On 10 September 2024, the Takshashila Institution and US-India Business Council (USIBC) jointly organised an event ‘Future Frontiers of India-US Collaboration’, at the Taj West End, Bengaluru. Ambassador (retd.) Atul Keshap (President, USIBC) delivered welcome remarks, while Edward Knight (Executive Vice Chairman, Nasdaq and Chairman, USIBC) delivered the opening remarks. Narayan Ramachandran (Co-Founder, Takshashila) delivered the keynote address. He presented two key recommendations from a joint (upcoming) report on India-US relations by the Takshashila Institution and the Hudson Institute. First, expanding the India-US 2+2 meetings to become 3+3 by inviting ‘commerce’ to the table. Second, the need for deeper human capital exchange. An ensuing panel discussion on ‘Collaborative Frontiers in Emerging Technologies’ was moderated by Brad Staples (CEO, APCO) with Amy Hariani (Senior Advisor, USIBC), Pranay Kotasthane (Deputy Director, Takshashila), Sudhir Rao (India Managing Partner, Celesta Capital) and Saurabh Chandra (CEO, Ati Motors) as panellists. 

On August 28, 2024, Takshashila Institution hosted Mr. Vikram Raghavan, Lead Counsel at the World Bank, for a talk on ‘Bretton Woods at 80: India’s Role in Creating the World Bank and IMF.’ Speaking in his private capacity, Mr. Raghavan explained the competing proposals for post-war reparations, the Keynes Plan and the White Plan. On India’s contribution to Bretton Woods, Mr. Raghavan highlighted how the Indian government sought extensive consultations from the RBI and chambers of commerce. He discussed the prominent members of the Indian delegation and how India was recognized as an independent entity at the conference.

Mr. Raghavan recounted how the British delegation, including Sir Jeremy Raisman of the Indian delegation, revised the American Plan during their voyage to New York on the Queen Mary. He also mentioned a secret pre-conference meeting at a US beach, where heavy negotiations took place among the US and British delegations, with Sir Jeremy in attendance. India’s bold proposal that the fund should have a development mandate was debated and eventually agreed upon at Bretton Woods. India also contributed to World Bank’s Article 1.

He explained India’s formal membership in the Bank and Fund, noting the lengthy ratification process. Mr. Raghavan concluded by emphasizing that India became the World Bank’s biggest borrower and a development laboratory for the bank, and acknowledged the policy contributions of Indian Executive directors in the Bank and the Fund.

The eighth cohort of our Post Graduate Programme (PGP) in Public Policy kicked off their first in-person workshop convening with a policy seminar in Delhi! We heard from a wide range of exemplary public policy practitioners on issues ranging from the economic trends to the clean energy transition India is grappling with.

Click here to learn more about the PGP and apply for the next cohort:

On 16th August 2024, the Takshashila Institution held an in-person conversation with Dr Aditya Sondhi, author and a senior advocate, on his latest book, "Poles Apart: The Military and Democracy in India and Pakistan". Amit Gaur, a fellow of Takshashila's defence fellowship, moderated the session.

The session looked into various facets of civil-military relations in India and Pakistan, analysing military history and comparative constitutionalism in both countries. It also delved into the role of Bangladesh's military in the current political crisis in Dhaka. The session rightly identified how civil-military relations could be the deciding factor in the growth of democracy in the Indian subcontinent.

The Takshashila Institution hosted Indian Armed Forces officers currently engaged with the College of Defence Management, Hyderabad, on Friday, 15th December. Takshashila engaged with the officers on the topics of the intersection of technology and geopolitics, and China’s vision for the global system.

The Takshashila Institution hosted the Bengaluru Science Policy Forum, a collaboration between Takshashila and the National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS). The forum discussed the draft Karnataka Biotech Policy and the larger biotechnology policy landscape. The participants included scientists and policy analysts.

The Takshashila Institution hosted Mr. Talmiz Ahmad (former Ambassador of India to Saudi Arabia) and Mr. Sanjay Pulipaka (Chairperson of the Politeia Research Foundation) on Tuesday, December 5, 2023 to discuss a range of issues related to an evolving world order and shifting geopolitical landscapes.

The Takshashila Institution hosted the Quad Fellows from the Leaders Lead on Demand Program, on Thursday, November 16, 2023. The visiting delegation included Mr. Blake Berger, Ms. Daria Impiombato, Ms. Elizabeth Morison, Ms. Sucharita Bhattacharjee and Dr. Saya Kiba. The delegation had an engaging conversation with the Takshashila team on several Quad-related issues.