Dr TCA Raghavan served as Indian High Commissioner to Pakistan (2013-15). He also served in the United Kingdom (1995-1998), Bhutan (1992-1995) and Kuwait (1983-1986). His earlier posts held in the Ministry of External Affairs include Director of the Office of the External Affairs Minister (2000-2003).
After retirement from the Indian Foreign Service, he served as the Director-General of the Indian Council of World Affairs in New Delhi (2018-21). He is the author of several books including, Attendant Lords, Bairam Khan and Abdur Rahim- Courtiers and Poets in Mughal India, (Harper Collins, 2017); The People Next Door- The Curious History of India’s
relations with Pakistan, (Oxford University Press, 2019); and History Men: Jadunath Sarkar, G.S. Sardesai,
Raghubir Sinh and their quest for India's Past (Collins India, 2019).
SDG 01: No Poverty | SDG 02: Zero Hunger | SDG 03: Good Health and Well-being | SDG 04: Quality Education | SDG 05: Gender Equality | SGD 06: Clean Water and Sanitation |
Thorsten Frei is a German lawyer and politician of the Christian Democratic Union who has been serving as a member of the Bundestag from the state of Baden-Württemberg since 2013.
Director Assistant at the Centre for South Asia-West China Cooperation and Developement Studies, Sichuan University
PhD scholar in Political Science, University of Delhi, India
Lt. Gen. Dr. SL Narasimhan, PVSM, AVSM, VSM is Member, National Security Advisory Board, India and Director General, Centre for Contemporary China Studies, MEA. He is an Infantry Officer commissioned in 1977. Dr. Narasimhan served as the Defence Attaché in the Embassy of India in China for three years. Lt. Gen Narasimhan has been awarded four times for his outstanding contribution to the Indian Army by the President of India.
Lt. Gen Narasimhan has a Graduate degree in Mathematics, Post-Graduate degree in Defence Studies and a PhD in India-China Relations. He is qualified in Chinese language and has been a keen observer of China for the past 18 years. His expertise spans international relations and internal issues, economy and defence related subjects of China. He has taken part in many Track 2 dialogues both in India and abroad. Lt. Gen. SL Narasimhan has also authored many articles in various journals and magazines.
Ambassador DB Venkatesh Varma was a Member of the Indian Foreign Service from 1988 to 2021. During his diplomatic career, he has worked in the Ministry of External Affairs, in the Office of External Affairs Minister and in the Prime Minister’s Office. He served as India’s Ambassador to Conference on Disarmament in Geneva, to the Kingdom of Spain and to the Russian Federation, until October 2021. Amb. Varma has vast experience in India’s Security and Defence policies, including its nuclear, missile, and space programs. He was closely involved with developing India’s relations with Russia including Prime Minister Modi’s Act Far East Initiative, deepening of India’s Defence, Nuclear, Space, Energy, Commercial, Science & Technology and Cultural relations with Russia.
State of Arms-control, Non-proliferation and Global Nuclear Disarmament |
About the Speaker
Ambassador D.B.Venkatesh Varma was a Member of the Indian Foreign Service from 1988 to 2021. During his diplomatic career, he has worked in the Ministry of External Affairs, in the Office of External Affairs Minister and in the Prime Minister’s Office. He served as India’s Ambassador to Conference on Disarmament in Geneva, to the Kingdom of Spain and to the Russian Federation, until October 2021. Amb. Varma has vast experience in India’s Security and Defence policies, including its nuclear, missile, and space programs.
Amb Srivastava is a Distinguished
Fellow at Vivekananda International
Foundation. He was the Indian
Ambassador to the Islamic Republic of
Iran (2011-15). During his tenure, he led
negotiations on Indian Participation in
Chabahar Port. In the past, he has served
as Indian Ambassador to the Czech
Republic, Libya and India’s High
Commissioner to Malta. After
retirement, he served as Senior Advisor
to ONGC Videsh Ltd (2015-16). He also
served as an Independent Director on the
Board of GAIL (2017-20). He is
currently on the Board of Directors of
India Ports Global Ltd, the company
under the Shipping Ministry charged
with the development of Chabahar Port.
He holds a post-graduate degree in
Political Science.
Forgotten Kashmir: The Other Side of the Line of Control |
Dr Srinivasan Ramani is senior associate editor with The Hindu and in charge of the opinion, data and explanatory journalism sections of the newspaper. His PhD thesis was on political relations between India and Nepal in the early 21st century during the respective countries' transition into neoliberal and republican regimes respectively.
