Olympian and Asian Championship medallist Ashwini Nachappa said that while you see high quality infrastructure across the country, it hasn’t translated into number of sportspersons on the field. 

“I think ‘C’ and ‘D’ district centres need development. This is not just the responsibility of the Union Government, but also the State governments,” she said. 

Olympian and nine-time national badminton champion Aparna Popat said that we first have to transform our population into sports enthusiasts before the ambitious plan of coming in top 5 countries in the Olympics. 

“Does every school in India have a playground? No. Is there a future in shooting? Is there money in the sport? The answer is yes, but this is only restricted to the top level athletes. We have to start our work from the grassroots level before we think of the Olympics,” Ms. Popat pointed out. 

“Most of you would have watched the Paris Olympics and, before that, the Tokyo Olympics, and seen where India stood,” Ministry of Sports Joint Secretary Kunal said at The Hindu Huddle’s session on ‘India 2036: The making of a sporting nation’.

“This presents a significant challenge for the Indian sports ecosystem, particularly for the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports. We need to develop an ecosystem where, if we are planning to host the Olympics, we are also standing tall on the podium. It cannot be only about hosting; it must also be about winning medals,” he said.

Talking about the government’s initiatives, Mr. Kunal said “we introduced the Khelo Bharat Neeti, which takes a holistic approach to addressing all aspects of sports development. We also brought in the National Sports Governance Act, which will bring a sea change in the way sports federations are governed, how sportspersons are represented, and how sporting bodies conduct their affairs.”

The former CEO of Cognizant Lakshmi Narayanan lamented thar we are not investing in research. The blame goes to private sector, he said. 

“Government is doing so much, but private sector is not doing enough. Because of that, innovation and therefore diffusion is not happening. We have to rethink education in the new AI context, Mr. Narayanan added. 

Highlighting that most job displacements so far should be blamed on over hiring and not on Artificial Intelligence, former NASSCOM President and Distinguished Fellow at Niti Aayog Debjani Ghosh said, “You have to breakdown jobs into tasks and see how much of it can be done by AI and how much by humans. That will give the risk analysis of jobs. Entry level will get disrupted. That is millions of youngsters in India.”

Ms. Ghosh said that entry-level jobs have to be protected. “We have to reimagine our reskilling initiatives to ensure people have work floor skills. We have to redesign the skilling - not just how we skill, but are we skilling them on,” she said. 

“When you move up the job value chain, you need humans to frame the questions and inputs, AI to perform the task and humans again to ensure the outputs are safe. This human sandwich model will be very important when you get to the agentic AI era,” she added. 

Talking about India’s efforts on an AI mission, Former CEO - Asia Pacific and India Region and Chairman, Saint-Gobain, India, B. Santhanam said the government has done a great job. 

“At IITs and IISc, tremendous work relevant to India is going on. Many of us feel that foundational models are commoditised. Diffusion is what is important. Focusing on diffusion in agriculture, education and health is happening in India. For India this diffusion pathway is critical,” Mr. Santhanam said. 

Mr. Santhanam said he has noticed that Gen Zs are shortcut seekers, calling it a dangerous trend. “I did a limited study and found that Gen Z are shortcut seekers. This is a dangerous trend. Therefore schools and colleges should have a way of using AI as a cognitive sparring partner and not as a cognitive substitute.”

“In the Nifty 45, there are 230 independent directors. Less than 10% of them have any understanding of technology and transformative power of AI. This is the state of the boards, the former Saint-Gobain India Chairman said. 

Talking about artificial intelligence during The Hindu Huddle’s session on ‘ I, Robot: How AI is reshaping the future of work’, former CEO of Cognizant Lakshmi Narayanan said, The AI space is extremely dynamic, moving very fast and driven by technologists who are giving you tools and agents that are allowing you to deploy it whichever way we want. The application of AI hasn’t taken off in a very big way. People are saying AI is taking away jobs. That’s not true. It will happen, but AI will create different types of jobs too.”

