11 years ago
On Dec 14, we ask for answers on economy, sports, films & technology
Very few people have had a gifted journey like mine: Shah Rukh Khan
Very disappointed with Supreme Court on homosexuality verdict: Amartya Sen
Justice Ganguly should resign on moral grounds: Fali Nariman
Beating Pete Sampras was my biggest win: Leander Paes
Cinema is not an educational institution: Waheeda Rehman
I still feel I am a student of music: Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia
Parents should allow their children to follow their passions: Prof CNR Rao
I lose more cases than I win: Fali Nariman
I knew things wouldn't be the same after I signed Roja: A R Rahman
What the essence of India means for Zubin Mehta
Am a big fan of Dilip saab, Waheedaji: Big B
The second session of the NDTV Summit:
Here's a lookback at the opening session of the NDTV Solutions Summit:
And so we close our Solutions Summit with a Bollywood bang, helped by Shah Rukh Khan, Amitabh Bachchan, Waheeda Rehman and AR Rahman's Jai Ho.
At 6 pm, meet the 25 greatest living global Indians.Till then, here are the best moments from today's sessions.
At 6 pm, meet the 25 greatest living global Indians.Till then, here are the best moments from today's sessions.
SRK starts the Jai Ho party. Dances by himself, twirls with Waheedaji, then does Big B's signature move with him. Everybody loves it. The audience is on their feet, whistling, clapping and dancing along.
Suhel Seth: We live in very troubled times. We don't have a government
SRK: You deserve it Suhel, you deserve it.
SRK: You deserve it Suhel, you deserve it.
Shah Rukh Khan: Rs 100 crore club is just a compartmentalization, a nomenclature. The true dreamers dream of Rs 1000 crores, of how to grow Indian cinema.
SRK's true story: When you go to Egypt, everyone will only call you Amitabh Bachchan. I was shooting for the song 'Suraj Hua Madhdham' there and they kept calling me Amitabh Bachchan. I tried to explain that Amitabh Bachchan wasn't in the song. But they kept calling me Amitabh Bachchan. And when Kajol arrived, they called her Amitabh Bachchan as well.
SRK and Big B exchange congratulations: Mubarak ho, 12 years of Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham today
Every sixth person in the world is an Indian now, we're getting there: Big B on getting more people abroad to buy tickets to Indian movies
Funny moment: Saying the name of Ang Lee's film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon trips SRK up.
And he does Mr Bachchan's voice as well. Thank you Shah Rukh, says Big B
And he does Mr Bachchan's voice as well. Thank you Shah Rukh, says Big B
Amitabh Bachchan: I think we are always going to be different. I think what Shah Rukh was saying was that we need to blend western sensibilities into our cinema a little more. He and Karan Johar are largely responsible for bringing Bollywood to the global stage.
Jai Ho is loved more by the west than by Indians: AR Rahman
A King-sized Namaste. SRK makes up for being late
Shah Rukh Khan: If you want to be on global stage, you have to tell stories the way the world is used to. Saying our emotions are louder we need three hours wont work. If we are going to their party, we have to dress the way they want.
Shah Rukh Khan: I think you need the star system because so much of media and cinema is personality-driven. So it's a good thing that India has a star system but we lack in collaboration. In Hollywood, Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson can collaborate for Tintin, we must do the same and put our best foot forward.
Big B: And our main speaker is here. I think he should be asked all these questions
SRK runs up on stage to cheers, claps and whistles; touches the feet of the panelists and gets to business: I think globalization of Indian cinema should start with actors coming on time.
SRK runs up on stage to cheers, claps and whistles; touches the feet of the panelists and gets to business: I think globalization of Indian cinema should start with actors coming on time.
The King is here, make way for the King.
Damn you Delhi traffic
Damn you Delhi traffic
Mr B is making sure we're not missing SRK: Fortunately I've gone beyond the stage of pelvic thrusts. You can't accuse me of that any more.
The audience is loving it.
The audience is loving it.
Mrs Bachchan says she's happy with what the panel are saying. Mr Bachchan says he's going to quiz her when they get home.
Yay, goes the audience.
Yay, goes the audience.
Jaya Bachchan (in the audience): I think India has had music at every occasion and now also we have music and dance at all times, they've just modernized it
Amitabh Bachchan: We were laughed at for our songs and dances. But to our credit, we haven't changed. And now the songs and dances are what the world like the most. So they have changed.
@SrBachchan talking to @iamsrk on when the session should start! pic.twitter.com/1Q9X8yOvz6
- Vikram Chandra (@vikramchandra) December 14, 2013 AR Rahman: What was the question again?
The audience laughs, Big B helps him out.
The audience laughs, Big B helps him out.
Amitabh Bachchan: When I started work, the only lady on the set was the leading lady and perhaps her mother. But now, 80% of the people on set are women and they do all the work
Amitabh Bachchan: We don't always degrade women in our films. Waheedaji, my wife Jaya, Meena Kumari, Nutan have all starred in films that portray strong women.
