Veteran banker Uday Kotak said India must encourage more innovation and disruptive thinking if it wants to emerge as a truly powerful economy, warning that excessive focus on preservation and stability could slow the country’s rise.
Speaking at the CII Annual Business Summit 2026, Kotak used the symbolism of the Hindu trinity — Brahma, Vishnu, and Mahesh — to explain his view of India’s economic future. He argued that India currently has “too much Vishnu,” referring to preservation and maintaining the status quo, while the country needs more of Brahma, the creator, and Mahesh, the destroyer and transformer, to drive bold economic change.
Kotak said the global order is undergoing a deep structural shift and warned that the world is steadily moving toward a more fragmented and power-driven system similar to the pre-1945 era. According to him, nations are increasingly prioritising territorial influence, ownership of critical assets, and economic dominance.
The founder of Kotak Mahindra Bank observed that many people continue to believe global disruptions are temporary and that normalcy will eventually return. However, he argued that the world is entering a phase where “raw power” and strategic control will define international relations and economic success.
Kotak highlighted the growing concentration of both physical and digital assets in the hands of a few powerful countries and corporations. He also pointed to vulnerabilities in global supply chains and energy security, including tensions around the Strait of Hormuz, saying such risks expose how fragile the global economy can become during geopolitical conflicts.
He stressed that future global leadership will belong to countries with financially strong institutions, profitable businesses, and ownership of strategic industries. Citing the United States as an example, Kotak said America transformed itself from an energy-dependent nation in the 1970s into an economic superpower through the strength of its companies, particularly in technology, innovation, and cloud computing.
“The strength of the US lies in its ability to create products and services that the world wants to buy,” Kotak said, adding that businesses played a major role in helping the country overcome structural weaknesses.
At the same time, he cautioned India against becoming overly protectionist or resistant to change. Kotak warned that excessive focus on safeguarding existing systems could hurt India’s competitiveness in the long run.
Explaining his analogy further, he said the country needs a stronger mix of creation and destruction — ideas represented by Brahma and Mahesh — to build a more dynamic and strategically powerful economy. “The biggest danger for a country is when there is too much Vishnu in the total. What we need is the creator and destroyer much more in the mix and that is what will create a true powerful strategic positioning for our country...I feel we in India need to significantly increase our Brahma and Mahesh quotient,” he added.
