World in a flux but current era belongs to India: Birla at RSS event

At RSS headquarters in Nagpur, Kumar Mangalam Birla highlighted self-reliance, entrepreneurship and the role of industry in achieving the Viksit Bharat vision

The world is caught between the competing ambitions of superpowers, and the current global flux has produced “no equal outcomes”, Kumar Mangalam Birla, chairman of the Aditya Birla Group, said while addressing an event of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) at its Nagpur headquarters. He nevertheless argued that the present era belonged to India, which stands at the threshold of “Amrit Kaal”, aided by a unique convergence of demographic dividends and multiple economic tailwinds.

 

“The biggest lesson history teaches us is the importance of building national capability and national resilience,” Birla said. He was the chief guest at the concluding ceremony of the RSS’s annual ‘Karyakarta Vikas Varg-Dwitiya (Second-Year Volunteers’ Training Camp)’, where RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat delivered the keynote address.

 

Birla said he had met and interacted with Bhagwat on several occasions and that the RSS chief’s simplicity and vision for India had inspired him. The industrialist also praised the organisation’s work, particularly the assistance it had provided during natural calamities and the Covid-19 pandemic.

 

Describing the present period as challenging, the 58-year-old industrialist said the current era nevertheless belonged to India because of a rare combination of demographic dividends, infrastructure expansion, digital rails and financial services. Together, he said, these factors “provide us with an opportunity that comes only once in the lifetime of a nation”.

 

He said the world was increasingly shaped by the competing ambitions of major powers. Over the past three years, crude oil prices had fluctuated sharply, including because of wars; supply chains had come under stress once again, for the third time this decade; and artificial intelligence had arrived “at our doorstep”. The AI revolution, he said, was likely to transform economies and affect more people than any recent technological innovation.

 

Drawing on his family’s history, Birla recounted how his great-grandfather, G D Birla, founded Grasim just 10 days after India gained independence, at a time when cotton-growing regions had become part of Pakistan, posing a major challenge for India’s textile industry. “Rather than accept dependence as destiny, he saw an opportunity to build capability,” Birla said.

 

Instead of relying on cotton, G D Birla chose to invest in the production of man-made fibres, which Kumar Mangalam Birla described as “a new thought for a new country”. Eight decades later, he said, Grasim had emerged as a global leader in building materials, chemicals and fibres. “Atmanirbharta (self-reliance) is not just an economic policy but the foundation of nation-building,” he said.

 

Birla said the RSS and the Aditya Birla group shared several common objectives. He noted that the group also works in primary and higher education, health care, social welfare, women’s empowerment and skill development. Self-reliance, he said, was ultimately about capability. “It is about having the confidence to build what a nation needs, the patience to invest for the long term and the resilience to adapt as the world changes around us.”

 

The industrialist also lauded the current government for strengthening digital infrastructure, expanding financial inclusion and implementing the Goods and Services Tax (GST). Large industries, he said, would play a pivotal role in realising the ambition of ‘Viksit Bharat’.

 

“Big business must continue to see SMEs as complementary partners, and collectively we should aspire to create at least 100 national champions who are globally competitive, globally recognised and lead their respective sectors,” he said. Birla urged young people to embrace entrepreneurship and to “build in India, build for India and build for the world”.

 

In his address, Bhagwat, too, referred to the ongoing conflicts in the world. “War is (going on) between Iran and the US, but oil prices are increasing here in India," he said, adding that while people often focus on challenges and uncertainties, they should also recognise the opportunities available in such difficult situations. The RSS chief said India's time had come as the world seeks alternatives to conflict-driven and self-centred models of development.