Amitabh Bachchan: Our profession is one which delivers poetic justice in three hours. You wont get this in a single lifetime. So we make sure that in a film the heroine is rescued and the villain punished.
Amitabh Bachchan: Do you remember the last Indian who spoke at the United Nations? But you would remember the Sholay dialogue. And the Deewar dialogue. So if we are important enough for our dialogues to be remembered, why can't we be important enough to represent India on official platforms?
The audience laughs and nods.
The audience laughs and nods.
Waheeda Rehman: Coming from a Muslim family and from down South, my parents allowed me to learn Bharatnatyam and dance on stage. When I was offered films, I was very scared but they said "no, things are changing."
Main yahan bhi Hindi mein bol sakta hoon aap kahe toh. I just felt they were celebrating 100 years of Indians cinema : Amitabh Bachchan on opening the Cannes Film Festival in Hindi
The session begins, SRK-less. But no matter. There are three icons on stage already
Mr B gets the ball rolling: Cinema used to be considered infra-dig in society. When I was growing up, my parents had to vet a film before I was allowed to watch it. But look how we've progressed - today, we are sitting on a panel discussing cinema.
Mr B gets the ball rolling: Cinema used to be considered infra-dig in society. When I was growing up, my parents had to vet a film before I was allowed to watch it. But look how we've progressed - today, we are sitting on a panel discussing cinema.
Shah Rukh Khan is caught in Delhi traffic! "We were hoping we'd hide behind him and that he'd take the first bullets," says Amitabh Bachchan. No such luck sir!
While their mothers have chai, Waheeda's daughter Kashvi Rekhi and Bachchan beti Shweta also catch up.
Two of Indian cinema's most fun, fearless femmes: Waheeda Rehman and Jaya Bachchan
Over chai, last minute discussions and some frantic checking of mail on phone
Catching up ahead of their session. Amitabh Bachchan and Waheeda Rehman have co-starred in movies like Reshma Aur Shera, Trishul, Kabhi Kabhie and Namak Halaal
There's an expectant hush at the venue. Everyone's waiting for the doors to swing open and the great and good of Bollywood to walk in
NDTV welcomes Amitabh Bachchan to the summit
That's five sessions out of six done. Don't go anywhere. Because there's Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, Waheeda Rehman and A R Rahman coming up to discuss the global impact of Indian cinema.
Session 5 highlights:
Manish Tewari
Indian politics has been enriched over the last 40 years
AAP has done spectacularly well. Much better than their own expectations perhaps
Piyush Goyal
Good governance has come to stay and it's a fantastic phenomena
Delhi result restricted to Central Delhi
We'll have to see to what extent AAP is able to extend their frontiers
Manish Tewari
I don't think we should have extended support to AAP
We ruled for 15 years
Should accept the verdict
Responsibility of providing Delhi a government is on the BJP
Prashant Bhushan
We have made it clear as to where we stand
Manish Tewari
Politics is the art of the possible
It is not my way or the highway
Derek O'Brien
The Trinamool Congress is the only party since Independence which broke away from the Congress and are still in business
We are running a government without a coalition
No Mamata magic in Bengal, it's hard-nosed good governance
Piyush Goyal
Time is now right to have a strong government at the Centre. Coalitions tend to fail
We'll have a pre-poll alliance with certain parties
Everything that the BJP-led NDA started, Congress turned into a right
Manish Tewari
Indian politics has been enriched over the last 40 years
AAP has done spectacularly well. Much better than their own expectations perhaps
Piyush Goyal
Good governance has come to stay and it's a fantastic phenomena
Delhi result restricted to Central Delhi
We'll have to see to what extent AAP is able to extend their frontiers
Manish Tewari
I don't think we should have extended support to AAP
We ruled for 15 years
Should accept the verdict
Responsibility of providing Delhi a government is on the BJP
Prashant Bhushan
We have made it clear as to where we stand
Manish Tewari
Politics is the art of the possible
It is not my way or the highway
Derek O'Brien
The Trinamool Congress is the only party since Independence which broke away from the Congress and are still in business
We are running a government without a coalition
No Mamata magic in Bengal, it's hard-nosed good governance
Piyush Goyal
Time is now right to have a strong government at the Centre. Coalitions tend to fail
We'll have a pre-poll alliance with certain parties
Everything that the BJP-led NDA started, Congress turned into a right
Prashant Bhushan tells Piyush Goyal that Rs 80,000 crores of the BJP's money is black and no none knows where it's come from.
Derek O'Brien quips that he feels like a pauper between two billionaires.
Much amusement in the audience.
And this might truly be the most outstanding answer of the session: Derek says, we ask corporates to buy Mamta Banerjee's paintings and that's how we raise money.
The audience goes nuts.
Derek O'Brien quips that he feels like a pauper between two billionaires.
Much amusement in the audience.
And this might truly be the most outstanding answer of the session: Derek says, we ask corporates to buy Mamta Banerjee's paintings and that's how we raise money.
The audience goes nuts.
