Speakers

Dr.Anita Rane- Kothare

Head Associate Professor Department of Ancient Indian history culture and Archaeology, St.Xavier's College, Mumbai, she has a deep interest and expertise in archeology, Indology,museology, ancient history, world history and analysis and cultural studies.

Ameya Pratap Singh

Dr. Ameya Pratap Singh is the author of "Ram: A Global History". He previously read for an MSc. at the London School of Economics and Political Science, an MPhil at the University of Cambridge and a DPhil (PhD) at the University of Oxford. He has authored several commentaries for leading national and international dailies, and has a chapter in an upcoming collection of essays published with Springer Nature and edited by Kishore Mahbubani, the Singaporean diplomat and former President of the UN Security Council.

Amitabh Kant

Presently India’s G20 Sherpa, Mr.Amitabh Kant is a governance reformer and a public policy change agent for India, having driven key reforms and initiatives during his tenure as the Chief Executive Officer of the National Institution for Transforming India (NITI Aayog) (2016-2022) and the Secretary of the Department for Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) (2014-2016), Government of India. He has been a key driver of flagship national initiatives such as Startup India, Make in India, Incredible India, Kerala: God’s Own Country and the Aspirational Districts Program. These initiatives have repositioned India and Kerala and have widely been recognized as transformational.

Amish Tripathi

Described as “India’s Tolkien” by BBC, Amish’s unique combination of crackling storytelling, religious symbolism and profound philosophies has turned him into an Indian publishing phenomenon, with spiritual guru Deepak Chopra hailing Amish’s books as ‘archetypal and stirring’. Amish published his first book in 2010 and has written 11 books (both fiction and non-fiction) till date. His books have sold over 7 million copies and been translated into 20 Indian & international languages. He is the fastest-selling author in Indian publishing history. Critics have said that his books are backed by tremendous research, deep thought, a rooted-pride in India, and a liberal progressive outlook.

Ashutosh Kale

A patriot by heart, a writer by aspiration, a naturalist by passion, an officer & a gentleman, The proud Commanding Officer of the Third Grenadiers, a distinguished Unit of the Indian Army, Col Ashutosh Kale is a third generation Army Officer. He has served in Siachen, handled insurgencies in Nagaland and Manipur, and experienced baptism by fire during operations in Kashmir. A keen horseman during his younger years, he played Polo and took part in the National Equestrians Championships. Despite being trained in the NDA and IMA, and later posted as an instructor at the Indian Military Academy, Ashutosh preferred writing stories. He stepped out of the Army after 23 years of distinguished service. His first book (co-authored), Tryst with Destiny- Abhikrama, a military-political thriller endeared readers with its characters, thought-provoking plots, and stirring military action. With a Masters in International Relations & Defence Strategy, a training in Nairobi, in the British Peace Support Centre under his belt, he lead a contingent of troops under the United Nations. Adventuring from his years in Ethiopia- Eretria, ‘The Curse of Magdala’ invokes his fascination for the unknown, a lore connected to his Regiment, The Grenadiers. Interweaving fact and fiction, the story traces a military expedition in 1868 which sailed from the Bombay presidency and razed Abyssinia, bringing back a 7 year young prince to India amongst other looted treasures. A inspirational speaker and orator, Ashutosh Kale is popular in educational institutions and book clubs where he shares his vast experience of the Army, lessons from corporate life and his books. As an act of homage and reverence to the Army and Nation, his third published book, Rambo is a hair-rising story of a special forces officer, Maj Sudhir Kumar Walia, AC, SM*. Written in a cinematic style, interwoven with personal experiences, gut wrenching action, on its way to becoming a best seller. The story is not only inspiring but also motivates and stirs young minds and hearts. After hanging his spurs, Ashutosh, juggled men, machines and musings with élan trying to make a difference, in his Corporate Avatar in The Leela, Go Air and as CEO of Imagicaa, India’s only Theme park. He steered Imgicaa as CEO for four long years and was with them for ten years. He has now embarked on an entrepreneurial journey.

Ashwini Bhide

Currently the Additional Commissioner of the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai,Ashwini is a much decorated (IAS) officer, predominantly known for her work on the Aqua Line or popularly known as Line 3 of the Mumbai Metro. She served as Managing Director of Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation. She was named 'Woman Leader of the Year - Governance' at the ETPrime Women Leadership Awards in 2023. Bhide started her career as the assistant collector of the Kolhapur district from 1997 to 1999. Following this, she was posted as the chief executive officer (CEO) of the Sindhudurg district from 1999 to 2000 following which she was transferred to the Nagpur district. In her prestigious career she has been the driving force for several big ticket projects including the Eastern Freeway, Sahar Elevated Access Road, Mithi river cleanup which involved rehabilitation of over 4000 affected projected affected people the Mumbai Monorail and the first line of the Mumbai Metro.

