New Delhi, India, September 25, 2025: More than a thousand students, policy thinkers, entrepreneurs and academics gathered at Bharat Mandapam for the Youth Lead Dialogue 2025, India’s flagship contribution to the United Nations #YouthLead Festival. Held on the 30th anniversary of the World Programme of Action for Youth, the dialogue produced recommendations that will feed into the UN General Assembly’s High-Level Meeting on Youth later this year.
A Ceremony of Light and Intent
The day opened with a lamp-lighting that set a quiet, reflective mood. Founder of the Hardik Dewan Foundation Hardik Kumar Dewan welcomed delegates with a call for “real voice, real skills and real routes to impact,” drawing on his own experience at the UN ECOSOC Youth Forum. The strike of a ceremonial hammer, echoing UN tradition, formally signalled the start of discussions.
Leaders and Keynotes
Union Minister Manohar Lal Khattar urged young participants to treat leadership as service and to view mistakes as lessons, linking his remarks to the national vision of Viksit Bharat 2047. Guests of Honour Krishan Lal Panwar, Haryana’s Cabinet Minister, and Dr. Abhishek Verma, Chief National Coordinator of the NDA Alliance, highlighted the country’s demographic advantage and the responsibility that comes with it.
Finance educator Neha Nagar pressed the case for financial literacy as a national necessity, while child prodigy Kautilya Pandit argued for lifelong curiosity and discipline. Entrepreneur Gaurav Gupta, founder of Gabit and former Zomato co-founder, spoke of the grit required to scale ideas into enduring enterprises.
Debate and Exchange
A panel of entrepreneurs, educators and activists took up themes of innovation, empathy and civic responsibility. Jas Kalra urged a shift from “selfie culture to seva culture.” Advocate Siddharth Yadav reminded delegates that politics takes its character from the people who enter it. Others stressed that education and technology must advance together if India is to stay competitive.
Quiet Hand at the Helm
While the spotlight stayed on the dialogue itself, Hardik Dewan’s influence was clear in the event’s design and its global reach. His foundation’s partnership with the UN Youth Office created a direct channel for Indian perspectives to inform international policy, illustrating how sustained individual effort can open doors for a generation.
The evening ended with an emotive performance by artist Mukul Sharma, a cultural flourish that underlined the day’s blend of intellect and creativity. Delegates left with a sense that the conversation had only begun, a set of proposals ready for the UN, and a renewed conviction that India’s youth can help shape decisions well beyond its borders. This was more than a conference. It was a statement that the country’s youngest citizens are prepared not just to participate in policy but to help set its direction.