Prashant Bhushan says: When we were agitating for the Jan Lokpal Bill, political parties constantly told us, 'Who are you? We are the elected representatives of the people, we will decide.' That arrogance has been broken today by the AAP.
The AAP effect: The audience cheers loudly.
The AAP effect: The audience cheers loudly.
Manish Tewari: If you want to bring political parties within the ambit of the Right To Information Act then we have to amend the act to deem political parties public bodies.
Piyush Goyal responds to Vikram Seth's question: Narendra Modi doesn't have to comment on every judgment of the Supreme Court. Sushma Swaraj has said the party will take a view when the proposal comes before us and Parliament will take a call.
That doesn't satisfy Vikram Seth who asks him specifically if the BJP had an issue with a consensual relationship between two people of the same gender. Not at all, clarifies Mr Goyal.
That doesn't satisfy Vikram Seth who asks him specifically if the BJP had an issue with a consensual relationship between two people of the same gender. Not at all, clarifies Mr Goyal.
Vikram Seth's question on the re-criminalisation of homosexuality to the panel: The Congress has come out very strongly on article 377, much to my surprise, saying the Supreme Court's judgment is wrong. The AAP has made it's stand clear. Piyush Goyal and Derek O'Brien have made their personal views clear. But there is no word from leaders like Narendra Modi. Why has the BJP not taken a stand?
A sculptor from England, a leading voice on culture from America. Phir bhi dil hai hindustani
We started the freedom of information act when Mr Vajpayee was in office, just to counter the Congress propaganda. They took everything we'd done, changed the nomenclature and claimed it as theirs: Piyush Goyal on the Right To Information Act
Derek O'Brien gets a laugh with: To use a cricket analogy, there's the Congress, BJP and Aam Aadmi Party and the Trinamool Congress is happy playing third umpire.
We should have nothing to do with it. We have not got the mandate. It's for the two larger parties to work it out: Manish Tewari on the Delhi poll results.
10 points for honesty
10 points for honesty
Surely no one better represents the grace and richness of the golden age of Indian cinema than the elegant Waheeda Rehman.
AAP's Prashant Bhushan: BJP has said they will give us issue-based support. What issues?
Already, this discussion looks like it's shaping up to be Manish Tewari vs Piyush Goyal. "The Congress has lost the plot," says Mr Goyal.
Piyush Goyal: We wish AAP well. I think the theme of the next elections will be good governance.
BJP leader Piyush Goyal has a piece of gossip for us: Derek O'Brien's Rajya Sabha team just lost a cricket match to the journalists.
The irony is not lost on the audience!
The irony is not lost on the audience!
Manish Tewari: AAP have done spectacularly well and need to be congratulated for it. But if you step back and look at it, Indian politics has been enriched over the last 40 years by various streams flowing into it. So let's wait for a while to see how this all pans out.
Session 5 begins. Topic - Governance: Towards cleaner politics in India. The panel: Piyush Goyal, Derek O'Brien, Manish Tewari & Prashant Bhushan
Off-stage, Subodh Gupta's indictment of India is still resonating. He's surrounded by a clutch of people including Dayanita Singh and Homi K Bhabha.
We're almost ready for Manish Tewari, Piyush Goyal, Prashant Bhushan and Derek O'Brien's opinions on moving towards cleaner politics in India.
Session 4 highlights:
Anish Kapoor
It is not "Indianness" that defines what we do as artists
I see that as a problematic stigma
We need to allow the creative to emerge, rather than it relate it to the background
Zubin Mehta
My Indian part doesn't enter my spirituality on stage
Disgrace that there is no concert hall in Delhi
For Indian music
Anish Kapoor
We are institutionally poor when it comes to visual arts
Vikram Seth
We (artists) are happy to be claimed as long as it isn't a constraint
Not happy to be disclaimed, like MF Hussain
Art is a very private thing
If you're claimed by people who are moved by your art, that's the essence of art
Dayanita
I am not in favour of nationality-based art
Homi Bhabha
If you want soft-power, then you have to have the infrastructure for it
Need proper humanities and liberal arts education
Anish Kapoor
It is not "Indianness" that defines what we do as artists
I see that as a problematic stigma
We need to allow the creative to emerge, rather than it relate it to the background
Zubin Mehta
My Indian part doesn't enter my spirituality on stage
Disgrace that there is no concert hall in Delhi
For Indian music
Anish Kapoor
We are institutionally poor when it comes to visual arts
Vikram Seth
We (artists) are happy to be claimed as long as it isn't a constraint
Not happy to be disclaimed, like MF Hussain
Art is a very private thing
If you're claimed by people who are moved by your art, that's the essence of art
Dayanita
I am not in favour of nationality-based art
Homi Bhabha
If you want soft-power, then you have to have the infrastructure for it
Need proper humanities and liberal arts education
AAP ki khatir: Dr Prannoy Roy welcomes Prashant Bhushan
A Vikram Seth-ism: I'm wondering whether Indian classical music would have survived after 1947 after patronage disappeared if it had not been for All India Radio and the Indian tobacco companies which put things in our lungs but at least ensured that what came out of Kumar Gandharva's lungs was heard.
