Monthly platform to bring national leaders, policymakers and practitioners to campus
Gandhinagar, November 25, 2025: Swarrnim Startup and Innovation University, in partnership with Chhatra Sansad India, launched its new monthly lecture series ‘Voices of Bharat’ on Tuesday, aimed at bringing students closer to experienced practitioners from public life, governance and global affairs. More than1000students and faculty members from Swarrnim Startup and Innovation University participated in the event.
The series will feature one distinguished speaker every month, spanning fields such as governance, foreign policy, entrepreneurship, public service and national development. The idea behind organising this lecture series is to build informed civic engagement and help students connect classroom learning with the leadership challenges of contemporary India.
The first session featured Ambassador Yogendra Kumar, former Indian Ambassador to the Philippines and Tajikistan, who spoke to students about India’s diplomatic priorities, the country’s rising global profile, and the need for young Indians to cultivate strategic awareness in a rapidly changing world. He was joined with by Dr Ragin Shah (Provost), Swarrnim Startup and Innovation University and Mr Kunal Thakur, Director, Chhatra Sansad on the dias.
“The pace of change is accelerating without any predictability about its direction. Technology, communication, transportation and even the nature of work, or rather of life itself are reshaping socio-economic structures and political systems in ways that everyone is trying to keep pace with like never before,” the ambassador said.
“Your generation will, in a few years, be in the driving seat. As India grows in its international role on the journey to the 2047 ‘Viksit Bharat’ goal, youth have a critical role in understanding the dynamics of change and how best it can be managed at the level of the individual, the nation and the world,” Shri Yogendra Kumar further added.
Speaking about the challenges posed by AI and information disorder, he further said, “Today’s post-truth, post-fact environment, propelled by fast-moving technology and unregulated AI exposes young people to unprecedented manipulation on social media, making information integrity one of the most critical challenges your generation must learn to navigate.”
Speaking about the launch, Shri Adi Rishabh Jain, Vice President, Swarrnim Startup & Innovation University, said, “Voices of Bharat is our effort to build the campus as a space where students hear directly from the people who have shaped India’s journey. Exposure to such lived experience gives young minds both perspective and ambition.”
