Speaker Of The Evening The Lalit Doshi Memorial Lecture (LDML), instituted in the name of the eponymous former civil servant, has been hosted in Mumbai annually since 1995.



On Monday, August 5, Uday Kotak became the 25th speaker to deliver it. The LDML speaker club is an illustrious one (even though the absence of any female speakers in the list is jarring).



Here’s a look at what past speakers have spoken about in the address:

India’s Tryst with Finance: Time to Transform (2019) Uday Kotak, MD, Kotak Mahindra Bank



“Let us embrace digital. That will transform India’s finance like nothing else we have seen in the past. And lastly, in that context is a less cash India. India’s desire for cash just doesn’t seem to be going down. It shocks me when I am told at many stores, small stores, including in the city of Mumbai, so I can’t even comment on what must be happening across semi urban or rural areas. Most of the times you are asked the question, ‘How do you want to pay..bill ya bina bill?’ We are still not getting out of that mindset of cash as the basis for dealing. Therefore anything that makes us a less cash economy is useful. It is also surprising to me that the levels of currency in circulation that we are back to. It is almost equal to, on a percentage basis, to pre-demonetisation levels. We need to change that.”

Doing Foreign Policy Differently (2018) Dr S Jaishankar, current Minister of External Affairs in the Government of India



“There is absolutely nothing wrong with aspiring to stake a greater claim in different domains. Among our aspirations we should strive to realize is permanent membership of the UN Security Council. But in the interim, there are milestones that mark a journey towards a greater global management role. Joining different international and regional groupings and mechanisms is one such step. Becoming a member of technology export control regimes is another related measure. Taking the initiative to undertake humanitarian and disaster relief operations — as we did in Nepal or Yemen — also makes sense. Playing a constructive role in important global negotiations, whether on climate change or on sustainable development goals, is part of this shift. A sharper willingness to articulate our interests and be resolute in its pursuit is also necessary. Such an India cannot have a herd mentality or rely on abstention as a default position on tricky issues. There will be choices we have to make, sometimes even within a region or between friends.”

The Global Economy: What Can India Do to Seize the Lead? (2017) Kaushik Basu, former chief economist of the World Bank



“I want to mention two areas where India can do very well, if the government creates an enabling atmosphere. This is bit of a China-style policy of identifying special sectors and making them vanguards for the whole economy. First, India can be a hub for higher education in the world. People will come not just from developing countries, Africa, Asia, Latin America, but from United States and Europe. Come to India, four years of excellent education, much cheaper than in rich countries, and then you go back…The other sector where India is already doing well but can do better is providing healthcare services for the world. Health-care is extremely expensive in today's world. India can provide this at a much lower cost.”