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How India scaled Mt G20: The Inside story of the G20 Presidency
In 2022, the world faced an unprecedented convergence of crises—post-pandemic recovery, climate breakdown, food and fuel shortages, and rising geopolitical tensions. Amidst one of the most challenging periods in modern history, India stepped up to lead the G20. With Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of ‘One Earth, One Family, One Future’, India united fractured global powers, driving bold solutions and fostering hope in a divided world.
In How India Scaled Mt G20, Amitabh Kant, India’s G20 Sherpa, offers a rare, behind-the-scenes look at the intense negotiations, strategic manoeuvring, and backroom diplomacy that defined India’s presidency. From climate action and digital transformation to tackling inequality, this insider’s account reveals how India shaped the future of global governance under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi and rallied the G20 towards a new era of unity and cooperation.
In How India Scaled Mt G20, Amitabh Kant, India’s G20 Sherpa, offers a rare, behind-the-scenes look at the intense negotiations, strategic manoeuvring, and backroom diplomacy that defined India’s presidency. From climate action and digital transformation to tackling inequality, this insider’s account reveals how India shaped the future of global governance under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi and rallied the G20 towards a new era of unity and cooperation.
233 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 15, 2025
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February 28, 2025
Review of How India Scaled Mt G20 by Amitabh Kant
@rupa_publications
How India Scaled Mt G20 by Amitabh Kant gives readers a rare glimpse into India's leadership during its G20 presidency. The book takes us behind the scenes, showing how India, under Prime Minister Modi’s leadership, navigated one of the most complex global gatherings during a time of crisis.
The world was still recovering from the pandemic, grappling with climate change, economic uncertainty, and geopolitical tensions. In this challenging environment, India not only hosted the G20 but also played a crucial role in shaping its direction. The book highlights how India pushed for collaboration over competition, focusing on unity, sustainability, and development that benefits all—especially countries from the Global South, which have historically had little say in global decision-making.
Amitabh Kant, India’s G20 Sherpa, shares his firsthand experiences of the intense negotiations, strategic discussions, and diplomatic efforts that went into making India’s presidency impactful. The theme One Earth, One Family, One Future (Vasudhev Kutumbakam) wasn’t just a slogan—it became the guiding force behind India’s efforts to bring nations together.
For someone without much knowledge of foreign affairs, this book offers an easy-to-follow account of how India influenced global governance. It sheds light on key topics like digital transformation, economic reforms, and sustainability, without being overly technical.
It's not just a political and diplomatic analysis rather, this is the story of how India stepped up on the world stage, proving that a developing country could lead with vision, strategy, and a focus on collective progress. If you’re curious about how global decisions are made and how India made its mark in the process, this book is a great read.
@rupa_publications
[BooksWagon, bookstagram, Bookstagramchamps, #readwithak, bookstore, Resilience, g20]
@rupa_publications
How India Scaled Mt G20 by Amitabh Kant gives readers a rare glimpse into India's leadership during its G20 presidency. The book takes us behind the scenes, showing how India, under Prime Minister Modi’s leadership, navigated one of the most complex global gatherings during a time of crisis.
The world was still recovering from the pandemic, grappling with climate change, economic uncertainty, and geopolitical tensions. In this challenging environment, India not only hosted the G20 but also played a crucial role in shaping its direction. The book highlights how India pushed for collaboration over competition, focusing on unity, sustainability, and development that benefits all—especially countries from the Global South, which have historically had little say in global decision-making.
Amitabh Kant, India’s G20 Sherpa, shares his firsthand experiences of the intense negotiations, strategic discussions, and diplomatic efforts that went into making India’s presidency impactful. The theme One Earth, One Family, One Future (Vasudhev Kutumbakam) wasn’t just a slogan—it became the guiding force behind India’s efforts to bring nations together.
For someone without much knowledge of foreign affairs, this book offers an easy-to-follow account of how India influenced global governance. It sheds light on key topics like digital transformation, economic reforms, and sustainability, without being overly technical.
