And for a Friday in Mumbai …… attending the memorable 70th AGM of IGCC ….. of a week which also saw India pull off a huge diplomatic success at the BRICS summit ….. some thoughts … some musings …..
As the Worlds largest bilateral chamber the Indo -German Chamber of Commerce has played a unique & leading role in promoting India-Germany relations in trade …. commerce … culture & people to people interactions & networking……the 70th AGM was held at the iconic Jio World Convention Centre …..an absolutely World class Convention facility in the heart of Mumbai at BKC ….. the Opulence & technically top class infrastructure is equally matched by the very superior catering & hospitality support ….. with capacity to house on modular basis ….. from 300 to 20,000 delegates …..boasts of the Worlds largest lift with a capacity to carry 235 people at one stretch …… absolutely remarkable …..H.E. Dr. Jasper Wieck has taken over recently as the new German Ambassador to India & Bhutan ….. he very succinctly summed up how Germany & India can together help shape a better world order …. given the chaos & strife created by the existing Geopolitical crisis ……last year Germany had welcomed & issued over 2 lakh visas to Indians & the number of Indian students now opting to study in Germany has steadily increased to over 70,000 …… particularly in the wake of the historic EU-India FTA the opportunities for bilateral cooperation & Investments are huge including in the Defense sectors …..the relationship between Germany & India has been built over many decades based on Reliability , Predictability & Sustainability ……..
Inspite of the huge Global uncertainty with three major conflicts & many other skirmishes …, India’s economy has withstood the challenges & has captured the attention of the world ……the country now has the largest Start-Up ecosystem in the world with more than 130 Unicorns valued at 350 Bn US $s ……smart phone usage & Internet connections has crossed a 1000 mn ……with 3720 + GCCs engaging more than 2.5 lakh Professionals with cutting edge AI & ML capabilities …..India is poised to emerge as the 3rd largest economy ……& ….defying all predictions by doomsday naysayers in some parts of the World ….the recently concluded BRICS joint statement was a huge endorsement of India’s diplomatic success …… Terrorism in all forms including the Pahalgam massacre in Kashmir was condemned ….. as also the joint statement issued totally opposed the imposition of unilateral Tariffs & Trade barriers …… the emergence of the Global South in a very viable BRICS platform was evident when politically crossed countries like Iran -UAE-Saudi Arabia;; India-China ….. all coming together in an Unanimous Resolution & draft a deft Joint statement …. Take a Bow…..…..
Every Indian can be proud of these achievements but the challenges are even greater …let us all strive to eradicate poverty … build an equitable society ….. the inclusive way …., the sustainable way …, the SEEGOS way.