After a grand inaugural day, the second day of the ABP Network’s Ideas of India 2025 was marked by a confluence of even more stimulating ideas and engaging discourses.
Mumbai: After a grand inaugural day, the second day of the ABP Network’s Ideas of India 2025 was marked by a confluence of even more stimulating ideas and engaging discourses, voyaging the mind, heart, and spirit towards ‘Humanity’s Next Frontier.’ The day 2 of ABP Network’s Ideas of India 2025 began with monk and motivational speaker Gaur Gopal Das elaborating upon the “4 N’s” of ‘Mastering the Mind – Living Our Best Lives’.
Elaborating on the four ways, Gaur Gopal Das said, “The first step is to learn to neglect. Your mind is constantly asking for your attention like a child. The next important thing to understand the maturity on what to attend to and what to neglect. Some aspects need attention, others need to be ignored. Mental health will come when you learn to neglect things that don’t need to be prioritized. The second thing is to negotiate. You need to learn to negotiate with your mind like you negotiate with your child. The third N is Note it down. Journaling is powerful. Start journaling before going to sleep because otherwise you are taking your thoughts to sleep. The last one is non-judgemental observation. When you feel overwhelmed with thoughts, start classifying the chatter in your mind into thoughts and feelings.”
The next session “The Humanitarian Touch – Creating a Kinder Universe” saw social activists Bezwada Wilson, Ramon Magsaysay Awardee, and National Convener, Safai Karmachari Andolan; Satyajit Bhatkal, CEO, Paani Foundation, and Ramveer Tanwar, PondMan, Environmentalist & Brand Ambassador, GNN discuss various social issues persisting in the country.
“Women in villages still manually clean fecal matter from toilets and septic tanks. 12 people have already died since the beginning of 2025 because of this”, Bezwada Wilson, Ramon Magsaysay Awardee, and National Convener, Safai Karmachari Andolan said.
Satyajit Bhatkal, CEO, Paani Foundation said, “We created Satyamev Jayate to drive change, not for views. Over 24 episodes, we made an impact, which led us to focus on water conservation. When the show ended, we dedicated ourselves to tackling water pollution and uniting villages.”
Ramveer Tanwar, PondMan, Environmentalist & Brand Ambassador, GNN said, “Village ponds, once clean and essential, are now polluted beyond use. We used to swim in them—today, they’re dumping grounds. If this continues, future generations will only see them as garbage pits.”
Khan Sir, renowned educator and founder of Khan Global Studies & Khan GS Research Centre, spoke in the session ‘The 21st Century Indian – Learning to Survive’ on the growing issue of paper leaks and called for a transparent and streamlined examination system. “Paper leaks could be a bigger scam than Commonwealth Games”, he said and then added “One person alone cannot change a nation of 140 crore. Change must begin within us.”
Sachin Pilot, former Deputy Chief Minister of the Rajasthan Government and National General Secretary of the Indian National Congress (INC), at ABP Network’s Ideas of India 2025 spoke in the session titled ‘A Place in the Sun – The Next Generation Politician’. “BJP took birth after I was born. The Idea of India is greater than one statesman, one statement and one party. It is beyond one election. Voting rights doesn’t make a democracy. Strengthening democratic institutions makes a democracy. The selection process for Election Commissioner of India included the roles of Prime Minister, Leader of Opposition and Chief Justice of India. Why has the Government removed the role of Chief Justice of India from the selection process and replaced with another Union Minister?”
Speaking in the session, ‘Building Viksit Bharat – Brics, Mortar, and Much More,’ Piyush Goyal, Union Minister of Commerce & Industry, said, The U.S. and India complement each other, working together as strategic partners rather than rivals. The industry is not afraid of any tariffs. India and the U.S. are democratic, interdependent nations—not competitors but complementing forces. We are force multipliers, strengthening each other. Whether it’s the American people or Indians, we are optimistic about our ties.”
Social media sensation Orhan Awatramani, popularly known as Orry, setting the tone for an unfiltered candid conversation about wealth, fame and luxury said, “Orry does it all! I attended 78 weddings till last night. It’s all fun and fancy, but after a while, how many watches, how many tours? The satisfaction fades, and boredom creeps in any pleasurable activity done without effort eventually becomes dull.”
Celebrated musicians Mehtab Ali Niazi, Mahesh Raghavan, and Nirali Kartik discussed the healing power of music during their session titled ‘Healing Power of Music, Touching the Divine Within’.
Mahesh Raghavan, Music composer spoke of his introduction to music, saying, “I grew up learning Carnatic music and the keyboard. I started when I was three and was always drawn to music. I bought an iPad just to play games, but soon realized its potential for music. Traditionally, Indian classical music had no use for synthesizers, but with an iPad, I could shift between notes seamlessly. It opened up a whole new way to explore music”.
Mehtab Niazi, Sitarist and vocalist from the Bhendi Bazar Gharana remarked, “As I grew older, I realized that music was the only thing I was truly good at, even though I tried sports and academics. Indian classical music has now moved to larger auditoriums and stadiums. With advancements in technology, we can capture even the subtlest resonances of instruments, preserving the richness of sound like never before.”
