"Full of sentiment but not sentimental" ---- the perfect opening and closing statement for this very interesting and balanced presentation by Dr. Satu Limaye on India at Home and in the World.
I thoroughly enjoyed visiting with both Dr. Limaye and his charming wife, Michele (a delightful, brilliant freelance journalist) yesterday evening.
Thank you again for planning a very worthwhile and enjoyable World Affairs Council of the Desert dinner meeting.

Excellent in every way.....not too long, well-organized, and an often overlooked area of the world....thank you!

GREAT COVERAGE OF INDIA, IT'S HISTORY AND CURRENT STANDING IN THE WORLD.

ALL OUR SPEAKERS HAVE BEEN GREAT. HOWEVER, MR LYMAYE'S WAS EXCEPTIONAL. I LEARNED MORE ABOUT INDIA THAN I DID WHILE TRAVELING THROUGH THERE SOME TIME AGO. IMPRESSIVE EVENING!!!

This proved to be a rather well-ogranized, insightful presentation by Dr. Limaye, providing a better understanding of “the fine balance” India has practiced over its 75 years of national independence with respect to its internal development, border nation relationships, and foreign policy. All this was accentuated by India’s current stance of relative neutrality regarding the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and by India’s non-participation in economic/financial sanctions being levied upon Russia.

Two presentation factors stood out here: First, as a relative young democracy, India is seeking “strategic autonomy” but has thus far missed-out being an important partner within various trade/financial alliances that have materialized during the recent decades of ongoing globalization. Second, a key-takeaway was that India cannot tread this “fine balance” much longer between the US/Russia/China, globalization alliances in general, and seeking greater visibility within the United Nations Security Council.

So how exactly does a nation with a vast land mass, vast population, and vast potential sidekick with a 250-year-old democracy and two communist pseudo-dictatorships? To be determined. We suggest that the WACD Board consider inviting back Dr. Limaye for a presentation in March 2023 for a "before/after" discussion. We all need further and continuing exposure to this country.

During the Q&A, a question arose regarding the size and agility of Indian technology companies. The speaker honestly responded that his expertise was not complete in this sector, offering that while some superb technical universities existed, the Indian free-enterprise system had not sufficiently mature to grow the sector. We beg to differ here. FYI, ten substantial Indian companies are engaged in information technology/software development and consulting - employing approximately 1 million staff, many of them engaged in off-shore and near-shore contractual engagements within the US, Canada, the UK and EU, Australia, etc. These companies include: Tata Consultancy service, Infosys, HCL Technologies, Wipro Limited, Redington India Ltd., Tech Mahindra Ltd., Larsen & Toubro Infotech Ltd., and Mphasis Ltd.