Event Report | India, UK, and the Indo-Pacific

The Takshashila Institution, in collaboration with the British Deputy High Commission, Bengaluru, co-organised a two-day event on India, UK and the Indo-Pacific on March 26-27, 2023.

The Indo-Pacific is at the heart of the churn in the world order. The region accounts for 65% of the world's population and nearly 50% of the global GDP. It is home to key trade routes, with nearly $3.5 trillion of global trade each year.

Given the significance of the Indo-Pacific, the event saw three themed panel discussions by experts who presented their views on the potential for India and the U.K. to partner across domains and shape the world order. Students and alumni from Takshashila also attended the event.

Panel 1: Geopolitics of the Indo-Pacific

David White - Senior Political Advisor, British Deputy High Commission, Indrani Bagchi – CEO, Ananta Aspen Centre, Lt. General Prakash Menon – Director, Strategic Studies Program, Takshashila, and Manoj Kewalramani - Senior Fellow of China Studies, Takshashila participated while Anushka Saxena, Research Analyst, Takshashila moderated the session.

Panel 2: Biotechnology & Biosecurity Cooperation in the Indo-Pacific

James Godber - Deputy Head, British Deputy High Commission, Prof. Maneesha Inamdar – Director, InStem, Dr. Shambhavi Naik – Chairperson, Advanced Biology Programme, Takshashila Institution and Dr. Vijay Chandru - Chairman, Strand Life Sciences participated, while Saurabh Todi, Research Analyst, Takshashila moderated the session.

Technology Governance & Digital Public Infrastructure

C V Madhukar – CEO, Co-Develop, Narayan Ramchandran - Co-founder, Takshashila Institution and Saranya Gopinath - Director of Govt Affairs & Policy, Razorpay participated in the session, while Shailesh Chitnis – Fellow, High-Tech Geopolitics Programme, Takshashila Institution moderated the session.