Former President of NASSCOM Debjani Ghosh said that we are seeing a consumer market for technologies. “But it doesn’t allow you to capture much value coming out of AI. We should aspire to get at least 10% of the value produced by AI. We cant try to fit frontier technologies in archaic models,” Ms. Ghosh said. 

On HYDRAA constables, Telangana CM Revanth Reddy said, “When poor people encroach lakes, I understand. But today rich people are encroaching water bodies. Hence, I decided to establish HYDRAA. It was Hitler’s favourite word. I have taken inspiration from Hitler and established HYDRAA. I have given 3000 retired Army people to the body. Today, no one dares encroach a water body.”

“Parents are worries about kids. Youngsters are abusing drugs. So I decided to eradicate it from my State. Eagle force is the best force in India working to eradicate drugs in the country,” Mr. Reddy stated. 

When asked how he looked for big ideas and if he consults bureaucrats or advisors, Revanth Reddy said it is a mix and match. 

“Bureaucrats are very intelligent. Whenever I ask anything, they say, ‘Yes sir, yes sir.’ I ask, What is ‘yes sir’?’”

“They try to understand our mind, and I have understood that. Now, whenever I come across a problem, I first ask them about it, then ask for solutions, and then I let everyone speak. I first let them speak, and only then do I speak. Otherwise, they will go by my ideas and respond in a way that makes me happy,” Mr. Reddy stated. 

“I have been in opposition and I know people’s problem,” he added. 

Talking about investments in States in India, Telangana CM Revanth Reddy, on the issue of investments in Gujarat, said, “Gujarat is not attracting investment. We are forced to invest in Gujarat. Only one ambassador has been working from last 20 years.”

My competition is not with Maharashtra, Mr. Reddy said. 

“I’m competing with China, Japan, South Korea. I’m taking inspiration from them and competing with them. My slogan is China+1, which is Telangana,” he said.

I’m going to create everything in Telangana and replace China, the CM added. 

Talking about women’s empowerment, Telangana CM Revanth Reddy said, “Women empowerment through SHGs has reached 67 lakh members, with zero investment and access to credit without bank interest. I have provided 1,000 RTC buses. My SHG women are running solar panel units. They are managing petrol bunks. Women are happy with my government.”

Mr. Reddy also highlighted his government’s policy decision to implement zero tax on Electric Vehicles. “We are losing ₹2,000 crore because we have taken a policy decision of zero tax on EVs,” he said. 

I am focusing on education institutions, Mr. Reddy said. “We used to hear that AI is going to replace white collar jobs. Now we have initiated a Skills University. All these corporate CEOs are board of directors in my institution and they have to decide curriculum, train and give employment,” he added. 

Telangana CM Revanth Reddy talked about the recruitment drive in the State and said, “I met the UPSC Chairman after irregularities came to light in the Telangana civil services recruitment process. I wanted to understand how the UPSC functions and the systems it follows. Based on those learnings, we implemented reforms, following which Telangana carried out its highest-ever recruitment drive.”

Mr. Reddy also talked about the loan waivers for farmers the State has approved. “Telangana is second in farmers suicide in the country. I have waived upto ₹2 lakh loans for over 25 lakh farmers. This is India’s highest loan waiver at ₹20,616 crores,” the CM said. 

Speaking at The Hindu Huddle session on ‘ By, For, and Of the People: Good governance for Telangana’, the State’s Chief Minister Revanth Reddy said, “My focus has been on politics, right from the beginning during my student days. Because of state bifurcation and local conditions, I resigned as MLA and party member of TDS. All these years, I have fought for the public, the common man. I don’t have any other legacy, family support or brand.”

Speaking about his admiration for Lionel Messi, the Chief Minister revealed, “I used to play football regularly. These days, I don’t get to play as much, which is why I invited Messi to Telangana. Now, I have to make time to watch the FIFA World Cup.”

Mr. Reddy also spoke about the resurgence of the Congress party, and establishing political dominance election after election. “Whoever is getting a chance to govern, thinks they are rulers. But I believe I am an elected public servant. I have to serve. Youth, agriculture farmers, women - these three compositions are crucial for electoral system. Unless you address their problems, the agitations will continue to rise.”