New Nepal, Old Issues: An overview of Nepal's transition from constitutional monarchy to a federal republic |
Dr. Chaitanya Giri is a Consultant for Space Policy & Space Diplomacy at the Research and Information System for Developing Countries (RIS), New Delhi, India, and an Affiliate Scientist at the Earth-Life Science Institute, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Japan. Chaitanya was earlier the Fellow for Space and Ocean Studies at Gateway House, Mumbai and prior to that worked as planetary scientist for a decade. He has been a visiting scientist at the Carnegie Institution for Science, US, the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, US, and Synchrotron SOLEIL, France. He has a doctorate in Chemistry with a specialisation in analytical astrochemistry from the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research, Germany and the University of Nice-Sophia Antipolis, France. Chaitanya was a scientific crew member of the European Space Agency’s Rosetta mission to comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko and a co-investigator of the Cometary Sampling and Composition Experiment (COSAC) payload on Rosetta's Philae Lander.
A Shipping & Ports professional turned academician from 2012. Exposed to all sectors of Port & Shipping through working in Indian major Ports, Adani Ports, Pipavav Port & MSC operations. An empanelled Consultant to the Ministry of Ports, Shipping &Waterways. Thoroughly involved in drafting of Maritime India Vision 2030 and also assisted NITI AAYOG in framing Blue Economy deliverables. Had been a Faculty at Gujarat University, CEPT University, 6- years at the University of Petroleum & Energy Studies, Dehradun, ICFAI Business School and presently an Adjunct Professor in Gatishakti University.
Sir Robin Grimes has been Professor of Materials Physics. In 2017 he was appointed Ministry of Defence Nuclear Chief Scientific Adviser. From 2013 - 2018 he was the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Chief Scientific Adviser. He joined the Materials Department at Imperial College in 1995 as Governors'' Lecturer. Prior to this he was Assistant Director of the Davy Faraday Research Laboratory at the Royal Institution. He spent the year 2000 at Los Alamos National Laboratory as Bernd T. Matthias Scholar.
His primary research interest is the application and development of computer simulation techniques to predict structural and dynamic properties of ceramics and metals.
Scientists, Scientific Advisors and Science Diplomacy |
Tilak Devasher is the author of three widely acclaimed books on Pakistan: ‘Pakistan: Courting the Abyss’ (2016), Khaled Ahmed; ‘Pakistan: At the Helm’ (2018), and ‘Pakistan: The Balochistan Conundrum’ (2019). He retired as Special Secretary, Cabinet Secretariat Government of India in October 2014. He is currently a member of the National Security Advisory Board (NSAB) and also a Consultant with the Vivekananda International Foundation, Distinguished Fellow, United Services Institution and emeritus faculty member, Rashtriya Raksha University.
HS Ritva Koukku-Ronde is currently the Ambassador of Finland to India. She previously served as Ambassador in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Helsinki in 2019, Ambassador of Finland to Germany from 2015 to 2019, and to the US from 2011 and 2015. Between 2009 and 2011, Koukku-Ronde has held many positions as Finnish Governor and Chairman of the Board of Directors in the African Development Bank, Asian Development Bank, Inter-American Development Bank, Finnfund, the Institute for African Leadership for Sustainable Development, Dar es Salam, the Finnish Water Forum and the Finnish Meteorological Institute.
Heribert Dieter is an Adjunct Professor at the National Institute of Advances Studies, Bengaluru. He holds a doctorate in economics and political science from the Free University of Berlin. He is Senior Fellow at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs, Berlin. Since 2013, he is Visiting Professor for International Political Economy at Zeppelin University, Lake Constance. He also is Associate Professor at Potsdam University.
His research focuses on international trade and finance. The future of the multilateral trading system and the stability of the international financial system have been key question in his research. In addition, he has worked on regional integration in Europe and the Asia-Pacific, particularly on supranational financial co-operation.
Amb Sabharwal is a civil servant and a career diplomat, and a member of the 1975 batch of the Indian Foreign Service. As a civil servant and career diplomat, he held several positions of responsibility, such as the Deputy Permanent Representative of India to the UN in Geneva (1999-2002), Ambassador to Uzbekistan, High Commissioner to Pakistan, appointed in March 2009, and Member of the Central Information Commission, Government of India.
Ungoverned Borderlands and Contested Identity: The Case of the Naga Insurgency | The Balochistan Insurgency: Contemporary factors that prolong the conflict | Ethiopia's Tigray conflict: Six reasons why it continues | Conflict in Central Sahel: Reasons for protraction of conflict | The Conflict in Xinjiang: Three reasons why It continues | Conflict in the South China Sea: Between Chinese expansionism and American Alliances | The Solomon Islands Conflict: Transformation from Ethic Indifferences to Political Instability | Conflict over Kuril Islands: Four reasons why it continues | Eleven Years of Libya Conflict: Four reasons why it continues |
Honour Killings in Pakistan: The social roots of a conflict | Understanding discrimination towards the LGBT Community in Europe | Nagorno- Karabakh Conflict: Reasons for War and Provocation | The perpetual Israeli-Palestinian conflict: Key issues at stake | Crimes against Kurds: Five reasons why it is still continuing | The Catalonia crisis: Reasons behind the persisting conflict | Populism in Europe: Why the present acceleration, and why it will continue further | Environmental Issues and Identity Crisis in Brazil: Unresolved conflict between indigenous communities and political regimes | Conflicts in the Sahel: The role of climate change in conflict perpetuation | Water Conflicts in Central Asia: Issues of scarcity, management, and external involvement | The continuing GERD conflict: Bifurcated national interests and resource scarcity |
EU: Between supranational approach and national biographies | Contemporary Europe: Challenges Ahead | One Year of NIAS Europe Studies and Europe Monitor: Taking Stock and Looking Ahead | France’s Foreign Policy and the World Order: Challenges and Opportunities |
Independent policy analyst and commentator, specialising in the study of Sri Lanka, Maldives, and
the Indian Ocean Region (IOR)
Sri Lanka: Of History and Historicity | Sri Lanka: Fault-lines and Failures | Sri Lanka: How and Why of India Relations | Maldives: What Democracy Has Done and Undone |
Prof. Rahul Tripathi is associated with the newly constituted D.D.Kosambi School of Social Sciences and Behavioural Studies, Goa University (earlier as part of Department of Political Science which he headed for twelve years).
Prof. Rahul Tripathi is associated with the newly constituted D.D.Kosambi School of Social Sciences and Behavioural Studies, Goa University (earlier as part of Department of Political Science which he headed for twelve years).
Shailesh Nayak is an Indian scientist and is currently Director of the National Institute of Advanced Studies and Distinguished Scientist in the Ministry of Earth Sciences.
Major Global Developments: Grand strategies of the US, Russia, China, and Europe | Indo-Pacific and Big Powers | The Road Ahead: Inputs for future dialogues |
Dr. Jean-Baptiste Jeangène Vilmer is director of the Institute for Strategic Research (IRSEM) at the French Ministry for the Armed Forces, and a nonresident Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council, Washington DC. He is also an Adjunct Professor at the Paris School of International Affairs (PSIA) and an Honorary Ancien of NATO Defense College. He served previously as a Policy officer on "Security and Global Affairs" at the Policy Planning Staff (CAPS) of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs (2013-2016).
Dr Tawhid Chtioui is the founding president and dean of Aivancity, is a professor, international expert and
entrepreneur in the field of higher education and training. He holds a PhD in Management Sciences from Paris Dauphine University and the Leadership Development Program in Higher Education from Harvard University. He has held scientific and leadership positions in various business schools in France.
Lt. Gen. (Retd) Prakash Menon is the Director, Strategic Studies Programme, Takshashila Institution and an Adjunct Professor at the National Institute of Advanced Studies (NIAS).
Amb PS Raghavan served as the Chairman of the National Security Advisory Board (NSAB) during 2016-20. Earlier, he held diplomatic positions in USSR, UK, Poland, South Africa and Vietnam, and was India’s Ambassador to Czech Republic, Ireland and Russia.
Mr Jayaram previously worked as the Beijing Correspondent with the Press Trust of India for 15 years and was with the Agence France-Presse news agency's Asia-Pacific operations in Hong Kong for 11 years. He studied human rights law at the Faculty of Law, University of Hong Kong.
Dr Roy teaches Global Politics in Miranda House, Delhi University. Her area of specialization is International Political Economy, particularly African Political Economy. She has been awarded Commonwealth Scholarship and also the Distinguished Teachers Award in 2009. She has completed her PhD from Delhi University.
Amb Sanjay Singh held charge in the Ministry as Joint Secretary and Additional Secretary (Gulf) from March 2005 to March 2009. He was India’s Ambassador to Iran from March 2009 to March 2011. He took over as Secretary (East) in the Ministry of External Affairs in March 2011 and retired in end April 2013.
Earlier, he served in the Indian Missions in Mexico, Germany, Ghana and France and in the Ministry of External Affairs, New Delhi as Director in the Office of the External Affairs Minister and Joint Secretary and Head of Division dealing with Latin American Countries and later Establishment.
Amb Sanjay Singh, Joint Secretary and Additional Secretary (Gulf), March 2005 to March 2009. India’s Ambassador to Iran, March 2009 to March 2011. Secretary (East), Ministry of External Affairs, March 2011. Retired, April 2013
Dr Matt Rosenstein is Director of Global Education and Training (GET) at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign since 2015. He is also Director of the UIUC Shanghai Office since 2017 and the UIUC Intensive English Institute since 2018.
Professor AK Pasha teaches at the Centre for West Asian Studies, School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. He has served as Chairperson of the Centre, Director of the Gulf Studies and also the Associate Dean of the School of International Studies, JNU.
Amita Batra is a Professor of Economics and currently Chairperson, Centre for South Asian Studies, School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU).
Amb Sanjay Singh held charge in the Ministry as Joint Secretary and Additional Secretary (Gulf) from March 2005 to March 2009. He was India’s Ambassador to Iran from March 2009 to March 2011. He took over as Secretary (East) in the Ministry of External Affairs in March 2011 and retired in end April 2013.
Earlier, he served in the Indian Missions in Mexico, Germany, Ghana and France and in the Ministry of External Affairs, New Delhi as Director in the Office of the External Affairs Minister and Joint Secretary and Head of Division dealing with Latin American Countries and later Establishment.
Dr Manpreet Sethi is a Distinguished Fellow, at the Centre for Air Power Studies (CAPS), New Delhi where she heads the project on nuclear security.
She is an expert on the entire range of nuclear issues having published over 80 papers in reputed academic journals. Over the last 18 years, she has been researching and writing on subjects related to nuclear energy, strategy, non-proliferation, disarmament, arms and export controls and BMD.
Professor of Disarmament Studies at the Centre for International Politics, Organisation and Disarmament at New Delhi’s Jawaharlal Nehru University. He is also honorary Director of AII@Delhi and honorary Professor in the Faculty of Arts, University of Melbourne.
He also holds the Chair, Jammu and Kashmir Knowledge Initiative. Earlier, he was an Advisor to Chief Minister (with the status of a Cabinet Minister) and Vice-Chancellor, University of Jammu.
Dr Nishchal N. Pandey is currently the Director, Centre for South Asian Studies (CSAS), Kathmandu. He also coordinates a regional grouping - Consortium of South Asian Think Tanks (COSATT).
Dr. RK Sharma started is a senior scientist with the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India. Dr. Sharma is currently responsible for International multilateral and regional cooperation programs in DST which include India-ASEAN S&T Cooperation, BRICS STI Cooperation, SAARC S&T Cooperation, BIMSTEC, Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA), Indo-Pacific Ocean Initiatives (IPOI), NAM S&T Centre, etc.
Prof SD Muni is Professor Emeritus at JNU. He taught International Relations and South Asian Studies at Jawaharlal Nehru University (1974-2006), National University of Singapore (2008-2013), Banaras Hindu University (1985-86), and University of Rajasthan (1972-73).
He was also India’s Ambassador to Lao People's Democratic Republic (1997-99).
Amb Rakesh Sood had a distinguished career with India's Ministry of External Affairs. He served in crucial positions; he was the Special Envoy of the Prime Minister for Disarmament and Non-proliferation Issues (2013-2014).
Mr Jayaram had worked as the Beijing Correspondent with the Press Trust of India for 15 years and was with the Agence France-Presse news agency's Asia-Pacific operations in Hong Kong for 11 years. He also studied human rights law at the Faculty of Law, University of Hong Kong.
The event is in collaboration with the National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bangalore, Stella Maris College, Chennai, and Maharajas College, Mysuru.
Dr G Gladston Xavier,
Dr La Toya Waha,
Asanga Abeyagoonasekera,
Dr Mallika Joseph,
Visaka Dharmadasa,
Prof D Suba Chandran,
Ruwanthi Jayasekara,
Natasha Fernando,
Aparupa Bhattacherjee,
Chavindi Weerawansha,
Sanduni Atapattu,
Chrishari de Alwis Gunasekare.
Dr Shailesh Nayak is currently Director, National Institute of Advanced Studies and Distinguished Scientist in the Ministry of Earth Sciences. He was the Chair, Earth System Science Organization (ESSO) and Secretary to the Government of India for Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES), between August 2008-2015
James McGill Professor of International Relations in the Department of Political Science at McGill University, Montreal, Canada and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada
Panel: Dr Nishchalnath, Director, Center for South Asian Studies, Prof VS Ramamurthy, Prof SD Muni, Prof PM Soundar Rajan, Prof Srikumar Pullat & Prof Saibaba
Ambassador Rakesh Sood was Special Envoy of the Prime Minister of India on Disarmament and Non-Proliferation Issues and former Ambassador to Afghanistan, Nepal and France.