Avantika

Avantika Akerkar wears many hats: she runs a communications consultancy, has written for magazines and is an actor. Having lived in America for many years, Avantika returned to India to work on projects that promote human empowerment and civic awareness. As an actor, she has had the distinct pleasure of performing with such international luminaries as Oscar winners Jane Fonda, Marissa Tomei, Judy Dench, Maggie Smith and Richard Gere to name a few. Her local involvement has been with Naseeruddin Shah, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Amitabh Bachchan, Shabana Azmi and more. Theatrically she has performed in many plays with noted directors, Naseeruddin Shah, Lillette Dubey, Quasar Padamsee and Mahabanoo Mody Kotwal. She has also produced a play with noted Israeli director, Gil Alon, and co- produced a play with the Bombay Theatre Company. A few of her films include, ‘The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel,’ ‘Loins of Punjab,’ ‘The World Unseen,’ ’83,’ and Rogan Josh which won the Filmfare award for best short film to name a few. And some of her television work includes ‘4 More Shots Please,’ ‘Made in Heaven,’ ‘Mithya,’ and ‘Mukhbir.’ Avantika still manages to juggle both her artistic and corporate worlds.

Arjun Subramaniam

Retired fighter pilot from the IAF, Air Vice Marshal Arjun Subramaniam is an accomplished military historian, academic and strategic commentator. The author of several books including the much acclaimed two-volume India’s Wars series, he has been a Visiting Fellow at Harvard and Oxford Universities and a Visiting Faculty at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy and Ashoka University. After a tenure as the first President’s Chair of Excellence in National Security Affairs at the National Defence College, he is currently an Adjunct Faculty at Kautilya School of Public Policy, Hyderabad and several war colleges across the three services. His latest book is a military biography titled ‘Shooting Straight: A Military Biography of Lt Gen Rostum Nanavatty.’

Brijesh Singh

Brijesh Singh is a senior IPS officer and principal secretary to the previous chief minister of Maharashtra, Mr Eknath Shinde. He was previously additional director-general of police in Maharashtra and has held the responsibility of Maharashtra Cyber, a unit looking after cybersecurity for the Government of Maharashtra for several years. Brijesh contributes to newspapers and appears in the media on cybersecurity related issues. He has written the thriller Quantum Siege and co-authored Dangerous Minds of India with Hussain S. Zaidi.

Eika Chaturvedi Banerjee

Eika Chaturvedi Banerjee is the founder of Eikam Resonance - a purpose-driven organization, where, along with her community of researchers, she delves into ancient wisdom to solve for contemporary issues. Previously, Eika spent two decades in the corporate world across global private wealth banking, and as the CEO of Future Learning, a Future Group and NSDC initiative. She is the author of 52RedPills & Tales of Panchkanya, and a contributor to the Nari Shakti anthology.

Eishita

Eishita is a well-known independent artist in India, renowned for her Hindustani classical vocals, and lyrics. She began her career as a journalist and anchor with NDTV Media, where she honed her skills in media and communications. Eishita has since produced music for various OTT platforms in India, creating jingles and title songs for television and radio. She has also created sonic signatures for numerous corporate brands, including &Pictures, NDTV Imagine, Big FM, Disney, HDFC, and Eikam.

Dr. Hindol Sengupta

Dr. Hindol Sengupta is a multiple award-winning historian, and author of 12 acclaimed books. He has been a columnist for more than a decade and has been Vice President (Strategy and Research) at Invest India, the national investment promotion agency of the government of India under the Ministry of Commerce, and editor-at-large for the Indian edition of Fortune magazine. His multidisciplinary work is fundamentally concerned with understanding India’s rise in the world, and the political, social and cultural underpinnings of the ‘act of rising’, and connects international relations, history, economics, trade, culture, and religion. Dr. Sengupta has also been a Senior Fellow at the Observer Research Foundation, and at the Centre for Civil Society, and is a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader. He has also been an Australia India Youth Dialogue delegate, and co-founder of the Sweden South Asia Media Project at Lund University. He was trained in international relations and history as a Chevening Scholar at Worcester College, Oxford, in business and finance at a Knight-Bagehot Fellow at Columbia University, in mass communication at the Mass Communication Research Centre, Jamia Millia Islamia, and in journalism at Delhi University. He has a doctorate in international relations from the Geneva School of Diplomacy and International Relations. His columns have been published in Aspen Italia, The World Economic Forum Agenda, The Economic Times, The New Indian Express, Fortune India, India Today, The National, and FirstPost, among others. He is a documentary filmmaker and his most recent documentary on the Indian diplomat-Buddhist monk Kushok Bakula Rinpoche was supported by the International Buddhist Confederation. In the United States, Dr. Sengupta is the only Indian ever to have won the Wilbur Award given by the Religion Communicators Council of America for promoting cross-cultural understanding, and to be shortlisted for the Hayek Prize given by the Manhattan Institute in memory of the Nobel laureate F. A. Hayek. In India, his work has won the Valley of Words prize, the Kalinga Literature Festival award and the PSF prize for public service through research and writing. He was selected by The Print in its listing of ‘The Next Generation of Indian Intellectuals’ in 2018. He is a regular commentator in news channels in India and overseas, and has been news TV host for Bloomberg TV India, CNN-IBN, and CNBC-TV18. At the Jindal Global University, Dr. Sengupta has additional responsibility as Director of the Jindal India Institute. His research interests are in the areas of comparative analysis for different forms of statehood, post-Westphalian nation states, civilizational states, nuclear conflict and peacemaking, multiculturalism, role of religion in international relations, and the impact of technology on notions of sovereignty.

