Gandhinagar, 12 December 2013

He is the most respected automobile man in India who without foreign collaboration made some of the best SUVs and vehicles. Chief Minister Narendra Modi uses his company’s swadesi made Scorpio SUV. He is Anand Mahindra.

His speech at the inaugural function of the Vibrant Gujarat Summit 2013 was short like many other business leaders, but a touching one. He admired two qualities he finds in the people of Gujarat, and said both the qualities that are found in people, also reflect from the state government’s approach. He also said that the Gujarat model will be talked in China. Presented here is his speech:

“There are two factors behind the success of Gujarati people. The first one is that Gujaratis are incredibly entrepreneurial and they see big. I don’t know whether there’s something in the soil of Gujarat, which makes them do that. Or perhaps there can be some magic in your salt considering your tasty food items like papdi, dhokla and thepla. But thanks to this magic, Gujarati people have become able entrepreneur. But the most distinct feature found in the people of Gujarat is that they don’t fear from failure. To me this freedom from fear of failure is at the root of entrepreneurship and of innovation.”

“The second characteristic, I think is Gujarati people’s ability to make immediate and enduring relationships. In the rest of India when I meet someone I am Anand or Mr. Mahindra, but here within the first sentence, with a complete stranger I form a bond – I am Anandbhai. Now I want to warn all of you sitting here, specially all of you from overseas, that you are very soon going to become, either a Bhai or Behan, and you are going to forge a personal and permanent relationship with Gujarat and Gujaratis. You have been warned”.

“The government of Gujarat, under the visionary leadership of Narendrabhai too form an immediate connection with the investor. They too form an enduring bond, and they too are entrepreneurial and know how to take risk in order to achieve incredible growth. It’s no surprise therefore that Gujarat is an oasis of out-performance, an oasis of growth compare to many other states in India.”

“There are very very frequent comparisons made between Gujarat and China about how this state is efficient, focused on outcomes, focused on deliverable, brilliant in execution, but I think a day will come when we will not only talk about the China model in Gujarat, but the Gujarat model in China.”