Several hundred people attended the 2015 Wharton India Economic Forum Feb. 20 and 21, an annual conference organized largely by students at University of Pennsylvania. The theme this year was “India: Delivering the Dream,” with the objective to explore the potential for growth under the Bharatiya Janata Party government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
At its height there were more than 300 attendees at the conference according to Ankit Saxena, co-chair of the conference, especially during the “pretty hot” Start-up Competition featuring 12 semi-finalists. The start-up Flintobox, a learning solutions company offering a subscription product designed for 3-7 year olds, walked away with the $10,000 prize.
Keynote speakers of the conference included, Puneet Goenka, managing director and CEO of Zee Enterprises, and U.S. Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard, D-Hawaii, the only Hindu lawmaker on Capitol Hill. UPenn Professor and co-founder of the Hindu American Foundation Dr. Aseem Shukla introduced the Congresswoman before she addressed the gathering.
The WIEF takes pride in being a student-run effort, though Saxena said some aspects of organizing process were altered after the 2013 conference when then Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi was ‘disinvited’ because of the furor raised by some members of the UPenn faculty, leading to protest demonstrations by Modi supporters at the conference venue. Saxena said the 2013 conference “surely made us more cautious,” but that ultimately the primary objective of the conference was to provide a forum that serves the interests of Wharton students.
“The WIEF is still very independent, but there are more checks and balances and so we have better communication with Wharton’s administration,” Saxena said. “We share the brief overview and list of speakers with the administration so that they are not taken by surprise.” The Wharton administration also sometimes helps connect with top CEOs of companies, he said.
From time to time, WIEF also has outside advisors like Shukla, according to Saxena. Dr. Shukla, in a note to News India Times prior to the conference said he had extended a helping hand to the student organizers this year. “It may seem ironic that I am now supporting the very conference I protested against in 2013 when the forum disinvited then CM Modi, but in the end, this is a student organized event, and I feel a responsibility to assist these students,” Shukla said.
“Aseem (Shukla) found out about the forum and he helped us a lot and was very, very helpful,” Saxena said, adding “We will continue to be in touch with Aseem.”
Philadelphia’s Mayor Michael Nutter declared Saturday Feb. 21 the day of the Wharton India Economic Forum, as “India Day” to encourage local awareness of business development in India and a greater understanding of the impact of India’s rise in the global marketplace, a WIEF press release said.