MUMBAI: TV9 Network hosted the third edition of its flagship ‘What India Thinks Today Summit’ on 28 and 29 March 2025 at the iconic Bharat Mandapam. With the theme ‘India in the New World Order’, the two-day summit carved out a dynamic global platform for thought leaders, ministers, cultural icons, and business visionaries to chart India’s path in an evolving geopolitical landscape.
Prime minister Narendra Modi headlined the event with a powerful keynote address, calling the summit a vital forum shaping the nation's future. “The ideas exchanged here will define India’s future,” he stated, adding, “What TV9 thinks today, other channels will follow.”
The event began with an impactful session featuring Union minister Nitin Gadkari, who made a headline-grabbing announcement, “A big decision on toll within a week, public concerns will be addressed soon.”
Actors Vijay Deverakonda and Yami Gautam brought cinematic flair to the stage, offering personal insights into fame and success. Meanwhile, actors Amit Sadh and Jim Sarbh stirred excitement with a preview of their upcoming thriller, Pune Highway.
A moving moment came when 28 winners of News9’s Indian Tigers and Tigresses India’s largest youth football talent hunt were felicitated and posed for a group photo with the prime minister himself.
TV9 Network MD & CEO of Barun Das, reflected on the global vision,“We at TV9 Network have initiated our engagement last year in the News9 Global Summit at Stuttgart, Germany, which will be bigger and better in October, later this year. We also have two more geographies on our radar, the UAE and the USA for News9 Global Summit. These are initiatives that precede TV9 Network’s Global expansion under the guidance of our chairman, Rameshwar Rao.”
The second day adopted a dual-track format, diving into national issues and the global economic landscape. Union ministers including Piyush Goyal, Ashwini Vaishnaw, G. Kishan Reddy, and Chirag Paswan shared insights on governance and policy. chief ministers Rekha Gupta, Bhagwant Mann, Mohan Yadav, Himanta Biswa Sarma, and Pushkar Singh Dhami addressed challenges such as secularism, welfare policies, and the Uniform Civil Code.
The summit also brought out a spectrum of political perspectives from figures like Smriti Irani, Randeep Surjewala, Imran Pratapgarhi, and RSS’s Sunil Ambekar. Healthcare was in sharp focus, with Navneet Saluja of Haleon (Sensodyne) dissecting India’s approach to public health, and Vedanta’s Anil Agarwal delivering a keynote on global business readiness.
On the international front, former UNGA President Abdulla Shahid spoke about the Global south’s rise, while cultural voice Pandit Dhirendra Shastri addressed the event as a ‘Hindu Crusader’.
Economic deliberations gained momentum with a virtual address from chief economic advisor V. Anantha Nageswaran, followed by in-depth panels on AI, e-mobility, infrastructure, sustainability, and education. Eminent voices like K.T. Mahhe (Sreenidhi University), Abhishek Singh (IndiaAI), Hisashi Takeuchi (Maruti Suzuki), Rajesh Nambiar (NASSCOM), and Nilesh Shah (Kotak AMC) enriched the conversation.
Backed by marquee sponsors including Sensodyne, Sreenidhi University, HP Lubricants, Tata Motors, and Government partners from Uttarakhand, Arunachal Pradesh, and Madhya Pradesh, the summit was a showcase of collaboration and vision.
With sessions now available on News9’s Youtube channel and News9 Plus, this landmark summit continues to ripple across conversations, shaping how India is perceived—and how it positions itself—in the global order.