It's not just a political and diplomatic analysis rather, this is the story of how India stepped up on the world stage, proving that a developing country could lead with vision, strategy, and a focus on collective progress. If you’re curious about how global decisions are made and how India made its mark in the process, this book is a great read.
@rupa_publications
[BooksWagon, bookstagram, Bookstagramchamps, #readwithak, bookstore, Resilience, g20]
February 20, 2025
How India Scaled Mt G20 by Amitabh Kant, India’s former G20 Sherpa, offers a fascinating insider’s perspective on India’s presidency of the G20. Drawing upon his firsthand experience, Kant provides a detailed account of the intense negotiations, diplomatic maneuvering, and strategic decision-making that shaped the summit’s outcomes.
The book highlights India’s leadership under Prime Minister Modi in navigating complex global challenges, from climate change and economic inequality to geopolitical tensions. Kant emphasizes India’s commitment to inclusive growth, sustainable development, and a reformed multilateral system. He also underscores the importance of digital transformation and technological innovation in addressing global challenges.
How India Scaled Mt G20 is a valuable contribution to the understanding of global governance and India’s emerging role on the world stage. It provides a unique and insightful perspective on the challenges and opportunities facing the international community and offers valuable lessons for future global cooperation.
The book highlights India’s leadership under Prime Minister Modi in navigating complex global challenges, from climate change and economic inequality to geopolitical tensions. Kant emphasizes India’s commitment to inclusive growth, sustainable development, and a reformed multilateral system. He also underscores the importance of digital transformation and technological innovation in addressing global challenges.
How India Scaled Mt G20 is a valuable contribution to the understanding of global governance and India’s emerging role on the world stage. It provides a unique and insightful perspective on the challenges and opportunities facing the international community and offers valuable lessons for future global cooperation.
July 9, 2025
How India Scaled Mt G20 by Amitabh Kant is that rare breed of political nonfiction that reads like both a diplomatic thriller and a masterclass in contemporary statecraft.
Penned by India’s G20 Sherpa and former NITI Aayog CEO, the book—published by Rupa in January 2025—offers a behind-the-curtain view of India's most consequential global performance: the 2023 G20 Presidency.
Across 256 crisp pages, Kant escorts the reader from the grand stages of global diplomacy to the hushed war rooms where consensus is not declared, but painstakingly built—often over midnight coffee, tense silences, and loaded phrases like “territorial integrity” or “multilateralism.”
What struck me first was Kant’s voice—clear, breezy, and unburdened by jargon. This isn’t your typical bureaucratic tome; it’s more The West Wing than White Paper. Every chapter bursts with real-time anecdotes, last-minute compromises, and the emotional terrain of negotiations that often feel more theatrical than procedural.
Whether it's the use of secret cues like “green it” to signal consensus or the strategy of letting silence do the talking in tense discussions, Kant lifts the veil on the choreography of global diplomacy with remarkable candor. His term “productive ambiguity,” especially in the context of navigating the Russia-Ukraine standoff, felt like a diplomatic haiku—precise, elusive, and packed with meaning. India’s balancing act—between Western insistence on condemnation and the Global South’s growing impatience with Eurocentric conflicts—was not just political tightrope-walking; it was narrative control at a global scale.
What elevates the book further is its clear-eyed framing of India’s evolving identity—not as a passive participant, but as an agenda-setter. Under the mantra One Earth, One Family, One Future, India pushed for inclusivity not just as a buzzword but as policy, securing the African Union’s permanent G20 membership—a historic pivot toward genuine Global South representation.
In a world addicted to hard power, Kant presents India’s true weapon: Digital Public Infrastructure. UPI, Aadhaar, DigiLocker, e-Sanjeevani—these aren't just tech acronyms but the building blocks of what Kant frames as frugal, scalable diplomacy. While China exports concrete through the Belt and Road Initiative, India, he argues, is exporting code, consent, and connectivity.
Not every chapter hits with equal depth—sections on climate finance, gender equity, and institutional reform feel more summarised than analyzed—but the core message remains unmistakable: India’s diplomacy is moving from reaction to architecture.