Kamalika Bose

Kamalika Bose is the founder of Heritage Synergies India, a Mumbai-based consultancy specialising in built and cultural heritage, museum design and curation, writing and pedagogy. She has worked on community-oriented urban conservation and adaptive reuse initiatives in historic Indian cities. Kamalika is also a Curatorial & Museum Design Consultant, working on upcoming new museums and exhibitions in India, with domain expertise in maritime heritage and naval history-centric projects. She has represented India on multiple international cultural forums, been invited by the European Union's Global Cultural Leadership Programme, the French Ministry of Culture and Society of Architectural Historians—Getty International Fellowship. Kamalika completed her Masters in Historic Preservation Planning from Cornell University as a Fulbright Scholar and is the author of five books. Her recent publications include The Hoysala Legacy (Jaico, 2019) and People Called Kolkata (Penguin Randonhouse, 2019). Kamalika has been invited to speak about her books at the Kala Ghoda Arts Festival's Literature Panel (2016), 'She the People' Women Writers Fest (2020) and the Museum Society of Mumbai's lecture series (2019 and 2023).

Capt. Kapildev Bahl

Capt. Kapildev Bahl is a “Dufferin” alumnus of the 1969 batch and a Master Mariner, with about 20 years of sailing experience including 5 years in command. Thereafter he worked for about 30 years, specialising in Maritime Emergency Response, super specializing in salvage/wreck removal and Oil Major Vetting Inspections. He has a post-graduate degree in law, is a Maritime Arbitrator and is certified by ISRO in Remote Sensing & Geo-Information Systems. He has served as an Expert Adviser to UPSC, Naut. Section, Govt. of India. He holds a diploma in
- Conservation of Material Culture, in Comparative Mythology (Mumbai University)
- Ancient Indian Culture (Asiatic Society Mumbai),
- Indian Heritage (Bhandarkar Oriental Research Inst) and
- History of Art (St Xavier’s College)
His sports interests include Sailing (Omega, Nationals Monsoon Regatta, Gold Medallist, 2016), Horse Riding (Indian Dressage League, Silver Medallist, 2014), Tennis (Singles, Veterans, JGR Open, Gold Medallist, 2013) He is the Vice-Chairman of the Governing Council of the Narottam Morarjee Inst of Shipping and the President of the Maritime Mumbai Museum Society He presently serves on the Board of Directors of “Indian Centre for Climate and Societal Impacts Research”

K.V.Ramesh

K.V.Ramesh, is a Physics Graduate, with a rich experience of 41 years in Sales, Marketing and Product Training, of which 38 years was in the Bio Medical Equipment Sector. He started his career in front line sales for Cardiac Monitors and Cardio Diagnostics Equipment. He has additional experience on other medical products in Radiology, Neonatal Care, ICU Ventilators and Anaesthesia Workstations. He was the Business Manager, Respiratory Care (Ventilators- Adult, Neonatal, Transport) for a reputed German multi-national, Drager (India) till his retirement in January 2023.He is now a technical and training consultant in the biomedical industry, in addition to being a full-time writer and blogger on films.

Kiran Manral

Kiran Manral published her first book, The Reluctant Detective, in 2011. She has published a total of 17 books across genres since. Her books include romance and chick lit with Once Upon A Crush (2014), All Aboard (2015), Saving Maya (2017), comic mystery with The Kitty Party Murder (2020); horror with The Face at the Window (2016) and More Things in Heaven and Earth (2021), psychological thriller with Missing, Presumed Dead (2018), sci-fi with All Those Who Wander (2023) dark fantasy with The Moon in the Lining of Her Skin (2024) and nonfiction with Karmic Kids (2015), A Boy’s Guide to Growing Up (2016), True Love Stories (2017), 13 Steps to Bloody Good Parenting (2019), Raising Children with Hope and Wonder in Times of a Pandemic and Climate Change (2020), Rising-30 Women Who Changed India (2022) and Rising 2.0-20 More Women Who Changed India (2024). Her short stories have been published on Juggernaut, in magazines like Verve and Cosmopolitan, and have been part of anthologies like Chicken Soup for the Soul (Westland), Have a Safe Journey (Amaryllis, 2017), Boo (Penguin, 2017) and The Best Asian Speculative Fiction (Kitaab, 2018), City of Screams (Halfbaked Beans, 2019), The Hachette Book of Indian Detective Fiction (2024), Hell Hath No Fury (Hachette, 2024) as well as published as standalone singles like Switcheroo (Juggernaut, 2016). Her articles and columns have appeared in the Times of India, Tehelka, DNA, Yowoto, Shethepeople, TheDailyO, Scroll, Buzzfeed, New Woman, Femina, Verve, Elle, Cosmopolitan, Conde Nast Traveller, DB Post, The Telegraph, The Asian Age, iDiva, People, Sakal Times and more. She is also a podcaster hosting Chasing Creativity and co-hosting Not Your Aunty, two popular podcasts available across all audio platforms and Youtube. She was previously a journalist, working with the Dalal Street Journal Group, The Times of India, the India Today Group, a qualitative market researcher and a trendspotter and India lead with Gartner Iconoculture, USA. She has spoken at most of the major literature festivals in India, as well as at educational institutions like IIM (A), IIT (Bhubaneshwar), IIT (Roorkee), MET Mumbai to name a few, and other events. She is a TEDx speaker and was a mentor with Vital Voices Global Mentoring Walk. She was awarded the Women Achievers Award by Young Environmentalists Association in 2013. The Indian Council of UN Relations (ICUNR) supported by the Ministry for Women and Child Development, Government of India, awarded her the International Women’s Day Award 2018 for excellence in the field of writing. She was named as one of the Womennovator 1000 Women of Asia 2021. In 2022, she was named amongst the 75 Iconic Indian women in STEAM by Red Dot Foundation and Beyond Black, in collaboration with the Office of the Principal Scientific Advisor, Government of India, and the British High Commission, New Delhi.