Nirali Kartik, Classical vocalist said, “My mother, a music lover, encouraged me to learn music, and thankfully, our dreams aligned. Today, many Gujaratis are taking up music and we are witnessing a cultural shift.”
Arun Kumar, Sah Sarkaryawah of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), emphasized India’s cultural values and nation-building in the session understanding RSS. He described India as an ancient, eternal, and Hindu nation, adding that understanding it requires viewing it from RSS’s perspective. Elaborating about RSS, Arun Kumar said, “We have no adversaries. In 100 years, three things have remained constant in RSS- discipline, decentralization, and cultural purity. Everything else has evolved with time. The Sangh is still young. A new generation is stepping forward, and society continues to accept our ideology. We work for the people but do not emphasize self-promotion. More work and less propaganda – that has always been our approach.”
In the session, ‘Mining the Future: Start-ups, Demographic Dividend, and Sustainability’, Ishpreet Singh Gandhi, Founder of Stride Ventures and StrideOne, shared insights into the investor-startup ecosystem in India, stating, “The founder and the team around is what makes an idea unique. It is about understanding the founder and his journey. We tried understanding the use cases of the businesses. Sometimes investors community also has some herd mentality. Post pandemic, everyone thought technology was the answer to all challenges and would revolutionize all sectors including agriculture, edtech, etc. This was a global trend. Then came the aspect of profitability and business model. Profitability-first business model approach returned.”
Sharing about his entrepreneurial journey, co-panellist Sneh R Vaswani, Co-Founder and CEO of Miko, said, “For the first two and half years, we had zero revenue, 23 product pilots with 50,000 children. Incrementally, our product became better. Beyond a point only execution matters. I have observed a common pattern in all investors who have invested in us, which showed they had entrepreneurial experience and could relate to our business journey.”
Co-panellist Anurag Kedia, Co-Founder, Pilgrim, added to the conversation, saying, “I believe execution is more important than idea. There should be the willingness to learn all the time for a founder. We are in the golden age of start-ups. This is probably the best time to build business in India. Honesty is very important when you pitch to investors. We should be transparent in disclosing our business details to investors and updating them regularly.”
Rochita Dey, Director, Sreeleathers Ltd., participated in the session ‘Understanding the Indian Consumer – Diversity and Inclusion, sharing her journey as a business woman. “When I was younger, there was a stereotype about women in business. While times have changed, the bias still exists. A male counterpart in the boardroom might confidently claim credit for 20% of the work while a woman might hesitate to acknowledge even 80% of her contribution.”
In the session, Fitness First – All the Right Moves, Krishna Shroff, Founder, Matrix Fight Night and Nikita Dutta, actor, shared their secrets to good health, nutrition and fitness.
“You are never going to look as good as you feel and you are never going to feel as good as you look. I eat everything but practice portion control. You can enjoy a Gulab Jamun, just keep it to one. Balance is key. I have tried all kinds of diets, but what has worked for me is portion control.” said Krishna Shroff, Founder, Matrix Fight Night
Nikita Dutta, actor, said, “At this point, everybody has mental health issues in the world we live in. Nobody is completely sane, but we are trying. It will take some time for the taboo around mental health to dissipate. Aesthetics and fitness are distinct; don’t mix the two.”
Shashi Tharoor, Author, Politician, and Former International Diplomat spoke on the subject of “The Great Indian Migration – What Now in the World of Walls?” Talking about the current state of migrations, Dr. Tharoor further said, “India’s growth story remains a paradox—while the economy expands, rising unemployment and crises like drug addiction in Punjab are eroding hope. When people in India are desperate to leave, it signals a deeper crisis. The lure of foreign shores is due to rising unemployment. They see no future in a land they once called home. We should not stay silent about how our people are treated abroad. Migrants work endless hours in exploitative conditions. To break the cycle, we need real change in investment, employment, and entrepreneurship. People should feel confident about their future here. Migration should be a choice, not a necessity, where success is celebrated, not just an aspirational dream.”
Prof. Ashwani Mahajan, Author, Columnist, and National Co-convenor of Swadeshi Jagran Manch and Dr. Ashima Goyal, Economist, Professor at the Indira Gandhi Institute of Development Research, Mumbai, and Member of India’s Monetary Policy Committee, spoke on the subject “The Growth Accelerator Club: Making the Right Choices.” Prof. Ashwani Mahajan said, “In last 10 years, we have done well in reducing multidimensional poverty, which is recognized by UNDP. Some global reports are part of deep state and there’s a conspiracy to make India appear as poor.”
Dismissing perception about poverty in India, Dr. Ashima Goyal, added, “We were struggling to reduce poverty since independence; now poverty is down from 30% to 5%. There is a transformation in the Indian Jobs market and we are not recognizing it. Before pandemic, our growth rate was very volatile. In the past 4 years, policy was counter cyclical. For past three years, our growth rate averaged 8.3%. In the period of high growth, job creation multiplied and we recorded 10% growth in jobs. When we have policies that keep growth high and counters shock, businesses feel that growth will sustain and they will employ more people.”
