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From Dholera to Pune: The cities vying to become India's Shenzhen after Mahindra's viral post

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The Economic Timespublisher-detail-arrow
13th April, 2025 17:58 IST
In the early 1980s, Shenzhen was little more than a quiet fishing village nestled along China’s southern coastline. Today, it’s a sprawling, steel-and-glass symbol of modern China—home to global behemoths like Huawei, Tencent, DJI and BYD. The city’s GDP has soared past $500 billion, eclipsing even neighbouring Hong Kong. It houses the Shenzhen Stock Exchange, boasts the world’s second-highest number of skyscrapers, and is affectionately dubbed the “Silicon Valley of Hardware.”

This dramatic transformation—from mudflats to mega-metropolis—has become China’s urban success story. And Indian industrialist Anand Mahindra believes it’s time India had its own.


“It’s time”: Mahindra sparks a national conversation
“It’s time for a Shenzhen equivalent city in India…,” Mahindra declared in a post on X (formerly Twitter) on April 12. The statement, simple but loaded with aspiration, ignited an avalanche of reactions online—some enthusiastic, others sharply sarcastic.


As one of India’s most followed business voices, Mahindra isn’t just the Chairman of the Mahindra Group; he’s a social media personality in his own right. His feed is a cocktail of innovation highlights, national pride, and occasionally, playful quips. But this time, he was deadly serious.


Internet trolls, but ideas pour in
Some X users couldn’t resist poking fun.

“Sir Dholera +100 smart cities hain already. Zyada roshni ki wajah se shayad aapko dikhai nahi de rahi,” quipped one. Another posted a doctored image of a futuristic city with the caption: “Modiji is already working on it. By 2030, one rupee will be 80 USD.”












Others simply rolled their eyes. “Tell me a city that rivals Shenzhen in India?” asked one user, before launching into a comic tirade. The tweetstorms brought out both hopefuls and cynics, in equal measure.

Yet beneath the trolling lay a flood of genuine suggestions.

The contenders: From Noida to Machilipatnam
“Noida is the right choice to be pushed as a Shenzhen equivalent for India,” one user wrote. “It has everything available—from a vast electronics manufacturing system to components ecosystem to semiconductor research presence.”

Machilipatnam in Andhra Pradesh also earned praise. “It’s on the east coast, in the middle of the country, next to Amaravathi, vast human resources who want to transform from agri to other sectors, ready to switch. A similar case of how Shenzhen brought up.”

Others turned to infrastructure and long-term vision.

“A Shenzhen-like city in India is indeed overdue,” a post read. “Bengaluru, with its tech ecosystem and companies like Infosys, is a strong contender, but to rival Shenzhen’s $450B GDP, we need more: robust Special Economic Zones, improved infrastructure, and a stronger focus on STEM education. Dholera SIR, with its strategic planning since 2009, could also be a game-changer if execution accelerates.”

“Pune can be India’s Shenzhen!” chimed in another. “With its thriving IT hubs like Hinjewadi, skilled talent pool, and solid infra, Pune’s ready to lead as a tech-manufacturing hub.”

Why Shenzhen matters—and why now?
Shenzhen isn’t just a badge of China’s might. It’s proof of what’s possible when policy, planning, and entrepreneurship align. The city is a magnet for start-ups, a global manufacturing hub, and a symbol of the country’s capacity for scale.

Its Alpha ranking by the Globalisation and World Cities Research Network cements its place among the elite urban centres of the world. But more importantly, it reflects China’s resolve to move fast, build boldly, and think big.

Mahindra’s timing wasn’t random. His post came just days after Shenzhen hosted the Billie Jean King Cup finals—yet another reminder of the city’s growing global stature, not just in tech, but in culture and sport.

At a time when the world is shifting towards regional supply chains and economic self-reliance, Mahindra’s vision speaks to an urgent Indian need: a city that can anchor the country’s industrial ambitions.

Can India build its own Shenzhen?
India has flirted with ideas like this before. The Smart Cities Mission, the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor, and Dholera Special Investment Region have all promised futuristic urban growth. But execution often lags behind vision.

China’s urban miracle wasn’t magic. It took targeted investment, tight coordination, and a relentless focus on tech, manufacturing, and infrastructure. India has the raw ingredients—youthful energy, entrepreneurial talent, and a growing digital economy. What it lacks, perhaps, is cohesion.

As Mahindra’s post fades from the headlines, the question it raised remains: Can India go beyond slogans and sarcasm, and actually build something like Shenzhen?

It’ll take more than tweets and hopes. But as Shenzhen proved—once you start, the world takes notice.

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