As critics have noted, The Week calls the book a “comprehensive field guide,” while The Indian Express highlights its “racy” narrative style. Outlook Business, ever the realist, praises the access but points to occasional soft-soaping of China’s role and India’s muted Ukraine stance. But even these omissions say something: in diplomacy, as in writing, what you don’t say can sometimes say the most.
Personally, this was the last of three books my wife gifted me this anniversary—preceded by Parliament, a dense legal-political beast, and The World After Gaza, which left my mind racing and heart heavy.
When I picked up How India Scaled Mt G20, I hoped for something lighter. What I got instead was something better: clarity. This wasn’t just a palate cleanser; it was a perspective reset. A reminder that diplomacy is not about lofty declarations—it’s about people. People who stay up all night crafting clauses. People who learn to read silences. People who push nations, inch by inch, toward something better.
And in a world where cynicism often passes for wisdom, Amitabh Kant’s book dares to believe that the art of the possible is still... possible. Not easy. Not clean. But worth the climb. Again and again.
Penned by India’s G20 Sherpa and former NITI Aayog CEO, the book—published by Rupa in January 2025—offers a behind-the-curtain view of India's most consequential global performance: the 2023 G20 Presidency.
Across 256 crisp pages, Kant escorts the reader from the grand stages of global diplomacy to the hushed war rooms where consensus is not declared, but painstakingly built—often over midnight coffee, tense silences, and loaded phrases like “territorial integrity” or “multilateralism.”
What struck me first was Kant’s voice—clear, breezy, and unburdened by jargon. This isn’t your typical bureaucratic tome; it’s more The West Wing than White Paper. Every chapter bursts with real-time anecdotes, last-minute compromises, and the emotional terrain of negotiations that often feel more theatrical than procedural.
Whether it's the use of secret cues like “green it” to signal consensus or the strategy of letting silence do the talking in tense discussions, Kant lifts the veil on the choreography of global diplomacy with remarkable candor. His term “productive ambiguity,” especially in the context of navigating the Russia-Ukraine standoff, felt like a diplomatic haiku—precise, elusive, and packed with meaning. India’s balancing act—between Western insistence on condemnation and the Global South’s growing impatience with Eurocentric conflicts—was not just political tightrope-walking; it was narrative control at a global scale.
What elevates the book further is its clear-eyed framing of India’s evolving identity—not as a passive participant, but as an agenda-setter. Under the mantra One Earth, One Family, One Future, India pushed for inclusivity not just as a buzzword but as policy, securing the African Union’s permanent G20 membership—a historic pivot toward genuine Global South representation.
In a world addicted to hard power, Kant presents India’s true weapon: Digital Public Infrastructure. UPI, Aadhaar, DigiLocker, e-Sanjeevani—these aren't just tech acronyms but the building blocks of what Kant frames as frugal, scalable diplomacy. While China exports concrete through the Belt and Road Initiative, India, he argues, is exporting code, consent, and connectivity.
Not every chapter hits with equal depth—sections on climate finance, gender equity, and institutional reform feel more summarised than analyzed—but the core message remains unmistakable: India’s diplomacy is moving from reaction to architecture.
As critics have noted, The Week calls the book a “comprehensive field guide,” while The Indian Express highlights its “racy” narrative style. Outlook Business, ever the realist, praises the access but points to occasional soft-soaping of China’s role and India’s muted Ukraine stance. But even these omissions say something: in diplomacy, as in writing, what you don’t say can sometimes say the most.
Personally, this was the last of three books my wife gifted me this anniversary—preceded by Parliament, a dense legal-political beast, and The World After Gaza, which left my mind racing and heart heavy.
When I picked up How India Scaled Mt G20, I hoped for something lighter. What I got instead was something better: clarity. This wasn’t just a palate cleanser; it was a perspective reset. A reminder that diplomacy is not about lofty declarations—it’s about people. People who stay up all night crafting clauses. People who learn to read silences. People who push nations, inch by inch, toward something better.
And in a world where cynicism often passes for wisdom, Amitabh Kant’s book dares to believe that the art of the possible is still... possible. Not easy. Not clean. But worth the climb. Again and again.
