Vaad

Dr Abhinav Pandya, a Cornell University graduate in public affairs and a bachelor's from St. Stephen's College, Delhi, is a founder and CEO of Usanas Foundation, an India-based foreign policy and security think tank. He has authored books named 'Radicalization in India: An Exploration (2019)' and 'Terror Financing in Kashmir (2023)'.He had previously advised the former governor of Jammu and Kashmir on security issues during the critical times when Kashmir's special status, Article 370, was revoked.He has written extensively for several national and international newspapers, and worked with the International Labour Organization, the United Nations.His latest book is 'The Jihad Game: Inside Pakistan's dark war'.

Group Captain Ajay Ahlawat (Retd) A seasoned fighter pilot and strategic military thinker, Group Captain Ajay Ahlawat (Retd) brings over 25 years of distinguished service in the military (Indian Air Force) and civil aviation. Commissioned into the Indian Air Force (IAF) in Dec 1996, after graduating from the National Defence Academy (NDA), he has operated high-performance fighter jets, besides handling various command and staff appointments.He has extensive experience in aerospace operations, force application in support of national security, and planning of complex operations. He is a qualified civil aviation pilot as well and holds type ratings on the Boeing 737, Airbus A320, and Gulfstream G-200. His military tenure was defined by key leadership roles such as Commanding Officer of the IAF Hawk training squadron and Operations staff at HQ Western Air Command. He was nominated for various international courses by the IAF, including- Qualified Flying Instructor with the Royal Air Force (UK), Advanced Air Power specialization with RAAF (Australia) and Air Staff course at the Air University (Maxwell AFB, USA). With a Master’s degree in Operational Art and Science, he has contributed to doctrinal development, joint warfare planning, and strategic policy formulation within the IAF.His academic and operational exposure in the USA, UK, and Australia reflects a deep engagement with traditional and emerging military thought with a global military perspective and thought leadership. Beyond the cockpit, he served as a subject matter expert in air warfare and strategy, helping shape the IAF warfighting doctrine. Since transitioning from active service, he continues contributing as a defence expert and commentator on strategic affairs, frequently appearing in media and publishing insights on regional security, air power, space based applications and military modernization.

Dr. Chaitanya Giri is a distinguished space scientist, astrochemist, and technology strategy analyst whose expertise bridges planetary science, space policy, and astropolitics. He serves as a Fellow at the Observer Research Foundation's (ORF) Centre for Security, Strategy and Technology and is an Associate Professor at FLAME University.Dr. Giri holds a Ph.D. in Astrochemistry from the University of Nice Sophia Antipolis and the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research. His scientific career includes significant tenures at the Earth-Life Science Institute at Tokyo Institute of Technology, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, and the Carnegie Institution for Science. Notably, he was a co-investigator for the COSAC payload on the European Space Agency's Rosetta mission, which made groundbreaking discoveries on comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. Beyond his scientific research, Dr. Giri is deeply involved in science diplomacy and policy, having consulted for India's National Security Council Secretariat and served on various government review committees. He is also the author of the book India in the Second Space Age of Interplanetary Connectivity, which explores the geopolitical and economic implications of future space exploration.His latest book is ‘The Long Siege: 500 Years of India’s Struggle for Technopolitical Freedom’.

Shripal Morakhia is an Indian serial entrepreneur best known for founding the pioneering online retail brokerage Sharekhan and the sports-entertainment venture Smaaash. His career began in the United States, where, after earning his MBA, he served as the Executive Assistant to the President of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE).Following the death of his father in 1981, Morakhia returned to India to helm his family's stockbroking business, eventually establishing SSKI, an early institutional brokerage firm serving foreign investors. Beyond finance, Morakhia explored the entertainment industry by launching iDream Productions, through which he produced and distributed notable films like Bend It Like Beckham and Monsoon Wedding, and made his directorial debut with Naina in 2005.In 2012, he partnered with cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar to create Smaaash, an innovative indoor gaming and virtual reality center. While his career has been marked by high-profile successes, it has also involved complex business challenges, including the corporate insolvency proceedings of Smaaash in recent years. Morakhia recently documented his professional journey and entrepreneurial philosophy in his candid memoir, Never Say Die: My Life in Business and Entrepreneurship, where he reflects on his business setbacks and his subsequent philosophical rebuilding, now describing himself as "Shripal 2.0."