Kurush F Dalal

Kurush F Dalal has a BA in Ancient Indian History and History from the University of Mumbai), an MA in Archaeology as well as a PhD on the early Iron Age in Rajasthan, both from Deccan College, Pune University. Subsequently he shifted focus to the Early Medieval Period predominantly on the West Coast of India and excavated the sites of Sanjan, Chandore and Mandad. These excavations and the data recovered have had a strong impact on scholarship in the region. The recent Mandad excavations have revealed a brand new hitherto unknown Indo-Roman Port site with antecedents going back even further. Dr Dalal also actively works on Memorial Stones and Ass-curse Stones in India and dabbles in Numismatics, Defense Archaeology, Architecture, Ethnoarchaeology and allied disciplines. He is the Co-Director of the Salcette Explorations Project, a massive Urban Archaeology Project documenting the Archaeology of Mumbai since 2015, thus extending his interest from the Medieval into the Colonial Period. He has published 7 edited volumes. He has published 44 academic papers and has read many more at National and International Seminars. He is a visiting lecturer at various Universities, Colleges, Schools and Government Institutions. He taught archaeology and allied subjects at the University of Mumbai for 10 years. From October 2011 to September 2020. He was Consulting Editor with Live History India writing about Food and Archaeology where he published 90 articles and helped make 10 videos, amongst other materials. He was the Director, School of Archaeology, INSTUCEN Trust, Mumbai from April 2020 to Dec 2024. He is the founder, mentor, lecturer and research lead at Gyaan Factory, Mumbai Dr Dalal inherited a catering business and has been researching about food all his life. As of the last 10 years he has been actively lecturing about Food and Archaeology and Culinary Anthropology. Since 2019 Dr Dalal has been running The Studying Food Workshop (with Ms Rhea Mitra-Dalal) which teaches food beyond the usual scope of recipe, ingredient and technique but looks at the interfaces between food and archaeology, anthropology, history, politics, media, ethics, writing, religion, mythology and philosophy. He continues to research Archaeology and Culinary Anthropology and consult at various Museums and institutions

Mangesh Sawant

A multi-faceted professional with over 20 years of experience & expertise in Homeland Security, Global Security, Geopolitical Risk Analysis, Military Studies, Counter Terrorism, Political Risk Analysis, Terrorism Studies, Country Risk Analysis, Travel Security, Emerging Risks, International & National Security, Emergency Management & Threat Intelligence. Ihe has in-depth experience in carrying out security threat & risk assessments in line with international best practices standards Mangesh is one of the few professionals in the world who have a Masters Degree from an Ivy League University like Columbia & are working in the fields of Homeland Security & Global Security. Mangesh specializes in gray rhino & black swan events that characterize the contemporary strategic environment Mangesh integrates contemporary & emerging security challenges & geopolitical threats with organization’s risk management framework as the international system enters an age of flux & uncertainty He works with organizations in creating a global security culture He also works with governments & law enforcement agencies in building Homeland Security, Counter Terrorism & Social Media Threat Intelligence Programs

Milee Aishwarya

Milee Ashwarya is the Publisher of the Adult Publishing Group at Penguin Random House India and leads the frontlist and backlist publishing programmes for the group. She heads one of the largest editorial teams in publishing in Asia with about 30 editors publishing under diverse lists. During her career, she has published a range of bestsellers across genres. An award-winning publisher, her focus has been on championing diverse voices, discovering talented debut writers, and building on the inclusive programme at Penguin Random House India. A TEDx speaker, she was awarded the Women Achievers’ Samman 2017 for publishing by the Global Organization of People of Indian Origin (GOPIO), the Distinguished Alumni Award 2018 for Excellence in Publishing by Hindu College, Delhi University, the Exceptional Woman of Excellence Award by the Women Economic Forum in 2019 and was selected as a delegate for Australia India Youth Dialogue the pre-eminent track-two young leader's dialogue between Australia and India for 2020.

Murali Ranganathan

Murali Ranganathan is a historian, writer and translator. He researches nineteenth century South Asia and his areas of interest include the history of the book, print history and culture, travels and travel accounts, history of photography, newspapers and periodicals, public performance and entertainment, and the Bombay Country Trade. He has written extensively on the history of Mumbai in the nineteenth century, the development of print across South Asia in the twentieth century and on themes related to book history and travelogues.

