ABP Network’s Ideas of India 2025: A Two-Day Intellectual Odyssey
BILKULONLINE
Mumbai, Feb 26: ABP Network’s Ideas of India 2025 unfolded as a spectacle of thought leadership and innovation, uniting visionaries, policymakers, and changemakers under the powerful theme, ‘Humanity’s Next Frontier’. Held in Mumbai, the two-day summit set the stage for groundbreaking discussions, featuring over 50 distinguished speakers engaging in 30 deeply relevant sessions that explored India’s transformative journey on the global stage. From tackling climate imperatives and geopolitical shifts to unlocking the potential of emerging technologies like AI, the event served as a catalyst for bold ideas and meaningful action. As India stands at the crossroads of heritage and progress, this dynamic platform reaffirmed the nation’s role as a driving force in shaping the future of the world.
In the much anticipated opening session, ‘The Earth Flame Searching for Inner Peace’, celebrated Indian author, journalist, and travel writer, Pico Iyer, recounted his life in a catholic hermitage after a fire incident burned down his family home in California. “The very night I lost everything when my house burned down, I realized I still had the most important things. I also realized I don’t need 90% of things I accumulated; I can live more minimally. Humanity’s last frontier is really humanity’s first frontier which is what kind of invisible clarity and calm can we find to make our peace with AI and the other accelerating technologies.”
“India is not a poor country anymore, and we must take bold steps in developing our foundational AI models.”, said Dr. Manish Gupta, Senior Director at Google DeepMind, who leads AI research teams across India and Japan. Speaking on the topic ‘Transforming India with AI: Why We Need More Data’, he said, “Some assume that building foundational AI models requires hundreds of millions of dollars, but we must have the courage to take on challenges that have never been attempted before. AI is an old discipline, almost as old as computing itself. The reason ChatGPT and similar models took off is the innovation of transformer architecture, which has been key to foundational AI models.”
In the session, “The Frontiers of Science: Knowing the Unknown”, Dr. Pratima Murthy, Director, NIMHANS, said, “One in ten people suffer from a diagnosable mental disorder.” Dr. Shubha Tole, Neuroscientist and Professor at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, talked about the importance of research, saying, “Research opens minds. It’s the art of asking questions, and through this process, we uncover profound insights. Who better to solve a problem than a mind trained in research?” Dr. Jahnavi Phalkey, Founding Director of Science Gallery, Bangalore, talked about the state of research funding in our country. “Our funding system is skewed and laced with bureaucratic hurdles. The funding landscape is poorly developed and needs to be strengthened. We also need to rethink the direction of research.”
In the session titled ‘The Next Generation: Making Business Better’, Shashwat Goenka expressed how his organization identified the potential of makhana early, stating, “We discovered the market value of makhana before people even adopted it. Healthy snacking was an untapped space, and we saw the opportunity before it became mainstream.”
Speaking in the session, ‘Wah Ustads: Magic at Their Fingertips’, Taufiq Qureshi said, “During our childhood, we were given honest feedback and guidance from gurus at home. “In my house, we had already covered A to Z of percussions, A for Alla Rakha and Z for Zakir Hussain. I didn’t feel any pressure growing up. I feel fortunate that I was born in a family which has such rich musical legacy. So, very early in my career, I tried to create my own identity and music and succeeded.”
