The real test of a journalist isn’t whether they can argue a topic well, but whether they can engage with opposing views without losing composure, curiosity, or honesty.
I disagree with much of @sardesairajdeep's politics and public positioning. But after meeting him at the Forum of Indian Professionals in Hong Kong @fiphkofficial - first at a fireside chat, then on a podcast - I walked away with genuine respect for one thing:
His professionalism.
He was always on time. He was candid. He was approachable. He took tough questions. He didn’t demand a sanitized conversation. He didn’t ask to see the podcast questions in advance. During the fireside, I bowled him a constitutional bouncer, which he answered with a philosophical sidestep. But he still stayed in the contest and engaged with my counter. He didn’t evade the counter just because it was inconvenient, even though the moderator would have happily moved on. That’s rarer than it should be.
In an age where so many public figures want control, curation, and comfort, the people who are willing to be challenged in real time stand out. You don’t have to agree with someone to recognize their professionalism. In fact, that may be the most honest time to do it.
Maybe the real mark of a professional is to have willingness and ability to face scrutiny without flinching.
Hope you enjoy the podcast. Here is the link:
https://t.co/JSxRvTTqjl
#fiphk #indian #indianprofessional #professional #hongkong #journalism
@JPJoshi1@indologia We the people of India are at fault for allowing power hungry elites to manipulate. Things are changing but pace of change has been slow.
Moderated a podcast with the Former Chief Justice of India, Justice Dr. Dhananjaya Y. Chandrachud, during his visit to Hong Kong. To mark International Women’s Day, the Forum of Indian Professionals in Hong Kong @fiphkofficial hosted him for a fireside chat conducted under the Chatham House Rule, where he spoke thoughtfully on a wide range of issues. We then requested a separate podcast recording so the wider Indian diaspora in Hong Kong could hear his perspectives. Meeting someone who has held India’s highest judicial office yet remains so humble and approachable was truly inspiring. I have interacted with many business, diplomatic, and political leaders over the years, but I have never met anyone quite like Justice Chandrachud.
#fiphk #JusticeChandrachud #IndianProfessionals #india #indianjudiciary #wethepeople #constitution
FIPHK Spectrum: Justice Dr. Dhananjaya Y Chandrachud https://t.co/WCfcnjgIW8 via @YouTube
Educated Indian elite - I count myself in this - accepted what is known as the "Washington Consensus", with globalization driven by the World Economic Forum, Davos.
That era received a mortal blow during the Global Financial Crisis in 2008-9, died during the pandemic and today we perform the last rites.
Here is how I believe we should navigate this new era, treating this challenge as an opportunity.
1. Every tech we do not have is deep tech and I do not mean LLMs (alone) here and it includes advanced metallurgy, composite materials, DC motors, batteries, medical equipment, network equipment, drones, jet engines, robots, bioreactors and so on and on.
2. A 5-10 year sprint to catch up in every such "basic deep tech". In some areas, like GPUs or fighter jets, it may take 10-15 years, but we must put our heads down and do it. China has done it and it can be done. We have the raw human talent in abundance and we can train. This much I know.
3. We need a long term orientation. Venture capital with 7-8 year exit cycles cannot do it. It promotes a short termism that is at odds with what our nation needs right now. More broadly, quarterly earnings cycles are a poor match for the long term catch up investment we have to make. This essentially mandates that our big industrial houses must invest heavily in R&D, keeping in mind that catch-up R&D (in particular) is not expensive, it is time-intensive.
4. More broadly, we don't want our smartest talent going into high finance - we must realize we are borrowing what failed America. It is a colossal misallocation of resources. The mortal blow of the GFC I referred to was all due to "smartest talent going into finance" in America and ultimately that is what led to MAGA, once Occupy-Wall-Street failed with the left - it is a different matter that MAGA got coopted by Wall Street.
India cannot afford to be addicted to high finance, it would lead to societal ruin. We must view making money on money with the appropriate caution that our ancients taught us.
5. I will come back to talent, the most important point of all. There is a lot of raw young talent in rural Bharat that is waiting for the opportunity. Patient capital is about nurturing this talent, bring it on stream.
Once you discover what we have discovered, you will stop fighting about reservation and so on. My own R&D team reflects our society in a deep way and without any compulsion from the government. JEE, NEET, UPSC etc do not capture the essence of this talent pool. I do not care about any of those exams, I ignore all those "signals" and go with the evidence of our own eyes to discover and nurture talent.
6. Climate change. Have you noticed how quickly the silicon valley elite dumped climate change and got on board the "energy to the max" with AI? We need EI - Energy-efficient Intelligence. Climate change is also a life style issue and Bharat has to be the light to the world in showing how to live in harmony with mother nature while building a technologically advanced society. Bharat Mata is mother nature.
We have faced far worse adversity before and we will face this. If we seize this moment, we will come to see it as a blessing in the long term.
Bharat Mata ki Jai 🙏
Moderating a fireside chat with cricket icon Steve Waugh was an absolute thrill. Members of FIPHK bowled some tricky googly questions, but Steve played a blinder, mastering a spinning pitch with ease. We glimpsed Steve’s dynamic personality—his lens-sharp passion for photography and big-hearted philanthropy stealing the show. Take a bow, Steve - keep hitting it out of the park!
https://t.co/aU8lWGGd4K
Pushkar Sane, Co-Founder & CEO of Convergination Ventures, captivated the audience at #RTQUORUM with his insights on The Art of Storytelling in a Digitised World.
@pushkarsane
See the complete session video at https://t.co/BLZdyHE3Ui
Excited to be at #GHCI24 in Bengaluru tomorrow with Anisha Motwani, @pushkarsane and @tinagarg and to spend time with women leaders at Grace Hopper Celebration India session at BIEC.
@LloydMathias@IJaising@KapilSibal Well said @LloydMathias - these days people have to think twice before evening attending a cultural or religious event at home. CJI is one of the finest legal mind and throwing allegations like this is sinister.
@LloydMathias@HindenburgRes@Pawankhera@ReenaZeeET@ZeeTV It is a classic case of conflict of interests and agenda from all sides. Anglicised shayari in employees letter is certainly adds flavour to the whole drama. Similar to both sides of aisle writing open letters one way or the other. I guess this is trailer - picture abhi baki hai
@Suvodeep@IndiGo6E@DGCAIndia Thanks Suvo. I always buy books and sad part was I had to discard them as water inside the bag damaged all of them. Books were more than 20K and they offered me 2K. 🤦♂️