Nitin Sathe

An IAF Veteran with 36 years of experience in aviation and aviation management. Held leadership positions in command of a front-line base in J&K. Volunteered for tsunami relief operations in 2004 and operated as the task force commander in-charge of rescue, relief and rehabilitation of the islands of the Andamans. A certified recruiter and personality assessor, I have experience of a large number of interviews as President of SSB. Have operated with the UN peace keeping forces in Congo DRC and earned experience of operating with foreign partners. Written three books in the non fiction category. One book awarded as best non fiction book for 2016-17. Presented papers on Disaster Management at international and national seminars on disaster Management. Also invited as speaker on Disaster Mgt and leadership at various institutions. Attend a large number of literature festivals to deliver talks related to my books and also as moderator/curator. Worked as Senior Instructor at the Defence Services staff College where i was in-charge of conduct of all training for future leadership of the Armed Forces.

Nikhil Apte

Founder of NSquare Business Consulting, Nikhil provides risk advisories,strategic and political consultation, messaging and digital media solutions to businesses and public personas. He also hosts a YT podcast “Conversations with Colonel”. Formerly a Strategic Client Manager at WhatsApp, he led the Civic Engagement team in India and the Asia-Pacific region. With over 20 years of experience in government relations, public policy, and operations, he has expertise in human Resources Management and GIS, and master's degrees in Defence and Strategic Studies and Weapons Technology. Having worked in multiple geographies and sectors, Nikhil provides customized solutions for unique business challenges.

LT.Gen PJS Pannu

LT Gen PJS Pannu is the Chairman, FICCI Task Force on ICT modernisation for Defence. He is a Senior Advisor to Space SIA (SatCom Industries Association) and Chairman Defence Space Committee at SIA. He is also a board member of STAIRS (Society for Transformation, Inclusion and Recognition through Sports). General is the Former Deputy Chief IDS (Operations), responsible for coordinating the Joint Operations of the Army, Navy and Air Force. He has had the privilege of raising Defence Space Agency, Defence Cyber Agency and Special Forces Division. As the Former Deputy Chief of Integrated Defence Services (DOT), he was also responsible for overseeing institutions like the College of Defence Management, Defence Services Staff College, Military Institute of Technology, National Defence Academy and School of foreign Languages. He was instrumental in developing doctrines and strategies while in service.

Pramod Kapoor

The founder and publisher of Roli Books (established in 1978), Mr.Kapoor has conceived and produced award-winning books that have proven to be game-changers in the world of publishing. Be it the hit ‘Then and Now’ series and the seminal Made for Maharajas, or even the internationally acclaimed Gandhi: An Illustrated Biography, which is published in eleven editions in most major languages worldwide. In 2016, he was conferred with the prestigious Chevalier de la Legion d’Honneur (Knight of the Legion of Honour), the highest civil and military award in France, for his contribution towards producing books that have changed the landscape of Indian publishing. He is also a recipient of the prestigious Mahatma Award 2021 (an Aditya Birla Group initiative) for Lifetime Achievement for his contribution to publishing and literature in India.

Probal Dasgupta

Probal is an author, columnist, military veteran and a business leader. He served for a decade with Gorkha Rifles in Indian Army. He is the bestselling author of Watershed 1967 and Camouflaged: Forgotten Stories from Battlefields. He has a master’s from Columbia University in New York (USA) and has been a Braun-Myers Fellow, Tata Scholar and RD Sethna Scholar.

Rashmi Uday Singh

Synoymous with good food, Rashmi Uday Singh, has been trailblazing in the fields of food, Vegetarianism and health for over three decades. TV host, Author of 40 books, Gourmand World Cookbook Award-winner has been conferred with prestigious international awards including the Chevalier knighthood from the government of France. Singh has many firsts to her credit... India’s first ever city-restaurant guide and the world’s first vegetarian guide to Paris... to name a couple. Having studied law, journalism, and Management, Singh worked for 15 years with the Indian Revenue Service and resigned as Commissioner of tax. Having trained with the BBC. Singh filmed with Gordon Ramsay for channel 4, Netflix, and having done a thesis on vegetarianism in le Cordon Bleu. Rashmi is currently working on her passion project while going through cancer treatment... and financing it with her savings... The worlds first free to use hospitalityhope.org Backed by the worlds greatest chefs it is to shine a spotlight on the hidden gems of hospitality. Singh was recently confeŕred the prestigious COMMUNITY SPIRIT AWARD at the La Liste awards in Paris.

Rajesh Kasturirangan

Founder of the Socratus Foundation, Rajesh midwives collective wisdom to solve compelling global problems with a cross pollination of different ideas, skills and knowledge systems. An alumnus of IIT, he has also served as coordinator with the Azim Premji University and was associate Professor with National Institute of Advanced Study Bangalore. A mathematician, cognitive scientist, and a lover of all things philosophical. He has worked for many years on integrating ideas from Indian Philosophy into the modern Mind Sciences. A more recent interest is the influence of computing especially AI, on all aspects of culture and society.