TMC MP Sagarika Ghose, on the other hand, questioned the need for increasing the parliamentary strength to 800 members. 

“Does anyone here want 800 parliamentarians? Do you know the kind of burden it would place on exchequer?” Ms. Ghose said.

“I don’t think 800 parliamentarians is the answer to women’s reservation. All opposition parties supported the women’s reservation bill and wanted it to be implemented in the existing parliamentarian strength. A 182 women in with 362 men is a fairer distribution of power than 284 women and 566 men as would be in the 800 member house,” Ms. Ghose added. 

BJP MP Aparajita Sarangi, on the issue of 33% reservation for women in the Parliament. said, “The Nari Shakti Bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha in 2023 and was passed with the support of one and all. However, when it came to implementation, there wasn’t a consensus.”

On the issue of linking the delimitation bill to the women’s reservation bill, Ms. Sarangi said, “Processes can’t be bypassed. When we talk about the 33% reservation, don’t we deserve to know which constituency would be reserved for women? 50 years have passed since the last delimitation. It is our duty that these territorial boundaries are revisited, which is why the delimitation. We need consensus. We need women’s reservation and delimitation.”

On women breaking the glass ceiling, DMK MP Thamizhachi Thangapandian said, “Tamil Nadu is the land where leaders were always advocating for the rights of women. The perspective matters. It depends on the men taking forward the rights of women. However, we owe credit to all the progressive women.’

“Our party (DMK), whenever has been in power has ensured women’s rights are being upheld,” she added.

TMC RS MP Sagarika Ghose talking about the glass ceiling said she considers the term inadequate. Highlighting that women don’t just have to break a glass ceiling but instead navigate through a labyrinth, Ms. Ghose said, “There is no one single ceiling in a world built by men where women have to break this ceiling and arrive at an equal space. I prefer the term labyrinth, because there are economic, social, political obstructions women have to negotiate to reach the journey towards leadership.” 

“Gender justice is about democratisation. It’s not about women. When you’re trying to make public life more democratic, it’s not about a couple of extraordinary women breaking the mythical glass ceiling. It’s about making our national, public life more hospitable to women,” she added.

Talking about women breaking glass ceiling during The Hindu Huddle’s session on ‘Glass Ceiling Shattered: Women leaders shaping Parliament’, BJP MP Aparajita Sarangi said, “There were only 22 women in the Parliament in 1952 and now, after so many years we are 76 women in the Parliament. We haven’t even crossed 100 members. However, in terms of women voters, in 1962, 47% of the electors were women and this time, during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, 66% of the electors were women.”

“This is not a women vs men issue. We need a collective responsibility. We need the support of men, the support of all the segments of the society to break this glass ceiling.”

“The struggle in bureaucracy or politics or any other sphere is the same for women everywhere. There’s a need to expedite the process for women to break glass ceiling,” Ms. Sarangi added. 

Meanwhile, on the issue of ‘One Nation, One election, K.R. Suresh Reddy said, “My party (BRS) supports ONOE, there is no ambiguity on it. But we are equally confident of the electorate. Like Odisha, which voted one party to the Parliament and another to the State. Keeping that in mind, and the fact that constant elections are not in the larger interest for the nation, we felt that ONOE should be the right option for the country.”

BJD Rajya Sabha member Santrupt Misra, on the other hand, said that ONOE is presented as some magical new idea. 

“The first 4-5 elections were always simultaneous elections. The question is what are the nuances, is it likely to strengthen or weaken the democracy, would local issues between neglected, would the terms of assemblies get reduced. Every larger national issue that impacts the Constitution, people’s lives and the democratic fabric must be more detailed, explicitly stated, debated and view be taken. That has been the BJD’s view,” he said

Talking about the One Nation. One Election, SP Rajya Sabha member Javed Ali Khan said, “Samajwadi Party has opposed the ‘One Nation, One Election’ narrative since the beginning. We believe issues during the Assembly elections are different from the ones raised during the national elections. The national parties will end regional parties via this.”