Rajarshi Nandy is a a prominent spiritual practitioner (sadhaka) known for his efforts to demystify and revive the ancient traditions of Tantra within the framework of Sanatana Dharma. He is the founder of the Kamakhya Bhairava Upasaka Foundation (KBUF), an organization dedicated to guiding aspirants in spiritual practices. Nandy frequently appears on popular podcasts and public platforms to discuss complex spiritual concepts, aiming to bridge the gap between modern scientific understanding and traditional esoteric wisdom.His latest book is titled "The Truth About Tantra: Structure, Sadhana, Shakti" which seeks to dispel common misconceptions surrounding Tantra—often misunderstood as merely sorcery or sensual rituals—and presents it instead as a disciplined, lived path of awareness and energy.

Colonel Rajesh Pawar (retd) is a former officer of the Indian Army and is now a seasoned war correspondent and defense journalist for India Today. He is best known for his fearless ground reporting from some of the most volatile conflict zones in recent history.His expertise lies in global geopolitics, modern warfare tactics, and defense strategy. Most notably, he provided extensive on-ground coverage of the Russia-Ukraine war, reporting live from Kyiv even as the city was under siege.More recently, he has covered the Israel-Hamas war, reporting from locations like Tel Aviv and the Dead Sea to analyze the conflict's military and human impact. His work often focuses on the intersection of military action and its geopolitical ripple effects, making him a critical voice for understanding how global conflicts impact India's strategic interests.

Dr. Sanjeev Chopra is a distinguished retired IAS officer of the 1985 batch (West Bengal cadre), celebrated for his transition from a bureaucrat to a prominent historian, author, and literary curator.He is best known for his tenure as the Director of the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA) in Mussoorie, where he played a pivotal role in training India's civil servants. Over a career spanning 36 years, he held various significant portfolios, including Additional Chief Secretary to the Government of West Bengal in the Department of Industry, Commerce and Enterprises.An alumnus of JNU with a PhD in Management and degrees in Law, History, and Literature, Dr. Chopra has authored influential books such as We, the People of the States of Bharat: The Making and Remaking of India's Internal Boundaries and The Great Conciliator: Lal Bahadur Shastri and the Transformation of India. Currently residing in Dehradun, he is the founder and curator of the "Valley of Words" International Literary and Arts Festival, continuing to bridge the worlds of governance and literature.

Kashi Akhoon is a survivor of the 1990 Kashmiri Hindu exodus and a former resident of the Kupwara district in Jammu & Kashmir. Before his displacement, he served as a Development Officer for the United India Insurance Company, a profession that involved extensive travel across the valley and provided him with a deep understanding of the local social fabric. He was also an active member of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) in the region, where he served as a Sharirik Pramukh and focused on community building and social service.In this conversation, Akhoon shares a harrowing first-person account of the events that unfolded in early 1990. He details the terrified atmosphere of the time, recounting a near-death experience where he was trapped in a massive anti-India procession in Sopore and barely escaped with his life. Despite initially sending his wife and infant daughter to safety while he stayed behind, the discovery that he was on a specific "hit list" and the targeted killings of close acquaintances eventually forced him to flee his ancestral home in March 1990, leaving everything behind.Since his exile, Akhoon has lived as a refugee, first in Jammu and later in the Delhi-NCR region. He remains a vocal advocate for the rights of the Kashmiri Pandit community, arguing that a safe return to the valley is only possible through the creation of a secure, concentrated settlement rather than scattered reintegration. His story serves as a powerful testimony to the personal cost of the insurgency and the enduring struggle of the displaced community.

Iqbal Chand Malhotra is a distinguished media producer and author known for his work on geopolitical history and strategic affairs. He holds a first-class degree in Economics from Queens' College, University of Cambridge.Media Career: He is the Chairman and Producer of AIM Television Pvt. Ltd. Over his career, he has produced over 500 hours of television programming and served as an advisor on India to media mogul Rupert Murdoch (1993–1995), helping to launch MTV in India.Malhotra has directed several award-winning documentaries, often focusing on historical mysteries and security issues. Notable titles include The Legend of Malerkotla, Netaji Bose and the Lost Treasure, and Kashmir’s Troubled Waters. He is a long-standing member of the International Academy of Television Arts and Sciences and has served as a juror for the International Emmy Awards.He has written extensively on conflict and strategy. His books include Red Fear: The China Threat and Dark Secrets: Politics, Intrigue and Proxy Wars in Kashmir. He also co-authored Kashmir’s Untold Story: Declassified.

Jay Vardhan Singh is currently doing his PhD in Ancient Indian History at Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi. His area of interest includes the Ancient and early medieval history of the Indian subcontinent.