Ravi Wazir

30+ years work experience in the Hospitality, Food & Beverage and Retail sector (with a brief stint in Aviation) as an employee, entrepreneur and consultant in strategic planning, hands-on operations and grass root execution. Co-created business vision with owners & CxOs and implemented it with their teams through start-up, growth & turnaround. Led teams (domestic & international) Pan-India, with responsibilities including Market Research, Sales, Curating & delivering experiences, Legacy Issue Resolution, Manpower Engagement, Systems Development & Audits. Co-diagnosed leadership gaps with business heads, curated interventions and implemented vision thorough coaching: both one-on-one, as well as in groups. Spoke on entrepreneurship & leadership at the Indian Chamber of Commerce, IIM-Ahmedabad, India Food Forum & many others. Wrote articles for Forbes India, DNA Money & authored India's 1st book on Restaurant Start-up, currently in its 4th Avatar published by Jaico, in book stores across India and on Amazon worldwide. https://amzn.in/d/hw9ifV7

Reeta Ramamurthy Gupta

Reeta Ramamurthy Gupta is a prolific biographer, reviewer for CNBC TV18, and a bibliophile. She is credited with the acclaimed Red Dot Experiment, a ten-year-long and six-nation study on how culture impacts communication.She ran a top PR and Content advisory firm called The Network for 16 years, as communication partners to Disabled People's International, the Sasakawa Foundation, State Bank of India, Beti Bachao Beti Padhao, Asian Heart Institute, Crossword Bookstores, among several others.

Roma Balwani

As Co-founder of the RB Foundation,her mission is to ignite transformative growth and redefine the potential within individuals and organizations through a unique mentoring program. Her leadership focuses on fostering strategic partnerships and initiating programs that resonate with our core values of empowerment and purpose-driven success. As an Independent Director at John Cockerill & Godavari Power & Ispat, she contributes to corporate governance with a commitment to ethical leadership and long-term value creation. Her tenure with the Indian Deaf Cricket Association as CEO & Brand Custodian reflects a dedication to inclusivity in sports, where our team's collaborative efforts have amplified the platform for deaf athletes and secured global recognition for their talents.

Rear Adm S.K.Gupta

Rear Admiral Santosh Kumar Gupta, MVC, NM, was born on 21 December 1936 in Dehradun. and joined the fighter stream of the Indian Navy prior to the commissioning of the squadron INAS 300, the White Tigers. He commanded the White Tigers in the 1971 war while embarked on INS Vikrant. For his display of leadership and bravery, Lt Cdr Gupta was awarded the Maha Vir Chakra. During his service, he commanded four ships, two air squadrons and the Naval Academy. After retirement as ACNS (Air) in December 1990, he headed Breach Candy Hospital in Mumbai till 1998. He has now settled in Bengaluru with his family. He has co authored the best selling book Guardians of the Seas: Triumph of the Indian Navy and its Air POwer in the 1971 war

Sanjeev Chopra

A retired bureaucrat who was formerly director of the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration is now the patron and honorary consultant to the Valley of Words International Literary Festival held annually in Dehradun, India.[2] A holder of the Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship (Cornell), the Robert S. McNamara Fellowship (World Bank) and positions at Royal Asiatic Society, London, the Lakshmi Mittal and Family South Asia Institute (Harvard). Mr.Chopra is a leading literary opinion maker.

Sanjeev Sanyal

Sanjeev Sanyal, a member of the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister (EAC-PM),Sanjeev Sanyal is an economist and popular historian. A member of the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister of India, he has helped prepare six editions of the Economic Survey of India and has represented India at G7 and OECD meetings. He is also the Chancellor of Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics, and has written several books on Indian history , he was born in Kolkata and has studied in Sri Ram College of Commerce as well as St John's College Oxford

Col. Sam Kumar

Founder CEO of MitKat Advisory, a leading Asian risk consultancy, and currently its Managing Director, Samrendra leads the development of products to achieve its mission – ‘de-risk client business and protect vital assets’. Sam has been pivotal to MitKat’s regional and global ambitions – the company counts over 50 of the top 100 global corporations as its customers, and has executed projects successfully in 25 countries across 5 continents. A distinguished Veteran (winner of Sword of Honour & President’s Gold Medal at Indian Military Academy), Sam has held distinguished leadership, staff, instructional, technical and multi-national assignments, commanded a combat unit, and was decorated for distinguished service. He raised a Consulting sub-unit for a leading Conglomerate, and oversaw its rapid growth. Sam is an acknowledged thought leader, speaker and author who appears . He appears on primetime TV, Radio, security and leadership conclaves, and supports veterans and entrepreneurs.

Sandhya Krishnan

With a career across law, management, entrepreneurship, the media, retail, technology, and wellness, over 25 years, Sandhya explores Mindfulness, Professional and Personal Mastery & Wellness - of Mind and Body. She works with professionals,entrepreneurs, and high-achieving teams, to create insights in workshops and her coaching practice. A mindfulness trainer under the aegis of Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh she is trained in MBSR (Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction). A tuberculosis survivor and advocate for health and policy change as part of a collective called Survivors Against TB, she applies behavioural insights from her coaching practice to preventive health and advocacy groups such as the Gates and Ford Foundations.

Shabnam Minwala

Journalism, non fiction and children’s books define Shabnam Minwala’s journey with books.Winner of numerous awards like Neev ,the AttaGalatta Bangalore Lit Fest Award) and the Author Award for Children’s Book of the Year Shabnam loves to experiment with genres like horror and comedy for children. A mother of 3 teens, she is a former Chevening Scholar with an MA from the the University of Southern California

Sandeep Unnithan

Delhi based journalist Sandeep is Editor of News 9Plus, the world’s first news OTT app and Author of the Black Tornado: the 3 sieges of Mumbai 26/11. He is also the co-author of OperationX, The Untold Story of India's Covert Naval War in East Pakistan.

Shiv Kunal Verma

Shiv Kunal Verma was educated at the Doon School and Madras Christian College. He then worked with Tiger Tops in Ladakh reconnoitering trekking routes in the early 1980s.After journalistic stints with India Today and the Associated Press, he shot and directed the Project Tiger television series for Sanctuary Films in the mid 1980s. Under the banner of KaleidoIndia, he went on to shoot and direct numerous films, which involved working extensively with the Air Force, Navy, and the Army. He has clocked many hours on frontline fighter aircraft and also filmed the Kargil War in 1999. His other films include the highly acclaimed Salt of the Earth and Aakash Yodha on the IAF, The Naval Dimension and Green Flash: India’s Fighting Man; The Standard Bearers on the National DefenceAcademy, The Making of a Warrior on the Indian Military Academy, and a film on the LCA (Wings of the Future). All these documentaries were considered by critics to have set the benchmark and most of the films were repeatedly telecast on the Discovery Channel as well. The author of several books including Ocean to Sky: India from the Air; The Long Road to Siachen; The Northeast Trilogy; The Assam Rifles; 1962: The War That Wasn’t and 1965: A Western Sunrise, he has multiple interests which include developing an Enhanced Education program that includes Military History for educational institutions. His latest book, Six Degrees of Separation: The Life of an Industani is being followed by the two-volume Yodhaseries that documents warfare in the subcontinent from the days of the Ramayana to the Kargil War in 1999.

Srikanth Kesnur

Navy Commodore turned maritime evangelist, Mr.Kesnur is a NDA trained expert who has captained two frontline ships - an anti-submarine frigate INS Vindhyagiri and India’s only Landing Platform Dock INS . His former appointments include being the Defence Adviser at the High Commission of India, based In Nairobi, Kenya, from Oct 2008 to Mar 2012, with Kenya, Tanzania, Seychelles, Eritrea and Somalia as my area of responsibility as well as being Faculty/Dean of Studies, at different times, at the National Defence Academy, Pune, at Defence Services Staff College, Wellington, and at the Naval War College, Goa. A PhD from Mumbai University apart from five postgraduate degrees in science and social sciences. He has been the Director of Maritime Warfare Centre, Mumbai and, in addition, also the Officer in Charge of the Naval History Project. Winner of the Vishisht Seva Medal (VSM) in the Presidential Awards in 2021, for distinguished services of high order, he has devoted himself to the cause of spreading maritime awareness.

Sohail Rekhy

Sohail Rekhy was born in Mumbai to actors Waheeda Rehman and Kamaljeet and spent several summers and countless weekends on the shores of Raigad District. He grew up in Bangalore, fascinated by Indian history, and went on to study literature at the University of Toronto. Sporadic journalism and freelance copywriting always kept him by his pen, as he worked in advertising and television industries and dabbled in sustainable furniture. This is his first novel, a fruit of years of research and writing. He currently lives with his wife and daughter in Bhutan

Dr Soumya Awasthi

Dr Soumya Awasthi is a Fellow at the Observer Research Foundation in New Delhi. She has also worked with reputed organisations like the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, Vivekananda International Foundation (VIF) in New Delhi, and Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defense and Strategic Analysis (MPIDSA) in New Delhi. Her professional journey includes fellowships with the US State Department (2023). Dr Awasthi's research interests include counterterrorism, Deradicalization, South Asian strategic studies, Afghanistan, and India's defence and strategic policy. She has her Doctorate from the School of International Studies (SIS) at Jawaharlal Nehru University. Her published works, including the well-received Compendium on Terror Groups (2022) and the insightful Tracing Journey of India's Defence Budget and Its Future: An Analysis (2015), her recently co-edited work with Dr Shrabana Barua India's Nuclear Titans Biographical Tales (2023) have garnered praise from diverse sections of society, including Diplomats and the Indian scientific community, underscoring the impact of her research. Routledge is publishing her new upcoming book on Deoband Islam. She regularly writes for the Jamestown Foundation and Hindustan Times.

Sunita Wazir

Sunita is a Mumbai-based Human Resources and Leadership Development professional with 29 years of Industry experience. She has been with Unilever the past 12 years and has led company-wide change and HR expertise programs at large value-driven organizations including Hindustan Unilever Ltd, Delta Air Lines and Tata Sons. Sunita is a skilled HR leader who is deeply passionate about enabling Mental Health, building Psychological Safety and landing Equity, Diversity and Inclusion initiatives and is especially committed to delivering equitable workspaces for women, the LGBTQI+ community and Persons with Disabilities. Her drive for large-scale transformation in business has led to delivering change and building impactful programs across her career span, in multiple industries and markets. She enjoys mentoring leaders and is supportive of gender balance initiatives in every sphere of life. Sunita is a trained mindfulness coach and mental health champion, The Fearless Organization accredited and Korn Ferry certified Coach for leaders. In 2024, she completed the Aspire for Her Women on Boards program. She is living her purpose of helping people become the best version of themselves through her role leading the Transformation agenda for Global Health & Wellbeing at Unilever.

