An Annual Indian ideas festival

Reading the Indian newspapers heralding the advent of a new prime minister, one thing strikes you- the paucity of new ideas and strategies. The old hackneyed shibboleths are trotted out yet again as gospel truth and few offer striking new paths. There is no one to say:

"Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference."

What we need today is to create a premier gathering place for leaders from around the country, and across many disciplines, to engage in deep and inquisitive discussion of the ideas and issues that will both shape our lives and challenge our times. Imagine some of the most inspired and provocative thinkers, writers, artists, business people, teachers, and other leaders drawn from myriad fields and from across the country and around the world – all gathered in a single place, ready to teach, speak, lead, question and answer – all interacting with an audience of thoughtful people who have stepped back from their day-to-day routines to delve deeply into a world of ideas, thought and technology.

We need to look forward. What will the next ten years bring?  What innovations will wow us in health and medicine, robotics and biotechnology? What form will climate changes take? What dynamics will shape our societies at home and abroad? What will education and the arts look like? Will we be more attuned to the power of creativity? We need to engage a broader audience in a discussion of some of the significant ideas and issues that touch all parts of our society as found in the arts, science, culture, religion, philosophy, economics, and politics.  And we need to imagine what 2024 will look like.

We need only to go back through history to appreciate the potential and power derived from gatherings of thinkers, leaders, and citizens to debate, learn, and grapple with the ideas that confront their societies. Since 1857, when Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, and publisher Moses Dresser Phillips convened with colleagues for their usual Saturday meetings to “read poetry, condemn slavery, and ponder new ways to enlighten the masses,” Americans have sponsored these conclaves. There is even an institute that sponsors these conclaves today. The Aspen Institute has been the the nation's premier gathering place for leaders from around the globe and across many disciplines to engage in deep and inquisitive discussion of the ideas and issues that both shape our lives and challenge our times.


What are the ideas such a Indian festival may cover?

New approaches to warring neighbours
Unconventional energy
Honesty in public life
Mobilizing funds the Obama way
Using internet for clean procurement
Promoting creativity in our youth

Will some industrialist step up to create an Indian Aspen Institute and sponsor our own Ideas festival?


PS
Here are some of the subjects that the Aspen Institute covered:

2014

Higher education policy report card
A New cold war with Russia?
The supreme court, the future and you
Beyond the hype:does it really pay to invest in girls?
Who will US be?
When experts disagree: the art of medical decision making
Health by design:the fight for good food
Womens health, the unfinished revolution
Allies in public health
Balancing instruments for power in a multipolar world
Unlocking opportunity through trade

2013

Pakistan at a Crossroads
Are we Safe
Al Jazeeras Big Play and Cybersecurity Threat
Democracy in the Middle East: Islamists, Liberals, and the Battle for the Heart of the Arab Revolutions
A City as Startup Zappos and Downtown Project
Can We All Be Activists in the Cause for Womens Health
Cooking and Eating Your Way to a New Community
Far Out, Up Close Visualizing the Invisible
Reimagining the Way Teachers Teach and Students Learn
The “Big Bang” in Learning: Brain Changes and Childhood Learning
Fear and Hope: Climate Change and Policy Solutions