Zubin Mehta: I've heard so much criticism in the last 45 minutes I'd like to say something positive. This country has an infinite number of people who are so talented, people who cannot read and write but produce crafts that are admired all over the world. I am very grateful for that.
From the audience, Prithvi Theatre's Sanjana Kapoor gets a round of applause with: I think of all artists, theatre-wallahs are the lowest of the low. But we need to demand that systems also work for us. What is our reality is the massive organization of India and claiming our place in it. We have to demand it. We need the media to support us. Where are they supporting us? We need to be on TV and all sorts of media a huge amount more.
Artist Subodh Gupta, famous for his installations using everyday utensils, delivers a damning verdict from the audience: This country really sucks in terms of art. This country destroys, doesn't make art.
Zubin Mehta: I have grown up in America and in Europe. In Europe, till recently government supported culture. In America, government has never supported culture but gives you the opportunity to deduct donations made by individuals from taxes.
Homi K Bhabha: Need proper liberal arts and humanities education globally
Anjolie Ela Menon: The real minority in India are not the Muslims or the Christians but the artists. The greatest gift that the republic gave artists is the freedom of expression. The strictures on M F Husain did not come from the government but from religious extremists. There was a wonderful Supreme Court judgment that exonerated him of any blame but the State failed to bring him back by not offering him enough protection.
Behind-the-scenes: Dr Prannoy Roy's close encounter with cinema's golden girl Waheeda Rehman
"It's the city that matters," says Homi K Bhabha, "Bombay was a deeply cosmopolitan place and has carried me and my work all through."
Dayanita Singh: I'm not completely in favour of nationality-based art and have always seen it as a burden.
Vikram Seth: It's no good writing 'A Suitable Boy' if it is not believed by people who lived in 1950s India. And then, if it has any merit at all, it becomes universal.
Vikram Seth: We as Indians are happy to be claimed but not happy to be disclaimed. M F Husain was not able to rest his dying head in his own homeland. That was a shame.
The audience agrees, and claps.
The audience agrees, and claps.
Off-stage: Vikram Seth's 'what-me-worry?' face
Zubin Mehta: Hamara dil toh Hindustan ka hai. Unfortunately, the music I interpret has been written by Europeans and there's little Indianness I can inject into it apart from the yoga that helps me do breathing exercises.
Another big cheer. Mr Mehta has so far got the most claps of the day, more even than Suhel Seth and Shekhar Gupta combined.
Another big cheer. Mr Mehta has so far got the most claps of the day, more even than Suhel Seth and Shekhar Gupta combined.
Anish Kapoor: As a young artist, didn't like my work being labelled Indian. I fought against it hard because I don't think that being viewed as from an exotic background helps the creative process.
This is clearly the most popular panel. Every panelist gets a rousing cheer and a big hand. Zubin Mehta gets the most claps when he says he's Calcutta-born and not a Bombay boy.
Ahead of the session, Vikram Seth chats off-stage with Zubin Mehta and Y K Hamied.
In just a few minutes, author Vikram Seth, sculptor Anish Kapoor, conductor Zubin Mehta, photographer Dayanita Singh and Harvard University's Homi K Bhabha discuss art, music, culture and how to harness India's soft power as a globally strategic asset.
Session 3 highlights:
Amartya Sen
Our institutions are as safe as we make them to be
There is no point in blaming the institution
India continues to have some people who are privileged and some who are not, that worries me
Criminalisation of homosexuality violation of protection of minority rights
Arun Shourie
The word 'Secularism' has been prostituted
It is not just that every religion will be tolerated, but that they will be respected
Fali Nariman
Not very charmed with the word 'secular democracy', more by 'tolerant democracy'
Y K Hamied
Essence of India depends on a healthy India
Health in India is a permanent crisis
If anybody is in healthcare, it has two dimensions: business and humanitarian
Amartya Sen
Secularism and democracy are important to me
Democracy has never been defined as majority rule
Democracy is governance by discussion
Narayana Murthy
Every Indian has to be enthusiastic about the future
Government, state and religion must be separate
Y K Hamied
Cornerstone of the essence of India is education
Amartya Sen
Our institutions are as safe as we make them to be
There is no point in blaming the institution
India continues to have some people who are privileged and some who are not, that worries me
Criminalisation of homosexuality violation of protection of minority rights
Arun Shourie
The word 'Secularism' has been prostituted
It is not just that every religion will be tolerated, but that they will be respected
Fali Nariman
Not very charmed with the word 'secular democracy', more by 'tolerant democracy'
Y K Hamied
Essence of India depends on a healthy India
Health in India is a permanent crisis
If anybody is in healthcare, it has two dimensions: business and humanitarian
Amartya Sen
Secularism and democracy are important to me
Democracy has never been defined as majority rule
Democracy is governance by discussion
Narayana Murthy
Every Indian has to be enthusiastic about the future
Government, state and religion must be separate
Y K Hamied
Cornerstone of the essence of India is education
Is the essence of India contained in our ability to argue and ask questions without fear or favour? Amartya Sen thinks so.