“If this thought came after an intellectual exercise or deliberations, it would have been a different matter. However, the thought stems from RSS ideology. There is an attempt to destroy the federal structure of the country here,” Mr. Khan said. 

A regional party foundation is the aspirations of the people of the State, BJD Rajya Sabha member Santrupt Misra said. 

Mr. Misra talked about the Odisha’s aspirations and how former Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik strived to fulfil them. “Odisha, under Naveen Pattnaik, because he maintained that neutrality between UPA govt and NDA govt, he could bring 60% of people above poverty line. A state that was bankrupt in 2000 when he took over as CM, he could leave it as a revenue surplus state in 2024. That is because he was not serving BJD’s interest but people of Odisha’s interest,” Mr. Misra said. 

“Odisha, under Naveen Pattnaik, because he maintained that neutrality between UPA govt and NDA govt, he could bring 60% of people above poverty line. A State that was bankrupt in 2000 when he took over as CM, he could leave it as a revenue surplus state in 2024. That is because he was not serving BJD’s interest but people of Odisha’s interest,” he added. 

Talking about BRS’s stance, K.R. Suresh Reddy said, “A couple of parties are non-aligned in the parliament. We are neither with UPA or NDA. But our stand depends on national interest. The BRS opposed Kisan Bill but supported demonetisation. We opposed the Waqf Bill. The stance is not political-based or ideological but fundamentally based in the larger interest of the country,” 

“We are a regional party in terms of Election Commission, but we are a national party in terms of ideology,” he added. 

Mr. Reddy talked about the progress made in Telangana in the past 10 years. He said, “We are a regional party in terms of Election Commission, but we are a national party in terms of ideology.”

Samajwadi Party Rajya Sabha member Javed Ali Khan talked about the success of his party in Uttar Pradesh. 

“The situation in Uttar Pradesh is slightly different from the rest of the country. We’re not in power so we’re not afraid of losing either. In fact, in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, our party and our alliance defeated the BJP quite well,” Mr. Khan said.

Talking about NEET-UG paper leaks, the CBSE OSM marksheet row and other several such entrance exams being cancelled over the country, Mr. Khan said that the Samajwadi party hasn’t done anything of this sort in Uttar Pradesh which could warrant a popularity decline for them. 

“We will repeat 2024 Lok Sabha poll results in 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections,” Mr. Khan said confidently.

“The future of any political system cannot depend on whether you win or lose the elections,” Rajya Sabha member Santrupt Misra said.

Citing the lesson he learnt from the corporate world which could be applied to politics, Mr. Misra said, “Whenever there’s a dominance of one force in the market and there’s high return and profitability, competition inevitably comes up. National politics doesn’t always recognise the needs of the States.”

Former Speaker of undivided Andhra Pradesh and ex-BRS leader K.R. Suresh Reddy spoke at The Hindu Huddle’s session on “Nurturing our Pluralist Union: The role of regional politics in strengthening democracy”. 

Talking about whether there’s a threat to regional parties by the BJP, Mr. Reddy said, “There’s no threat to regional parties despite BJP’s growth across the country. We’ve (BRS) lost both the Lok Sabha and the Assembly elections. Yet, you see in the recent local elections, a resurgence of the party. It’s fundamentally because people feel their needs and aspirations are much answered by regional parties.”

Tamil Nadu’s Health Minister K.G. Arunraj talked about the language row in the State. “We will take a firm stand whenever issues concerning the State arise, such as language. At the same time, we would like to work with the Union government,” Mr. Arunraj said.

“There is a phrase - “double-engine sarkar,” but we believe that concept is antithetical to the spirit of federalism. Every State is, in a sense, a double-engine government because India functions under a federal constitutional framework. We can work with the Union government despite differences and challenges, while firmly safeguarding the interests of the State,” the Minister added.

