Delhi University shaped post-independence India — from Arun Jaitley’s student politics to national policy rooms.

At DU’s centenary, Hardeep Puri, Lakshmi Puri, Sanjeev Sanyal, and others reflect on what the university built across its 100 years. Puri recalls meeting Jaitley in his first year, 1972 — a friendship that defined a generation of leaders. The session, anchored by the release of Delhi University: Celebrating 100 Glorious Years, examines DU as the crucible where post-colonial Indian identity was reforged. Economists from SRCC frame the trade-offs that DU classrooms address daily — growth vs. redistribution, short-term vs. long-term goals — in service of Viksit Bharat. The consensus: the institution survived its worst administrators and can lead again.

About the speakers
Hardeep S. Puri is an author, former diplomat and is currently serving as the Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas in the Government of India. He had a distinguished four-decade career in diplomacy, rising to become India’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations.

Sanjeev Sanyal is an author & currently a Member of the Prime Minister’s Economic Advisory Council (PM-EAC) and is also serving as the Chancellor of the Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics, Pune. He has been the Festival Patron of the Delhi University Literature Festival since its inception in 2023.

Lakshmi Puri is an author & former diplomat for 28 years. She served in leadership positions at the United Nations for fifteen years, most recently as its Assistant Secretary General. She also served as Deputy Executive Director at UN Women.

Mr. Raian Karanjawala is an eminent lawyer and co-founder of Karanjawala & Company, one of India’s leading law firms. He is a proud alumnus of SRCC, and is also a part of its Governing Body.