of manufacturing myth
30:31and pushing the history as they'd like the world to see it versus what we've
30:36been able to do so far? No, I don't think this is a result of what has been
30:41happening in the last few years. I think it's a result of what has been happening
30:45for about 200 years because what happened was when the British came and
30:50colonized India, the British systematically ran down our history
30:56whereas the British at that time were very powerful. They had an interest in
31:03preserving and projecting Chinese history because they were afraid at that
31:08time that Tsarist Russia would come and occupy China. So if you look at the 19th
31:13century for example, the biggest advocates of China were UK and America
31:19especially American missionaries. So you know there's a whole school of
31:24promoting China, not now, not Kissinger, not modern era. I'm talking of you know
31:30early 1800s. In fact, Pearl S. Buck was an outcome of that kind of strand of
31:36thinking. So building up China was always, not always, but for a long time a
31:43strategic objective of the West. Building them up as a society, praising their
31:51achievements, history and running us down was equally a strategic compulsion of
31:58the West. So today actually we are starting this competition or you can say
32:04this you know projecting of image from very different starting points. I think
32:10we have a harder job and therefore we'll work harder.
32:12In the way the world is nowadays, we sleep knowing the world to be a certain
32:18way. You wake up in the morning and then things aren't quite the same given
32:22everything that may have happened in DC and elsewhere at night. What keeps you up
32:26Dr. Jai Shankar at night? Do you sleep well or are you always looking at the
32:29phone to see what's happening? I sleep well and I get up and look at my phone and I go
32:33back to sleeping well. When you look at your phone are you able to go back to
32:37sleep after that? Yes. Look I have you know for many many years you know when
32:43you deal with the world, you're dealing with different time zones. So you always
32:49you have built it into your system. You don't know what will happen at night. We have to be
32:53awake, somebody's phone call and once you actually got into a position of
32:57responsibility, actually unfortunately sometimes things can happen. Not
33:02necessarily good things can happen. So you build it into your cycle but you
33:09have to today watch the world. I agree with you. You have to watch the world not
33:13just at night. I mean if I'm sitting there and I don't have my phone for an
33:16hour, I still start wondering you know some am I missing. So FOMO is a
33:22real real issue there. But on the other hand, look at how much we are able to
33:28know about the world. You know the kind of numbers, statistics, what are other
33:34people doing. You know if you are in a business, what are your competitors doing,
33:38what are the possible options. So if you trade it off, I think we are far far
33:42better off than preceding generations. I won't exchange it for anything.
33:47Interesting. Henry Kissinger was asked who his favorite foreign minister at
33:53this moment was and the first name on that list was of Dr. Jaishankar. If I
33:58were to ask that and Dr. Jaishankar interestingly in the way only he can
34:01says, in the part of the world that I come from that's not necessarily a
34:05compliment and that's Kissinger in India. But okay if I were to ask you sir, of all
34:10the foreign ministers you practice diplomacy with, who comes across as most
34:16impressive to you? You know the moment I gave you one name, I've lost all my other
34:21friends. So don't. Good try, won't work. Let me try a little. See he's India's
34:29number one diplomat. You can't expect me to trap him. That's not going to happen.
34:32So yes, that round of applause is well acknowledged. Sir, one of the things
34:38that's been spoken of for so long is that and you spoke about it in your address
34:42that India will go from being the fifth largest economy to being the third
34:46largest. For a country of this aspiration, India has a very small
34:50Ministry of External Affairs, just about 1,000 to 1,100 officers. For context, the
34:55United States is 70,000. China has 7,000. Even Dr. Jaishankar's…
34:59So that's a testament to our quality, no? I mean that's what thousands are doing.
35:07So we don't need a Doge in India. He's already got a Doge working hard. And even
35:12Jaishankar's favorite country, Canada, has about 7,000 plus officers. So how do
35:18you look at the question of upskilling and just having more boots on the ground?
35:22I'll give you a serious answer. Actually, we categorize people in different ways.
35:31You say UPSC, they're past UPSC, so they must be this, they're the next level,
35:36they must be something else. I take it as total net employees, because many
35:41countries, it doesn't matter at what level, when you go abroad, they declare you a diplomat.
