Sachin Pilot delivers Jindal Leadership Series Lecture
Mr. Sachin Pilot, Member of the Rajasthan Legislative Assembly, spoke in the Jindal Leadership Series Lecture held at JGU on October 7 on the theme ‘Gen Z, Politics Click, Share & Lead’.
In his address, Mr. Pilot remarked, “Few young people, if at all, in the country, are even remotely interested in entering into public life. However, if you go outside of metro cities, Tier-II, Tier-III cities and rural India, there is an undying passion for becoming involved in the process and people are vying to contest elections, and maybe the reasons aren't just about governance and leadership. Young people, particularly in semi-urban and rural areas, are far more inclined to enter public life.”
Mr. Sachin Pilot is the General Secretary of the Congress Party; Member, Congress Working Committee; Member of the Rajasthan Legislative Assembly; Former Deputy Chief Minister of Rajasthan; and Former Union Minister. At 26 years of age, he was the youngest Member of Parliament when he won his first election in 2004 from Dausa parliamentary constituency in Rajasthan.
In his speech, Mr. Pilot explained the nature of leadership, especially for the youth of India. “Gen Z has had a natural interface with machines, technology, social media and the internet. It's not something that is taught or they learn; it's intrinsic to their nature. What we need to do is make sure that young minds are able to access different ideas. It is when you come to a campus like JGU and try to explore people who don't look like you, don't speak like you, or don't act like or dress like you, that’s when you learn the most.”
Touching upon the importance of diversity, Mr. Pilot said, “What's really important is to become an adult with tolerance and acceptance of different views, and where you can have differences. In your formative years, if you expand your horizons of tolerance, acceptance, listening and hearing, it will make you a much better person as you get older. Leadership is when your opponents also accept you as a leader. To become a leader, it is important that once you are in a position of power, people must have faith in you. If you attach yourself to the sentiment of the people in society, that's when leaders deliver the maximum impact. You have to connect and need to have integrity and truthfulness.”
Speaking about 2047 and celebrating India’s 100 years since Independence, he said, “As we head towards 2047, there are so many challenges. The biggest one is going to be how do we make not just you, but also the generation ahead of you, gainfully employed. For any country to move from the agrarian sector straight to the high-tech world of chipmaking and data science and STEM is not easy…. We have to now balance our next move so that we have a generation of people moving from the farm sector to the shop floor to manufacturing and with AI, which will disrupt everything.”
In his welcome address, Professor (Dr.) C. Raj Kumar, Founding Vice Chancellor, JGU, said, “Our university takes pride in the fact that it is a space for different opinions, igniting perspectives from different political thoughts and where there is an opportunity for individuals to interact freely. In that spirit, we have been consistently bringing individuals from different walks of life and different political parties. With Mr. Sachin Pilot, you immediately develop a sense of hope for democracy. We sense his passion for governance and development. He has had a very distinguished career with strong academic qualifications, having studied at some of the leading institutions, including the Wharton School. He is an inspiration, especially for the students of JGU, as it gives you an opportunity to think about the possibility of young people coming into public life. He belongs to that generation of young Indian politicians who embody passion, dedication and commitment.”
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