Celebrated actor Aamir Khan spoke about his dream to make Mahabharat in a session titled “60 and Not Done- The Screen and Spotlight”. He added, “Cinema and storytelling transcend language and territorial barriers. Ironically, piracy made me a star in China! ‘3 Idiots’ went viral there because of piracy. The credit goes to the Chinese audience for accepting a film from a different culture and giving it love and respect. It was all organic and I had no role to play in it.”
Kriti Kharbanda, actress, and Cyrus Broacha, comedian, actor, host, and columnist, discussed the ‘The Power of Social Media – Navigating Celebritydom’ exploring the fine line between freedom of expression and online scrutiny, the evolving nature of digital interactions, and the impact of social media on personal and professional lives.
On regulating YouTube content, Kriti questioned the practicality of policing online platforms. “You can’t regulate every camera. What about what is happening behind the camera, on the internet, or in people’s minds? People shouldn’t bring filth back home – that’s what should be regulated. But how far can we go?”
Cyrus added, “Why is ‘India’s Got Lalent’ getting so much hype? People watch it, so how many can we police? That’s the real question.” And, on the recent Ranveer Allahbadia controversy, Cyrus said, “They are not confirmed criminals.”
Dr. (Prof.) Venki Ramakrishnan at ABP Network’s Ideas of India 2025 spoke on “The Science of Ageing- The Yearning for Immortality”, stating, “Death itself is a peculiar phenomenon, millions of our cells are dying even as we sit here. We have a natural limit to our lifespan, with the longest recorded being 122 years by Jeanne Calment. No one has lived beyond 120. While the number of centenarians, those over 100, has been increasing, the number of supercentenarians (above 110) has remained stagnant. Aging is essentially the accumulation of changes and damage that lead to increased dysfunction over time.”
The closing session of the 2-day long Ideas of India 2025 had four of India’s legendary sports person, Leader Paes, Indian Olympic Medalist, Grand Slam Winner, International Tennis Hall of Fame member, and Entrepreneur, Founder of Flying Man Ventures; Prakash Padukone, All England Open Badminton Champion, Padma Shri and Arjuna Awardee; Viswanathan Anand, 5-time World Chess Champion, Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan, Padma Shri and Arjuna Awardee; Geet Sethi, 6-Time World Champion of Billiards/Snooker and Founder of Olympic Gold Quest; Leander Paes, Indian Olympic Medalist, Grand Slam Winner, International Tennis Hall of Fame member, and Entrepreneur, Founder of Flying Man Ventures participated in the session, “The Pioneers – Breaking all Barriers”.
Sharing his concern on the state of Tennis, Leader Paes said, “I am concerned about tennis. Our association is currently facing the Supreme Court. We should learn from what the BCCI has done for cricket and follow its model of establishing hundreds of cricket clubs in every region of India. We should also commend Khelo India, as ₹1500 crores have been allocated for it. That’s not just a sports budget; that’s specifically a Khelo India budget.”
Talking about Olympics, Prakash Padukone, said, “We have abundant talent in the country, but many previously lacked opportunities. Over the last 15 years, this has changed significantly. The sports federations must be professionalized. Talent is not the issue, nor is funding a problem now. The government is doing its part, and people are receiving support, but it is crucial that sports federations become more involved. These federations need to operate like corporations. Federations control the sports. It is their responsibility to encourage and promote sports.”
Talking about Olympics, Viswanathan Anand, said, “In India, I work to identify talent and provide them with all the resources they need. Winning medals will inspire more people to take up sports as a career option. When sports become a mass movement in our country, that’s when true transformation will happen. Currently, we are competitive in sports but often miss out narrowly. We shouldn’t be satisfied with these close misses; that’s how we will grow as a sporting nation. In India, federations should be reformed to become more accommodating and spontaneous. Many chess players have started their own academies.”
Speaking about how India can do better at Olympics, 6 time world champion of billiards Geet Sethi said, “The reason why we are not producing Olympic level sportspersons is that sports in India don’t have the money for the talent to be nurtured. Socioeconomics, genetics, and subconscious self-belief are the three things which will drive India to sporting excellence. Today, each member of the Olympic contingent is more confident which was not the case before.”
The second day of ABP Network’s Ideas of India 2025 concluded on a high note, leaving behind a wealth of thought-provoking discussions and visionary insights, serving as a melting pot of ideas, bringing together leaders from diverse fields to explore India’s role in shaping the future amid evolving global dynamics.
The ABP Network’s Ideas of India 2025, centred on the theme ‘Humanity’s Next Frontier’, convenes thought leaders and innovators to explore the challenges and opportunities in India’s ascendance in a rapidly changing world. In the face of climate change, geopolitical conflicts, and technological advancements like AI, the summit delved into India’s role as both an ancient civilisation and a demographic powerhouse in shaping the future. The two-day summit brings together a confluence of ideas from global thought leaders, intellectuals, and change-makers, covering transformative possibilities in science, medicine, social contracts, and global leadership, with experts from diverse fields offering bold visions of a better, more sustainable world for all.