February 24, 2025
Amitabh Kant’s "How India Scaled Mt G20" presents a behind-the-scenes account of India’s G20 presidency, highlighting the country’s diplomatic maneuvers, strategic leadership, and global impact under Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The book is a firsthand testimony from India’s G20 Sherpa, offering insights into the power play, negotiations, and policy decisions that shaped one of the most challenging global summits in recent history.
The author, as India’s G20 Sherpa, was at the forefront of India’s diplomatic engagement, and his firsthand experience lends authenticity to the book. Readers get an exclusive view of how India navigated complex global tensions, brokered agreements, and pushed forward key agendas in climate change, digital transformation, and inclusive development.
The book meticulously covers India’s approach to global challenges, particularly its role in resolving disputes between developed and developing nations. He highlights India’s success in fostering consensus amid geopolitical fractures, such as the Russia-Ukraine conflict and economic instability.
The book effectively positions India as a global leader, with Prime Minister Modi’s vision of “One Earth, One Family, One Future” as the guiding force. India’s diplomatic skills, ability to mediate conflicts, and emphasis on digital governance and climate responsibility are major themes.
Unlike many policy-heavy books, his writing is accessible, structured, and engaging. He breaks down complex geopolitical strategies in a way that even non-experts can follow, making it a compelling read for those interested in global governance.
While the book extensively praises India’s leadership, it largely avoids discussing the challenges, internal struggles, or potential shortcomings of India’s G20 presidency.
The book leans heavily towards showcasing India’s success under the Modi government, often bordering on political endorsement rather than objective analysis. While the achievements are noteworthy, a more neutral stance on India’s role rather than a celebratory tone which would have made the book more credible to global readers.
The book highlights India’s immediate success in uniting fractured global powers but does not delve deeply into the long-term consequences of India’s G20 leadership. The sustainability of the proposed policies and India’s continued role in global governance remain areas that are not sufficiently explored.
In conclusion, it is a fascinating read for those interested in India’s foreign policy, global governance, and the workings of high-stakes international diplomacy. The author offers a detailed, compelling, and highly informative account of how India positioned itself as a key global player during its G20 presidency. However, the book’s overtly celebratory tone and lack of a critical perspective make it more of a political narrative than an objective assessment.
The author, as India’s G20 Sherpa, was at the forefront of India’s diplomatic engagement, and his firsthand experience lends authenticity to the book. Readers get an exclusive view of how India navigated complex global tensions, brokered agreements, and pushed forward key agendas in climate change, digital transformation, and inclusive development.
The book meticulously covers India’s approach to global challenges, particularly its role in resolving disputes between developed and developing nations. He highlights India’s success in fostering consensus amid geopolitical fractures, such as the Russia-Ukraine conflict and economic instability.
The book effectively positions India as a global leader, with Prime Minister Modi’s vision of “One Earth, One Family, One Future” as the guiding force. India’s diplomatic skills, ability to mediate conflicts, and emphasis on digital governance and climate responsibility are major themes.
Unlike many policy-heavy books, his writing is accessible, structured, and engaging. He breaks down complex geopolitical strategies in a way that even non-experts can follow, making it a compelling read for those interested in global governance.
While the book extensively praises India’s leadership, it largely avoids discussing the challenges, internal struggles, or potential shortcomings of India’s G20 presidency.
The book leans heavily towards showcasing India’s success under the Modi government, often bordering on political endorsement rather than objective analysis. While the achievements are noteworthy, a more neutral stance on India’s role rather than a celebratory tone which would have made the book more credible to global readers.
The book highlights India’s immediate success in uniting fractured global powers but does not delve deeply into the long-term consequences of India’s G20 leadership. The sustainability of the proposed policies and India’s continued role in global governance remain areas that are not sufficiently explored.
In conclusion, it is a fascinating read for those interested in India’s foreign policy, global governance, and the workings of high-stakes international diplomacy. The author offers a detailed, compelling, and highly informative account of how India positioned itself as a key global player during its G20 presidency. However, the book’s overtly celebratory tone and lack of a critical perspective make it more of a political narrative than an objective assessment.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews