Takshashila’s Network for Advanced Study of Pakistan (NASP) Fellowship creates high-quality scholarship and knowledge of Pakistan in India by nurturing new generations of analysts in academia, the armed forces, think tanks, media, and industry. Today, we announce the successful completion of the pioneer cohort of the NASP Fellowship. The cohort commenced in May 2023, with 14 papers by 21 Fellows. Seven mentors, including Prof. Sumit Ganguly, Dr Ayesha Siddiqa, Dr TCA Raghavan, Dr Aparna Pande, Lt Gen. Prakash Menon, Anand Arni and Pranay Kotasthane, helped the NASP Fellows over ten months to refine their papers through online interactions. The Fellowship also comprised an in-person conference that was organised in November 2023, where the working papers were presented for feedback.

On February 28, 2024, the Takshashila Institution hosted H.E Mr. Christopher W. Hodges, US Consul-General in Chennai, India, for a closed-door conversation on the India-US partnership. The session was moderated by Mr. Narayan Ramachandran, co-founder of the Takshashila Institution. Mr. Hodges highlighted that the India-US partnership needs to move beyond the bilateral mechanisms of diplomacy, such as 2+2 dialogues and prime ministerial meetings, towards a partnership that revolves around diversity and inclusion, convergence of our broader values, and enabling right of access and engagement with each others’ populations.

Takshashila hosted a #BookLounge discussion on the latest hit, When The Chips Are Down: A Deep Dive Into A Global Crisis, authored by Pranay Kotasthane and Abhiram Manchi.

Nitin Pai, Director of Takshashila Institution, and author of the bestselling book ‘Nitopadesha’ featured on a panel at the Bangalore Literature Festival on Saturday, December 2, 2023. Vivek Shanbag, author, hosted the conversation. Nitin spoke on the motivation behind his work and the meaning of ‘prajadharma’ in a modern democracy. The book is a unique collection of stories from the animal world containing ancient and timeless wisdom on a citizen’s role in society, governance, markets, economic freedoms, and more.

Takshashila Institution held an internal conference on Assessing the Impact of Israel-Palestine Conflict on November 29, 2023. Aditya Ramanathan, Associate Fellow, Advanced Military Technologies programme chaired the panel. Four papers were presented at the conference by scholars of Takshashila. Scholars of Takshashila Manoj Kewalramani, Satya Sahu, Sarthak Pradhan, Shambhavi Naik, and Yusuf Unjhawala presented their papers.

The Takshashila Institution organised a three-day Network for Advanced Study of Pakistan (NASP) Academic Conference 2023 on November 3-5 at Neev Academy, Bengaluru. The conference witnessed participation from the pioneer cohort of NASP Fellows and distinguished mentors. The working paper presentations by the NASP Fellows were structured around four themes: Foreign Policy, Geopolitics & Defence, Society & Culture, Contemporary Law & Political Economy, and Politics & Internal Security. The NASP mentors Dr. Sumit Ganguly, Sr. Ayesha Siddiqa, Dr. Aparna Pande, and Mr. Anand Arni also participated in a panel discussion on ‘Pakistan’s Politics and Economics: An Inflection Point or Business as Usual?’.

Lt. Gen. Prakash Menon, Head of Strategic Studies at the Takshashila Institution, chaired a session on ‘Collaborative Partnership for Security’ at the first Chanakya Defence Dialogue at New Delhi on November 2 & 3, 2023. It witnessed participation from Dr Satoru Nagao (Japan), Ms Vani Sarraju Rao (India) apart from Dr R De Castro (Philippines) and Dr Paco Milheit (France).

The Takshashila Institution held a workshop for the pioneer cohort of the Network for Advanced Study of China (NASC) Fellowship on 27, 28, and 29 October 2023. The workshop focused on acquainting the NASC Fellows with ideas pertaining to the study of China, such as domestic imperatives of Chinese foreign policy, China's political economy, and the nature of policymaking in China. The workshop engaged mentors Dr. Alka Acharya, Dr. Pradeep Taneja and Manoj Kewalramani, as well as Fellows from diverse backgrounds.