On that note, this session is a wrap.
On that note, this session is a wrap.
Politician and columnist Sudheendra Kulkarni's question to the panel: The essence of India should be discussed in the context of ageless India, not India since 1947. At what age did Muslims in India become a minority? Why are we not able to go beyond this 'minority-isation' of our communities?
Professor Nandy's denouncing of education as bogus finds a supporter.
Anjolie Ela Menon declares herself "the devil's advocate" and agrees with Professor Nandy: If you have education without even the glimmer of a hope of job at the end of it then you are sitting on a time bomb.
Anjolie Ela Menon declares herself "the devil's advocate" and agrees with Professor Nandy: If you have education without even the glimmer of a hope of job at the end of it then you are sitting on a time bomb.
Not everyone agrees with Zubin Mehta's focus on education.
Professor Ashis Nandy says: I am a greater admirer of Zubin Mehta than he is of India (another laugh from the audience). But I find his emphasis on education 'bogus'.
Professor Ashis Nandy says: I am a greater admirer of Zubin Mehta than he is of India (another laugh from the audience). But I find his emphasis on education 'bogus'.
N R Narayana Murthy: "I would like to transcend the question and answer the earlier question asked."
That gets a laugh from the audience. OK then, Mr Narayana Murthy sir.
He answers the earlier question with this: What should be the economism we follow? We need compassionate capitalism.
That gets a laugh from the audience. OK then, Mr Narayana Murthy sir.
He answers the earlier question with this: What should be the economism we follow? We need compassionate capitalism.
Y K Hamied: Like Zubin, all of us are really proud to be Indian. We fly the flag all over the world. But it's what we do when we come back home that really matters.
Zubin Mehta joins the conversation from the audience: I am one of the proudest Indians I know of.
He gets a rousing cheer and applause from everyone else.
Mr Mehta's question to the panelists: How are we going to convince the farmer to send his son and daughter to school? If every Indian can read and write and think in rational terms, then we will achieve greatness.
He gets a rousing cheer and applause from everyone else.
Mr Mehta's question to the panelists: How are we going to convince the farmer to send his son and daughter to school? If every Indian can read and write and think in rational terms, then we will achieve greatness.
If you are in healthcare, your main objective is saving lives, says Y K Hamied, Cipla chief and the man who made AIDS drugs available to poor people across the world, on why he surrenders profits.
The essence of India depends on the health of India, he adds.
The essence of India depends on the health of India, he adds.
Fali Nariman, former Additional Solicitor General of India, says: I don't place great regard on the word democracy. Even North Korea, which just executed it's uncle, is a democratic republic.
Audience laughs
Mr Nariman goes on: And I'm not very charmed by the word secular. So I would like to see a tolerant democracy and I think we are becoming intolerant.
Audience laughs
Mr Nariman goes on: And I'm not very charmed by the word secular. So I would like to see a tolerant democracy and I think we are becoming intolerant.
Arun Shourie: Secularism is very different from pluralism. In India, we should shift to pluralism because secularism as a word has been so prostituted. Indian secularism consists of calling other people communal.
N R Narayana Murthy: As long as we accept that we did something that was not right, as long as we show a sense of contrition, and move on.
In the audience, conductor Zubin Mehta with wife Nancy. He will be joining Vikram Seth in the discussion on arts and culture
Fali Nariman on Section 377: Everyone assumes that verdict of two judges represents the Supreme Court. Constitutional bench of at least five should handle important matters.
Amartya Sen: Our institutions as safe as we make them to be. No point in blaming the institutions. India continues to have some people who are privileged and some who are not, that worries me. Criminalization of homosexuality is a violation of minority rights.
Behind-the-scenes: Vikram Seth and NDTV's Sreenivasan Jain will be on stage later today discussing the arts and culture. Though Vikram Seth looks like he's begun holding forth already
As the next guests prep, Vikram Seth shares a quick chat with his mother Justice Leila Seth
Maybe @BDUTT doesn't even need a panel! :-) #ndtv25 pic.twitter.com/p5cBKC34K6
- Vikram Chandra (@vikramchandra) December 14, 2013 Coming up, NR Narayana Murthy, Ela Bhatt, Arun Shourie, YK Hamied, Amartya Sen and Fali Nariman discuss the essence of India, what makes it different and special.