Tarun Mehrishi

Tarun is a graduate of the National Law School, Bangalore and of the Indian School Business, Hyderabad. Bored of corporate law quite quickly, Tarun shifted track to sports marketing, where he spent over a decade, as COO with IOS Sports in Delhi and Head of Consulting for Rise Worldwide in Mumbai. He is currently trying to build a business in the EV renting space, and spends a large part of his time pursuing writing. The Portrait of a Secret, his debut novel, was published by Penguin, who will also be publishing his second novel, a spy thriller, later this year. At the moment. Tarun is working on a murder mystery and another spy novel, manuscripts for which he hopes to submit before June of this year.

Tamal Bandhopadhyay

Tamal Bandyopadhyay is an award-winning author and columnist. Better known for his weekly column Banker’s Trust, Tamal is a Consulting Editor with Business Standard where this column is currently published. He has won the Ramnath Goenka Award for his column. He has written seven books, the latest being Roller Coaster: An Affair with Banking. His previous book Pandemonium: The Great Indian Banking Tragedy has won the Tata Literature Live Award for Business Book of the Year and Kalinga Literary Festival Award. He is a contributor to the Oxford Book on Indian Economy , edited by Kaushik Basu and Making of India: Transformation under Modi Government, edited by Bibek Debroy. Global professional network Linkedin nominated him as one of the most influential voices in India and one of the top ten writers in finance globally. Starting his career with The Times of India, Tamal has worked with The Economic Times, Financial Express and Mint, besides Business Standard.

TS Tirumurti

Ambassador TS Tirumurti was named India’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, and has been serving as the Chair of the Counter-Terrorism Committee of the United Nations since January, 2022. In his illustrious career spanning Serving at the Embassy in Egypt, The Permanent Mission of India to the UN in Geneva,First Representative of India to the Palestinian Authority in Gaza, Counsellor in the Embassy of India to the United States, in Washington Deputy Chief of Mission in the Embassy of India to Indonesia and High Commissioner of India to Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur, he was formerly the Secretary in the External Affairs Ministry.

T.S.Tirumurti

H.E. Mr. T. S. Tirumurti is a career diplomat with extensive experience in multilateral affairs. Since joining the Foreign Service of India in 1985 he has served his country in numerous capacities. Prior to taking up his current position as Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations, in May 2020, he served as Secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs, handling the Economic Relations portfolio (which included, inter alia, the Gulf and the Arab World, Africa, and India’s Development Partnership). He previously served at the Embassy of India to Egypt, in Cairo; at the Permanent Mission of India to the United Nations in Geneva; as the first Representative of India to the Palestinian Authority, in Gaza; as Counsellor in the Embassy of India to the United States, in Washington. D.C.; as Deputy Chief of Mission in the Embassy of India to Indonesia, in Jakarta; and as High Commissioner of India to Malaysia, in Kuala Lumpur. H.E. Mr. Tirumurti also served as Under Secretary (Bhutan), Director (Office of the Foreign Secretary), Joint Secretary (Bangladesh, Maldives, Myanmar and Sri Lanka), and Joint Secretary (United Nations Economic and Social Council) during his service in the Ministry of External Affairs of India, in New Delhi. He holds Bachelor’s Degrees in Commerce and Law and is also the author of three books: Kissing the Heavens: The Kailash Mansarovar Yatra (1999), Clive Avenue (2002), and Chennaivasi (2012). He is married and has two children.

Uday Kulkarni

Uday S. Kulkarni is an alumnus of Armed Forces Medical College and a practicing surgeon in Pune. He served in the Indian Navy and retired in the rank of Surgeon Commander. He has written five non-fiction books on 18th century Indian history in the last nine years, primarily relating to the Maratha Empire.

Vaibhav Purandare

Associate Resident editor with the Times of India, Vaibhav has had an illustrious career as a journalist. Born and educated in Mumbai he is the author of Hitler And India: The Untold Story Of His Hatred For The Country And Its People, Savarkar: The True Story of The Father of Hindutva, Sachin Tendulkar: A Definitive Biography and Bal Thackeray and The Rise of The Shiv Sena. Longtime editor with a passion for public affairs, politics, history, culture and the global and national landscape.

Vineet Bhatnagar

The MD and CEO at Phillip Capital India, Vineet was formerly with MF Global and has a keen sense of predicting the performance of markets and the economy.An alumnus of IIM Ahmedabad, his expertise in market trends is often used by the business media.

LT.Gen Y.K.Joshi

Lieutenant General Yogesh Kumar Joshi, is a retired General Officer of the Indian Army. He was the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief Northern Command, He is the only war decorated Army Commander who has to his credit successes against both Indian adversaries China and Pakistan. Gen Joshi hails from,Haryana and was commissioned into 13 Jammu and Kashmir Rifles. He was a Lt colonel during Kargil War. And led the 13th Battalion of the JAK Rif in Dras. His battalion launched four attacks His battalion was awarded a total more than twenty five Gallantry medals during Kargil War including two Param Vir Chakras, eight Vir Chakras (including him) and fourteen Sena Medals. He was the commanding officer of Param Vir Chakra awardees Captain Vikram Batra and Rifleman Sanjay Kumar.[14][13] His role during the Kargil War was essayed by Sanjay Datt in the movie LOC Kargil directed by JP Datta. As an officer and a gentleman his gesture of giving an honourable burial to troops of Pakistan Army who had perished on the icy heights of Kargil[15] fetched him high praise. His valuable insights on China, PLA and their capacities were banked upon by the highest decision-making body in military matters in India.