Nitin Pai, Director and Co-founder of the Takshashila Institution, and author of Nitopadesha, was in conversation with Dr. Pushkar, Director of International Centre Goa as part of the Kitaab - Books in Discussion series on Saturday, October 14th in Panaji, Goa. During his talk, Nitin recounted stories from the book that showcase eternal values interspersed across encounters in the animal world. He spoke on the importance of empowering citizens and citizen craft in a democracy.

The Takshashila Institution conducted the second workshop for the current cohort of its Post Graduate Programme in Public Policy (PGP) from October 13 to October 15, 2023. The workshop was held at The International Centre Goa (ICG), Panaji. Nitin Pai, Anupam Manur, and Sarthak Pradhan from Takshashila also participated. The students took part in a policy simulation exercise on the topic of managing the impact of El Nino on agricultural outputs. They also engaged in a complex systems thinking exercise using Kumu on the issue of the Israel-Palestine conflict.

Dr. Nithiyanandam, Head of Geospatial Research Programme, Takshashila Institution, participated in a panel discussion on the theme ‘Deep Tech, Deep Space: Policy Convergence for Growth, at the Indian Space Conclave 2023 on October 9, 2023.

Takshashila Institution hosted the Australian Parliamentary Delegation on Monday, October 9, 2023. The delegation was led by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, The Hon. Milton Dick. They were joined by the Australian Consul General to Bengaluru, Ms. Hilary McGeachy; Consul Andrew Collister, and Harriet White, the Vice Consul. The delegation had an engaging conversation with the Takshashila team on ways to strengthen the India-Australia partnership.

The Takshashila Institution hosted a #BookLounge conversation with author Shoba Narayan on her latest book Namma Bangalore: The Soul of Metropolis on Friday, October 6, 2023. Sowmya Nandan, Head of Corporate Affairs at Takshashila moderated the discussion. Shoba shared tidbits from her experience of living in Bengaluru city and soaking in its food, arts, culture, lingo, traffic, odour, and natural beauty. The audience also pitched in enthusiastically with their diverse interactions, likings, and disappointments with the metropolis.

The Takshashila Institution conducted a two-day online Academic Conference for its 36th cohort of Graduate Certificate in Public Policy (GCPP) students on September 30th and October 1st, 2023. Over 250 students from the cohort attended the conference. The keynote sessions were addressed by Nitin Pai, Dr. Kajari Kamal, Jayesh Ranjan, Amb. P.S. Raghavan, and Jason Crawford on Day 1 and Prof. Rajeev Gowda, Lt. Gen. Prakash Menon, Prof. Ashish Kulkarni, Anupam Manur, and Krish Ashok on Day 2.

The Takshashila Institution hosted industry experts and CEOs for a workshop on India's bioeconomy on Friday, the 15th of September. The workshop was chaired by Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, executive chairperson and founder of Biocon.

The Takshashila Institution conducted the first workshop for the students of its 7th Post Graduate Programme in Public Policy (PGP) cohort on August 25-27, 2023 in New Delhi. The workshop witnessed a stimulating mix of lectures by distinguished speakers and in-depth policy discussions. A blend of concepts, practical applications, and dialogue provided ample opportunity for insights and self-reflection.

Shambhavi Naik, Head of Research at Takshashila Institution, spoke at the session on Biotechnology - A Critical Enabler towards India's Quest for Green and Sustainable Future, on 22nd August 2023 at the 18th Sustainability Summit, Delhi.

Shambhavi Naik, Head of Research at Takshashila Institution, gave an overview of Takshashila Institution's programmes and research and presented avenues for institutional collaborations at the XVIII International Conference on Public Policy & Management from 22nd to 24th August, 2023.

Takshashila’s Ideas Shala is part of that rich tradition of exchange of ideas via conversation and debate, with the aim that new ideas will be generated. On August 19 and 20, 2023, the Takshashila Ideas Shala featured an in-person gathering to learn and network at the pretty Baevu Resort (on Kanakapura Road, Bangalore) in a relaxed, spacious resort where all the 24 participants donned their policy-maker hats on.

Sachin Kalbag, Senior Fellow at Takshashila Institution, delivered a speech on freedom of speech and expression in India, upon invitation by St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai for their annual pan-India college festival Malhar. Sachin, a journalist of 29 years, drew from his rich experience and elaborated on the media’s responsibility in a democratic country.