Talking about the Karur stampede which occurred in September 2025 during a political rally by TVK, killing 41 people, Mr. Arunraj said the matter is “before the CBI”. “Let the report come out, he said. 

“Those people were not just voters; they were part of Vijay’s family. He was broken, shattered by what happened. They were young people. Our leader Vijay wanted to go to Karur to meet the families. Once the arrangements were also done, it was decided one night that he would go and meet them with just a few party workers. However, considering the risks involved, all of us suggested that he should not. Otherwise, he would have gone to Karur,” Mr. Arunraj said. 

Mr. Arunraj recalled Vijay personally asked him to speak to the families. “I interacted with them. I remember that no wedding hall was made available to us while we were trying to make arrangements. Eventually, one hall agreed, but due to certain critical developments, we had to call it off,” he said. 

On the Gen Z’s support for the TVK, Mr. Arunraj said, “I agree Gen Z are at the forefront and they have been more vocally supportive of TVK. However, it wouldn’t be just to say this party’s success was solely based on Gen Z revolution. It was a family revolution.”

Mr. Arunraj talked about TVK’s strategy, including the party’s name and its design.

“Everything we did had a strategy, including the name of the party and even its design. When the BJP said there should be no “Kazhagam,” we included it in our party’s name itself - Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK),” the Tamil Nadu Health Minister added. 

The Hindu Huddle Day 2 began with a session on “New Mandate for Change: A Gen Z aspiration story” with Dr. K.G. Arunraj, Minister for Health, Medical Education and Family Welfare, Tamil Nadu speaking on the session.

Talking about TVK’s electoral win in the recent Assembly Elections in Tamil Nadu, Mr. Arunraj said, “The base for this electoral success of TVK in April 2026 was laid by the political success of TVK as a party. It was not an accident. It wasn’t a fluke. It was a clever strategy, clear goals and vision, and the courage of conviction of our leader.”

“Tamil Nadu has been ruled by two well-established parties. Our leader is a first-generation politician. No one thought he could start a party and take on both the other parties. This bold move to step into politics and reform it by our leader (Vijay) earned Tamil Nadu’s respect,” Mr. Arunraj added. 

The political leader Vijay is stronger than actor Vijay, Mr. Arunraj said. 

Today we are bringing together the following speakers:

​Dr K G Arunraj​, Hon’ble Minister for Health and Family Welfare of Tamil Nadu

​Javed Ali Khan​, Hon’ble Member of Parliament (SP), Rajya Sabha

​K.R. Suresh Reddy​, Former Speaker of united Andhra Pradesh and former BRS parliamentary leader

​Dr Santrupt Misra​, Hon’ble Member of Parliament (BJD), Rajya Sabha

​Aparajita Sarangi​, Hon’ble Member of Parliament (BJP), Lok Sabha

​Sagarika Ghose​, Hon’ble Member of Parliament (TMC), Rajya Sabha

​Dr Thamizhachi Thangapandian​, Hon’ble Member of Parliament (DMK), Lok Sabha

​A Revanth Reddy​, Hon’ble Chief Minister of Telangana

​Debjani Ghosh​, Former President of NASSCOM and Distinguished Fellow at Niti Aayog

​Lakshmi Narayanan​, Former CEO, Cognizant and Chancellor, Krea University

​B. Santhanam​, Former CEO - Asia Pacific and India Region and Chairman, Saint-Gobain, India 

​Anjali Bhagwat​, Olympian and nine-time national badminton champion

​Ashwini Nachappa​, Olympian and Asian Championship medallist

​Manoj Bajpayee​, Actor

​Abhishek Poddar​, Art Collector

​Seema Kohli​, Artist

​Shilo Suleman​, Artist

​Nirupama Rao​, Former Foreign Secretary and Former Indian Ambassador to the US

​Soundarie David Rodrigo​, Pianist

Today’s highlights will include:

• Good governance
• Role of regional politics
• Indian sports by 2036
• Reinvention in the entertainment industry
• Art as a mirror in a world in transition
• AI’s role in the future of work