Highlights of Session 2:
Omar Abdullah
Facebook and Twitter reversed the flow of communication, we now listen
The aam janata is talking back to us
As of now, Internet seems to be skewed in a particular direction, but there are more and more voice of reason
More reasonable comment made available
Swapan Dasgupta
Subtlety doesn't work on social media. The nature of interaction is still imperfect
Newness of media has allowed a lot of people to vent their anger
Rajan Anandan
India is adding 3-4 million Internet users in a month
Large number of Indians are doing research about political parties and issues, and a small number of people voice their concerns
People are more informed, but very small number of them are being vocal
Prof Ashutosh Varshney
Rural part of India has not been penetrated by the Internet
It is not reaching the urban-poor; the situation may change in 5 or 10 years
Rajan Anandan
Every single day, there are millions of Indians outside our metro cities who connect to the Internet
Shekhar Gupta
I think we are presuming too much, all of us are victims of the net-delusion
We are worried about what response one will get on Twitter
If we are not being digitally savvy, it's a black mark on your CV these days
It's an instrument of democracy but also one of trouble
Because of the Internet, many scoundrels tried to out victims' identity (referring to the Tejpal case)
Anonymity brings out the worst in human beings
S there are issues we will have to deal with
Suhel Seth
Internet is a tool but certainly it won't strengthen democracy. It is being used as a tool of hatred and ridicule.
Electoral reforms will strengthen democracy
We are giving it far more importance than it deserves
Prof Ashutosh Varshney
In America, a lot of electoral funding is done via Internet
Internet can be used for campaign finance
Naina Lal Kidwai
Internet delivers our democratic rights, an important one
Prof Ashutosh Varshney
The moment you give certain discretionary powers to police or bureaucrats, there is an evitable tendency to exploit
Shekhar Gupta
Laws that apply to you in normal media, don't apply in Internet
Rajan Anandan
If content violates local law, it is taken down
We should evaluate the content
Rajan Anandan
30 per cent of Internet users in India are women
Omar Abdullah
With exposure to the wider world, comes greater aspiration
Pressure to deliver increases
Shekhar Gupta
Internet is a developing medium
The larger problem is where it becomes intrusive
Naina Lal Kidwai
There is a danger that we'll over-regulate to the point where we lose what is good
Prof Ashutosh Varshney
Internet will have to be regulated, how and by whom is the question
Rajan Anandan
It's an evolving medium
It's important for us to keep in mind the amazing things Internet can do for India
If you think about the core issues, Internet can be an enabler
Omar Abdullah
Don't think Internet can be regulated
Have to take the bad with the good
In the audience, environmentalist Valmik Thapar and his actress wife Sanjana Kapoor, looking stunning in a red and beige ensemble
Omar Abdullah: Nobody forces us to be on social media. If you are not comfortable, switch off.
Rajan Anandan: It's very important to keep in mind the amazing things the Internet can do for India in its core issues like education and healthcare.
Ashutosh Varshney: Internet has to be regulated. The question is how and by whom? Not sure there is an immediate solution.
Suhel Seth: It's also about parenting. Cant shirk your responsibilities when it comes to the Internet.
Naina Lal Kidwai: The issue here is how do you execute a law that disciplines the internet. There is also the danger of over-regulating
Shekhar Gupta: The laws that apply elsewhere should apply to the Internet. Internet is a medium that is developing. Populations like in India which are used to arguments, anarchy and mutiny will respond in a certain way.
Shekhar adds a potshot at himself with a jibe about a 'bald head.' Laughs? Oh yes.
Shekhar adds a potshot at himself with a jibe about a 'bald head.' Laughs? Oh yes.
Suhel Seth: Tourism is being helped greatly by the Internet. There are some good things that are happening.
Naina Lal Kidwai: The government needs to ensure that women and girls are made Internet savvy for their own safety
Nalini Singh asks Rajan Anandan if he knows what proportion of India's Internet users are women. Is the female voting mind being driven by something other than the Internet?
Rajan says 60 million out of 250 million users are women, making India one of the lowest ranking countries in the online gender divide.
Rajan says 60 million out of 250 million users are women, making India one of the lowest ranking countries in the online gender divide.
Infosys chief NR Narayanamurthy, who will discuss the essence of India in the next session, tells us what NDTV's 25 years means to him. 
The debate currently is on whether service providers should be held accountable for content posted by users. Google's Rajan Anandan and Indian Express' Shekhar Gupta are on opposite sides.
A packed house at the second session
Omar Abdullah: I've often had to shut down pages because there are 'nutjobs' online who only want to inflame passions. While censorship is too big a word, restrictions are sometimes necessary.
Question from the audience: When will we have Indian language Internet? Does anyone feel uncomfortable that Indian Internet is not really Indian?
Omar doesn't agree. You'll be surprised at how much of the Internet is in regional languages.
Omar doesn't agree. You'll be surprised at how much of the Internet is in regional languages.
Omar Abdullah: Internet makes huge difference to the quality of governance. Internet is not just Facebook or Twitter. We are setting up a system to track projects by taking photos with time stamp to ensure greater accountability
Naina Lal Kidwai: If courier companies can give status of packages online, we should be able to do that with files.
As expected, Suhel Seth - whose opinions are always loudly heard, Vikram said earlier - gets many laughs. But not as many as Shekhar Gupta.
Suhel Seth: The fact that Rahul Gandhi is not on Facebook or Twitter, the only thing he has in common with Shekhar (audience laughs again), indicates that he doesn't believe in its power.