35:48So exactly who's a diplomat, not a diplomat, I think that's not a relevant argument. In fact,
35:55we give a lot of responsibilities even to our personnel, non-diplomatic personnel,
36:01which others don't give even to their diplomats. So if you take our total strength, it would be
36:14close to 8,000, if you take it all. Secondly, it's our working style also,
36:20and I'm being serious here. We tend to give a lot of latitude. It's like any of you who run a
36:29business, you can have a business with a lot of employees, or you can have a much more contemporary
36:35business where your team leaders or your, you know, that vertical has a lot of freedom and
36:42latitude. And so we are a very, very, I would say, I mean, this sounds like self praise,
36:48but it's actually self analysis. We are among the nimblest foreign ministries. We expect
36:56ambassadors very often, not just to tell us something is happening, but to tell us,
37:00okay, so what's the answer? In some cases, the smart ones may even say, that's the answer. And
37:06by the way, I've already initiated it. So I think it's a work, it's a way of working.
37:12It's a way of counting, maybe to some degree, our efficiency. But having said that, if you ask me,
37:20would you like more people? Absolutely. Yeah, super. Finally, sir, as a student of foreign
37:26policy, it seems globalization is in retreat, and we're back to the way of the jungle might is right.
37:32As a practitioner, if you were asked to describe in one of your books, the world order as it exists,
37:38and India's place in it, what would be your response? You know, look, I just went through
37:44this conversation, this part of the conversation with the Financial Times. First of all, this thing,
37:51you know, there was a great world order, everybody obeyed it, you know, it works so beautifully,
37:56the world rules law, that is their myth. You know, look at it from the point of view of other
38:02countries. You know, where was the world order when people in Africa and Asia and Latin America
38:07were not getting vaccines? You know, where was the world order when there were travel restrictions
38:12placed on them? If you look at, you know, even infringements of sovereignty, please count from
38:191945 how many wars have taken place in the world, and who has crossed whose borders? And the pattern
38:27which emerges is the guys up there cross into the borders of people down there. So, I think we should
38:36be very careful buying into this narrative in the first place, that everything was orderly and nice,
38:42and now somewhere somebody is coming with a wrecking ball. I don't think that is so. The
38:48second is, look at the order itself. I would, we have, we say we have a trading, you know,
38:55an organization to regulate world trade, please look at the subsidies, please look at the, you
39:01know, the non-market factors, look at how much damage it has done to industry in this country.
39:08So, if the world order was so great, why didn't it prevent all this? You know, why didn't someone
39:14call out that the goods which are being, you know, imported into this country, it's made
39:21with advantageous, unfair support? You know, people were silent. So, I don't buy this idea
39:29that everything was great and now things are going to be, you know, somehow not good. I think
39:35there were very big problems before. Many of us did not have the courage to stand up and call it
39:42out. I think we were one of them who did. Even connectivity, you know, we were one of the few
39:48who said connectivity, we are, you know, the world has to agree on what is connectivity. One country
39:52cannot decide what should be connectivity. But look at the rest of the world, how many of them
39:57spoke up? So, look, we are in the threshold of change, things will happen. I think whether the
40:04change is good or bad, you know, opportunities, challenges, time will tell. But you won't see me
40:11going around singing pens to the world that we have somehow lost. That is not the case.
40:17Ladies and gentlemen, I've had the opportunity over the past two and a half decades to interview
40:22all our foreign ministers and the fact is each minister is a product of the circumstance and
40:26a product of the government of the day. But I don't think we've had as aggressive a batsman
40:31in the global pitch as Dr. Jaishankar and he's also someone who enjoys watching cricket quite a
40:36lot. So, for that aggression and for that articulation and for explaining why Bharat
40:41matters and showing the India way, ladies and gentlemen, can we have a warm round of applause
40:46for Dr. Jaishankar? Thank you, sir. Thank you very much.
40:49Thank you so much, Dr. Jaishankar. Could I please request you to be here while I request Mr. Arun
40:55Puri, Chairman and Editor-in-Chief of India Today Group, to come and felicitate Dr. Jaishankar,
41:02please? Huge round of applause, ladies and gentlemen, for Dr. Jaishankar.
41:17Let's pose for a photo, Abhishek.
41:25Thank you so much. Warmest round of applause, ladies and gentlemen, for Dr. S. Jaishankar.