Montek Singh Ahluwalia has often been described as the brightest man in Indian. government.
And on the basis of a rare speech in Mumbai at the Asia Society conference on Sunday morning, it is easy to understand why.
The deputy chairman of India's Planning Commission spoke without notes and charted out a road map for the Indian economy in 12 lucid minutes, a speech that clearly impressed his audience.
"I have been a sceptic about India for many years," Hong Kong businessman Ronnie Chan told Montek after the speech, "but after listening to the prime minister last night and you, clearly something is happening in India."
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Montek acknowledged the Indian economy's debt to China and other Far Eastern economies. Both Indian economic visionaries revealed that they were emboldened to embark on the route of reform after they glimpsed what the Chinese and Koreans had done. It was a revelation that went down well with the Chinese in the audience, most of who had traveled with their Commerce Minister Bo Xilai for the conference.
Image: Bo Xilai and Montek Singh Ahluwalia congratulate each other after their respective speeches on Sunday morning.