Suhel Seth: The Internet is a tool of empowerment but it's certainly not going to strengthen your democracy as long as it's used as a tool of hate and ridicule.
Shekhar Gupta: Think of the poor in the resettlement colonies of Delhi, who voted for AAP in such a big way. They were not influenced by the Internet
Shekhar Gupta: Every time my ego gets a little bloated, I just have to go to Twitter to find out what a low life I am. *nervous giggle ripples through audience*
Behind-the-scenes: On-stage, the topic is the Internet. Off-stage, Dr Prannoy Roy is using the Internet
Indian Express editor Shekhar Gupta: We are going through a phase where we act as if Internet is not a means to an end but the end itself.
Rajan Anandan: It is an urban phenomenon but you can debate whether 250 million connected Indians can swing an election or not.
Professor Ashutosh Varshney: There is an urban-rural gap in Indian Internet users. Most of India is rural and has not been penetrated. This is an urban, middle-class phenomenon.
Rajan Anandan: Negative chatter is not the point. We've found that a large number of Indians are doing research on political parties and issues. It's a small number who are voicing their opinions. 200s of millions of Indians are making decision on information they are receiving on the Internet.
Google's Rajan Anandan: India will have 240 million people on the Internet by 2014 election
Happy bday @ndtv !!To Dr. Roy @vikramchandra @BDUTT and the entire team!Happy to have done such wonderful work together..here's to many more
- PRIYANKA (@priyankachopra) December 14, 2013 Swapan Dasgupta: People take to social media to vent anger and it's not always couched in terms of political correctness.
Swapan Dasgupta: Omar is one of the handful of politicians who not only does his own tweets but also reads those coming in.
Omar Abdullah: If you can filter through the noise, there is a lot more reasonable feedback available if you choose to look for it
Omar Abdullah: It's not so much us communicating with people, it's the reverse. We've always communicated with people from podiums but never heard what they had to say. Facebook, Twitter has reversed that flow. The 'aam janta' is talking back to us.
Vikram's internet experts: J&K chief minister Omar Abdullah, journalist Swapan Dasgupta, Google India chief Rajan Anandan, political scientist Ashutosh Varshney, adman Suhel Seth, HSBC India chief Naina Lal Kidwai and Indian Express editor Shekhar Gupta
We asked journalist Nalini Singh for her thoughts on NDTV's big day. She said: "This is how minds change. If you keep at it. And NDTV has kept at it."
Electric cerebral atmosphere here at Taj Palace! One Nobel Laureate, one Bharat Ratna, one CEO and one visionary...all saluting #NDTV25...
- SUHEL SETH (@suhelseth) December 14, 2013 But before Internet gyaan, there's time for a quick cup of tea
In just a few minutes, Omar Abdullah, Naina Lal Kidwai, Swapan Dasgupta, Rajan Anandan and Ashutosh Varshney on how the Internet can strengthen democracy
Dr Prannoy Roy signs off with this thank you to his panel of India's reatest scientific minds: Apart from you, we thank your parents for your DNA
And here's Omar Abdullah. Full circle.
The next session's panelists have a quick mini-session with NDTV's Vikram Chandra. There's Naina Lal Kidwai, Swapan Dasgupta, Ashutosh Varshney and Rajan Anandan
Dr Prannoy Roy:Are Indians born scientists?
Venkatraman Ramakrishnan: No more than other countries.
Dr Prannoy Roy: We're certainly not born footballers. *audience laughs*
Venkatraman Ramakrishnan: No more than other countries.
Dr Prannoy Roy: We're certainly not born footballers. *audience laughs*
Venkatraman Ramakrishnan: Children are natural scientists because science is nothing more than curiosity about the world, which we lose as we grow up.
CNR Rao: My wife and I travel to remote parts of India and speak to children. There is tremendous excitement about science. But entire society has to take interest in science.
as a tribute to prannoy roy can everyone on news channels spend a day being soft spoken, analytical and well behaved?
- Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) December 14, 2013 Suman Dubey's question to the panel: The scientific temper that Nehru spoke about - do you think the battle for this scientific temper is being won or lost?
MS Swaminathan: Technology transfer at the level of the ordinary people is our greatest challenge.
Dr Samiran Nundy: My greatest claim to fame is that I was on a programme called 'The World This Week'.
(He's joking, people! Dr Nundy was the medical expert on 'The World This Week' when it started 25 years ago. He joins us in the audience)
(He's joking, people! Dr Nundy was the medical expert on 'The World This Week' when it started 25 years ago. He joins us in the audience)
Venkatraman Ramakrishnan: Not fair to expect scientists to solve problems that require participation from political class and society.
Dr Rajendra K Pachauri: Why is it that scientists don't extend concerns and priorities beyond land given that rivers are polluted and in bad shape. Gandhiji said speed is irrelevant if you are going in the wrong direction.
MS Swaminathan: Public health, hunger, education - how much are we investing in this?
Dr Rajendra K Pachauri: Why is it that we haven't done enough to get India to the top of the ladder?
Vikram Seth asks the panel: North, West, East not represented on panel?
