'Art of listening is extremely powerful': Rahul Gandhi at Cambridge University

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said during his talk on Tuesday at the University of Cambridge that the outrage over shifting of manufacturing from "democratic countries" like India and the US to China needed "urgent attention and dialogue".

Gandhi spoke at the university's Judge Business School on the topic "Learning to Listen in the Twenty-First Century," focusing on the "art of listening" and calling for a new way of thinking to foster a democratic environment globally. When done consistently and diligently, the "art of listening" is "extremely powerful," he said.

Gandhi's lecture mentioned the Bharat Jodo Yatra, the recently-concluded 4,000-km trek conducted by him through 12 states from September 2022 to January 2023 to draw attention to "prejudice, unemployment and growing inequality in India". He emphasised to the MBA students that a "yatra" is a journey or pilgrimage in which people "shut themselves down so they can listen to others".

Diverging perspectives of US and China

His presentation also addressed the "two diverging perspectives" of the United States and China since World War II, particularly following the Soviet Union's disintegration in 1991. Gandhi claimed that, in addition to losing manufacturing employment, the United States has become less open in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. However, he claims that China "idolises harmony" through organisation centred on the Chinese Communist Party.

Gandhi discussed the "Imperative for a World Dialogue" in the concluding segment of his presentation when he wove the many strands together in a call for a new form of receptiveness to various ideas.

During his week-long visit to the United Kingdom, Gandhi will meet with members of the Indian Overseas Congress (IOC) UK chapter and speak at a "Indian Diaspora Conference" scheduled for the weekend in London.