On a light Friday afternoon in San Francisco, a gaggle of Stanford Graduate College of Enterprise college students walked up the sandstone steps of the Consulate Common of India. The constructing sits a couple of blocks off Market Avenue (half formal, half pale), like an previous diplomat who’s seen sufficient a long time to know that marble does not must shine to imply one thing.Inside, they have been greeted by Dr. Okay. Srikar Reddy, the Consul Common, and his staff — Deputy Consul Common Shri Rakesh Adlakha, Mr. Abhishek Kumar Sharma (Consul, Commerce), Mr. Chittyreddy Sripal (Consul, Head of Chancery, Political & Technical), Ms. Himani Dhamija (Vice Consul, Passport & Training), and Ms. Poonam Singh (Govt Assistant, Training). They smiled broadly and motioned the delegates right into a convention room lined with framed images of Indian skylines, satellites, and prime ministers.The assembly was merely a dialog between younger folks attempting to grasp India’s financial transformation and the diplomats who interpret that transformation to the world.Many of the college students had simply returned from the Stanford GSB’s World Examine Journey (GST) to India, a ten-day immersion throughout Delhi and Mumbai on the theme. Progress and Innovation. They’d spent their days in convention rooms, boardrooms, and infrequently the backseat of buses caught in Delhi visitors, attempting to piece collectively a rustic in movement.
Once they gathered that afternoon in San Francisco, the journey was nonetheless contemporary of their minds.Dr. Reddy started the session with a well mannered critique. “I learn your article,” he mentioned, referring to the scholars’ reflection piece from the journey, and talked of Bangalore and Hyderabad, the place he mentioned, “you’ll have additionally seen cities the place innovation is occurring: international functionality centres, manufacturing hubs, deep-tech startups.”He spoke with the composure of somebody who has spent a long time explaining India’s uneven map to visiting delegations: how Tamil Nadu leads in cars, Gujarat in manufacturing, Telangana in know-how, and the way India’s financial story is mostly a mosaic of state tales stitched collectively. “Some areas are rising in double digits,” he mentioned. “The nationwide common is six or seven p.c, however that hides the reality, that some states are racing forward whereas others are nonetheless rooted in agriculture.,The scholars across the desk mirrored the identical variety that India itself usually comprises. Some have been of Indian origin; others weren’t. A number of had grown up in Seoul, Singapore, or Texas, and for a lot of, the journey was their first actual encounter with India.A primary-year pupil who had lived throughout Asia mentioned he joined the journey as a result of “it felt like a lacking piece.” One other pupil who grew up in Korea spoke concerning the parallels between South Korea’s family-run conglomerates and India’s enterprise dynasties. “In each international locations,” he mentioned, “you see this mixture of custom and ambition: household firms evolving into fashionable enterprises. However now, tech is altering the sample.,Dr. Reddy agreed, however added a distinction. “The service sector, particularly IT and design, is driving a lot of the expansion now,” he mentioned. “Eighteen p.c of India’s worth added comes from digital industries. We’re transferring from name facilities to analysis centres. Each international firm you possibly can title has engineers in Bangalore.”That assertion caught the group’s consideration. Most had heard of India because the “again workplace of the world.” Few had thought-about it the “design workplace” too.The dialogue quickly moved to know-how. Parul, {an electrical} engineer who had labored in Bangalore’s AI scene earlier than coming to Stanford, requested concerning the authorities’s plan to construct a semiconductor ecosystem. Dr. Reddy responded: “Twenty p.c of the world’s chip design already occurs in India,” he mentioned. “Now we’re constructing capability for manufacturing, beginning with 28 nanometers and above. Micron is organising its facility. Tata Electronics is partnering with a Taiwanese agency. By 2030, we wish to develop electronics manufacturing to $500 billion, with semiconductors contributing about $110 billion.”Then got here a query from a pupil, William Whittenbury, who had an aerospace background. He had labored at an organization concerned in sending India’s astronauts to the Worldwide House Station. “India’s area program has been so self-reliant,” he mentioned. “Do you see room for worldwide collaboration?”Dr. Reddy nodded. “Completely,” he mentioned. “Our collaboration with NASA is powerful. The NASA-ISRO Artificial Aperture Radar satellite tv for pc was launched collectively in July. We’re working collectively on Earth statement and human area packages. India desires to be a dependable associate, not only for ourselves however for the world.”Per week later, he talked about, the Consulate would host an occasion on India-US area cooperation.The tone shifted from macroeconomics to one thing extra private. A pupil who grew up within the US however was of Indian origin requested concerning the rising variety of folks like him: professionals who wished to construct careers that straddled each international locations.Dr. Reddy leaned again. “That’s already occurring,” he mentioned. “Our bilateral commerce in items and providers crossed $212 billion final yr. We wish to double it by 2030. The USA is our largest financial associate. As India grows, expertise will circulation each methods. For the Subsequent 25 years, our demographic benefit will likely be unmatched: common age 29.”He famous that over 2.5 million Indians graduate yearly in STEM fields. “That is why so many firms are organising World Functionality Facilities. They are not simply offshoring. They’re innovating.”Towards the top, one pupil who had constructed startups in each international locations in contrast the expertise of elevating capital in India versus Silicon Valley. “It is a lot simpler right here,” he mentioned. “In India, even with nice expertise, the funding ecosystem nonetheless feels cautious.”Dr. Reddy acknowledged the problem. “Some states like Karnataka and Telangana are creating funds-of-funds,” he mentioned. “They’re investing immediately into enterprise capital companies to develop native capital swimming pools. And Indian monetary establishments, banks, pension funds and so on, are slowly opening as much as the VC asset class. It’s going to take time, but it surely’s altering.”He talked about that WestBridge Capital, a Bay Space agency, now invests 80 p.c of its portfolio in India. “There’s rising confidence,” he mentioned.Exterior, the San Francisco gentle had softened into the late afternoon. The scholars drifted in direction of the curb, nonetheless chatting about semiconductor fabs and startup insurance policies, about Delhi’s chaos and Mumbai’s allure. This assembly was, within the truest sense, an trade of concepts, of tales, of curiosity.A lot of the go to had been made attainable by Ms. Poonam Singh, a long-time a part of the Indian Consulate, who had coordinated the logistics behind the scenes, confirming schedules, clearing safety, and making certain every little thing ran seamlessly. The scholars have been deeply grateful to your entire Consulate staff (Dr Okay Srikar Reddy, Shri Rakesh Adlakha, Mr Abhishek Kumar Sharma, Mr Chittyreddy Sripal, and Ms Himani Dhamija) for his or her heat and hospitality.For a couple of hours, between the glass towers of California and the ambitions of a rising India, the room had held two worlds in quiet dialog.