From Swaraj to Sovereign AI: Walking the Kartavya Path

On the 2nd day of the India AI Impact Summit 2026, having heard some really insightful panel discussions in Bharat Mandapam, across various meeting rooms, I felt the need to gather my thoughts.

What better way to do that than to go for a nice long walk? Not that I hadn’t had enough of walking around already. But today, it was a little lesser than yesterday’s 20k steps as I did not venture into the halls and pavilions.

So I exited from Gate 7 and asked my way around to the nearest important point (for me) – Netaji’s statue and the Amar Jawan Jyot. I wanted to see the new and upgraded important spots. For those who know me, these are the ‘sightseeing’ spots that matter to me.

As I stood at Kartavya Path, right before the towering statue of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose and just kept walking the vast and wide paths, an old school-day joke came to mind.

Most of us remember Netaji’s legendary call to action:

“Tum mujhe khoon do, main tumhein azaadi doonga.”

Then came the silly twist from the world of diagnostics:

The pathologist says: “Tum mujhe khoon do, main tumhein report doonga.”

But standing there in 2026, after attending the India AI Impact Summit, I realised we are writing a new twist to this:

The AI says: “Tum mujhe report do, main tumhein analysis doonga.”

More Than a Joke: A National Mandate

It sounds lighthearted, but the transition is profound. We have moved from the era of sacrifice for freedom to the era of intelligence for self-reliance.

As I kept walking and witnessed the lowering of our flag at the Param Yodha Sthal, I couldn’t help but think about our Kartavya, our Path of Duty, toward the current technology – AI !

Digital Sovereignty: The New Independence

Just as Netaji fought for Swaraj, today’s mission is about Sovereign AI. With the launch of indigenous foundational models trained on our own 22 languages and vast cultural datasets, India is ensuring we aren’t just consumers of foreign tech, but we are the architects. We are building an “AI Commons” where computing power isn’t monopolised by billionaires, but accessible to every student and startup.

AI for the “Chakras” of Progress

We aren’t building AI to play games or write poems; we are applying it to the “Seven Chakras” of our national development. This, of course, includes – Healthcare: AI bridging the doctor-patient gap in rural India.

Inclusion: Language models that speak the tongue of the common citizen, not just the urban elite.

Netaji envisioned a modern, disciplined India that leads the world. But, today, it is our Kartavya, our “duty” today, to ensure that while we give the world our data, we get back more than just “analysis.” We get back a smarter, fairer, and more empowered India.

None of this could be possible if I didn’t have my biggest partner, my better half Dr. Kruti Dhirwani, helping me gather my thoughts and channelise them into action for TechnoMedix!