Best science students are from Bengal and Bihar, says CNR Rao, too much amusement from Vikram Seth and the audience.
Best science students are from Bengal and Bihar, says CNR Rao, too much amusement from Vikram Seth and the audience.
CNR Rao: We have failed to support education as we should. Before we talk of science, we need to do more for schools.
CNR Rao: We have to create good institutions where young people can work
Venkatraman Ramakrishnan: I don't personally believe in God. I say that on national television. Audience cracks up
Venkatraman Ramakrishnan: Progress can't happen without science and technology.
Dr Roy asks if there's any biology that can stop 'idiotic' statements being made. Audience laughs even louder. Science hasn't got that far, says CNR Rao
Happy Birthday NDTV on your Silver Jubilee Pranoy Roy and team have maintained responsible reporting a core value n I salute you for this
- Kiran Mazumdar Shaw (@kiranshaw) December 14, 2013 CNR Rao says no better place than Bangalore, audience laughs
CNR Rao: In order to compete with neighbouring countries we have to do much more than we are. Lots of great people in India and many coming back from abroad
Biologist and Nobel Laureate Venkatraman Ramakrishnan: Molecular biology has to do with the fundamental workings of life itself. India should invest in it more. Indian science should be able to find its own niche that focuses on problems specific to India.
First question to Venkatraman Ramakrishnan: Molecular biology, what can it do? Can it help us?
Dr Prannoy Roy: The first decision we had to take at NDTV 25 years ago was whether we should buy a telex machine or a fax machine
Barkha Dutt: We like to complain. We complain in our drawing rooms about our politicians, roads, traffic and even our media. But how often do we participate in solutions?
And it begins. Barkha Dutt introduces NDTV as an "agent of change" and as standing for "the truth, truth and nothing but the truth."
In the audience - Vikram Seth, Mike Pandey, Kiran Karnik, Ela Bhatt and Suhel Seth
Ready, testing. Dr Prannoy Roy and his panel of guests - Venkatraman Ramakrishnan, Natarajan Chandrasekaran, CNR Rao and MS Swaminathan
At 1:15 pm, author Vikram Seth, sculptor Anish Kapoor, conductor Zubin Mehta, photographer Dayanita Singh and Harvard University's Homi K Bhabha will discuss art, music, culture and how to harness India's soft power as a globally strategic asset.
Ahead of the first session, geneticist MS Swaminathan and Nobel Laureate Venkatraman Ramakrishnan share a lighter moment
Two of India's greatest scientific minds - MS Swaminathan, father of India's Green Revolution, and CNR Rao, Head of the Prime Minister's Scientific Advisory Board
The hard-working NDTV crew - producers, engineers, IT gurus. This is the Production Control Room
The first of the NDTV faces walks in. Nidhi Razdan says she's excited to celebrate 25 years of NDTV. Nidhi will be discussing governance and the issue of cleaner politics later today with Manish Tewari, Derek O'Brien, Piyush Goyal and Prashant Bhushan.
As the NDTV crew puts the final touches to the set up here at the Summit, the mood is one of excitement and pride
Between 10am and 4pm, you will hear Nobel Laureates, Bharat Ratna awardees and Oscar and Grammy winners discuss and deliver solutions to some of India's key issues.
Tom Delhi for audience with the honourable President of India. Thanx ndtv 25 legends honours & u all for making an ordinary life so special
- SHAH RUKH KHAN (@iamsrk) December 13, 2013Happy 25th bday to NDTV! Spent 11 quality years there! Tk you for that and more.
- Rajdeep Sardesai (@sardesairajdeep) December 14, 2013Discussing how the internet can help Indian Democracy with @vikramchandra & others at 11 tomorrow at the #NDTV @ 25 event.
- Omar Abdullah (@abdullah_omar) December 13, 2013 At the Summit venue, we're almost ready to roll. Last minute preps, everything's ready for our first guests
In just a short while from now, NDTV's 25th year celebrations will be flagged off by the first of our discussions on the Solutions Summit. Tata Consultancy Services chief N Chandrasekaran, Nobel Laureate Venkatraman Ramakrishnan, Head of the Prime Minister's Scientific Advisory Council C N R Rao, and M S Swaminathan, the man behind India's Green Revolution, will brainstorm on how software, science and technology can help resolve India's key problems.
Most of us tend to spend our time arguing and debating about what's wrong with India.
As NDTV marks its 25th anniversary, our summit on December 14 in New Delhi asks for answers; its theme is "Solutions."
Eminent speakers and the audience will deliver prescriptions, not diagnostics, for India's economy, sports, arts, films and technology.
Here is the schedule of sessions (the summit will be broadcast live on NDTV channels on December 14):
As NDTV marks its 25th anniversary, our summit on December 14 in New Delhi asks for answers; its theme is "Solutions."
Eminent speakers and the audience will deliver prescriptions, not diagnostics, for India's economy, sports, arts, films and technology.
Here is the schedule of sessions (the summit will be broadcast live on NDTV channels on December 14):
