At a spirited panel discussion during the India Travel and Tourism Sustainability Conclave organised by MakeMyTrip Foundation and World Travel & Tourism Council India Initiative (WTTCII), Lemon Tree Hotels chairman and hospitality veteran Patanjali Keswani better known as Patu Keswani cut through the jargon with a reality check on India's sustainability challenges and opportunities. His sharp economic reasoning sparked a lively exchange that went beyond rhetoric and into the heart of what will drive real transformation in sustainability in the tourism sector.

Keswani, likened India's current energy ecosystem to a pizza — one already sliced and shared in a manner that undermines rational economics. "Energy in India is like a pizza with 12 slices,” he quipped. “Farmers get two slices free. Voters — that's us — get three more at subsidised rates. Then there are the thugs who steal electricity. After all that, we’re left trying to pay for ten slices having eaten three."