Zahack Tanvir is a Hyderabad-born independent journalist, counter-extremism expert, and the founder and editor of the UK-based media outlet Milli Chronicle. He specializes in international affairs and counter-terrorism, having completed academic programs in these fields at the University of Leiden in the Netherlands and the London School of Journalism.His educational background is diverse, also comprising an engineering degree in Computer Science from Osmania University, a post-graduate diploma in AI and Machine Learning from IIIT India, and a Master’s in AI-ML from Liverpool John Moores University.Tanvir identifies as a traditional Muslim who is vocally "anti-Islamist," often criticizing extremist ideologies and the political misuse of religion. He lived in Saudi Arabia for 13 years until a significant legal ordeal in late 2023, when he was detained by Saudi authorities following a complaint filed by Pakistan regarding his social media content, which was alleged to be anti-Pakistan. He was released in December 2024.

Pritpal Kaur is an Indian television journalist-turned fiction author, known for her insightful storytelling and literary contributions that often blend historical context with human experience. Kaur worked in television journalism, where she developed a strong narrative voice that later shaped her fiction. As an author, she has penned acclaimed novels including Saal Chaurasi — a vivid fictional account centered on the 1984 riots — and Jis Lahore Vekh Leya, which explores themes of partition and shared histories across borders. Her body of work also includes Half Moon, Thug Life, Raahbaaz, Ishq Faramosh, and Neel, along with collections of short stories featured in leading literary magazines. Kaur’s writing is noted for its empathetic portrayal of characters and its engagement with socio-political realities, making her a distinctive voice among contemporary Indian English and Hindi fiction writers.

Dr Abhinav Pandya, a Cornell University graduate in public affairs and a bachelor's from St. Stephen's College, Delhi, is a founder and CEO of Usanas Foundation, an India-based foreign policy and security think tank. He has authored books named 'Radicalization in India: An Exploration (2019)' and 'Terror Financing in Kashmir (2023)'.He had previously advised the former governor of Jammu and Kashmir on security issues during the critical times when Kashmir's special status, Article 370, was revoked.He has written extensively for several national and international newspapers, and worked with the International Labour Organization, the United Nations.His latest book is 'The Jihad Game: Inside Pakistan's dark war' - order your copy here - https://amzn.in/d/11mxioM.

Iqbal Chand Malhotra is a distinguished media producer and author known for his work on geopolitical history and strategic affairs. He holds a first-class degree in Economics from Queens' College, University of Cambridge.Media Career: He is the Chairman and Producer of AIM Television Pvt. Ltd. Over his career, he has produced over 500 hours of television programming and served as an advisor on India to media mogul Rupert Murdoch (1993–1995), helping to launch MTV in India.Malhotra has directed several award-winning documentaries, often focusing on historical mysteries and security issues. Notable titles include The Legend of Malerkotla, Netaji Bose and the Lost Treasure, and Kashmir’s Troubled Waters. He is a long-standing member of the International Academy of Television Arts and Sciences and has served as a juror for the International Emmy Awards.He has written extensively on conflict and strategy. His books include Red Fear: The China Threat and Dark Secrets: Politics, Intrigue and Proxy Wars in Kashmir. He also co-authored Kashmir’s Untold Story: Declassified.Subroto Chattopadhyay is a veteran media executive and former civil servant with a diverse career spanning the public sector, corporate leadership, and cultural preservation. He is an alumnus of St. Stephen's College and the Delhi School of Economics.He began his career in the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) before moving to the corporate sector. He has held senior leadership roles, including Executive Director at PepsiCo South Asia and Managing Director of HMV Saregama, where he played a pivotal role in the Indian music industry.He is the Chairman of The Peninsula Studios, a content creation house based in New Delhi that focuses on recording and archiving Indian folk and classical music.Chattopadhyay directs the Brains Trust India initiative. This audio-visual series acts as a "confederacy of great minds," featuring eminent scholars and experts from India and the UK who discuss significant non-partisan issues. The project is often produced in partnership with the British High Commission.The two have collaborated on literary projects, most notably co-authoring the book "Bangladesh: Humiliation, Carnage, Liberation, Chaos" (2023), which explores the geopolitical dynamics surrounding the 1971 Liberation War.

Vaibhav Singh is founder of Defensive Offense and DO News.

Group Captain Ajay Kumar Ahlawat (Retd.) is a distinguished former fighter pilot of the Indian Air Force (IAF), with a service career spanning over two decades.During his tenure, Group Captain Ahlawat held several key positions, including serving as the Commanding Officer of the Operational Conversion Unit at Air Force Station Kalaikunda from July 2014 to March 2016. He also completed a staff course at the Air Command and Staff College in Montgomery, Alabama, in December 2011.Following his retirement, he transitioned into the technology sector and is currently the Chief Operating Officer at NuChain, a blockchain infrastructure company. In this role, he focuses on integrating Web3 technologies into enterprise and government applications.

Prof. Gautam R. Desiraju (born 21 August 1952) is an Indian structural chemist and Honorary Professor at the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru. A pioneer of crystal engineering, he helped establish the importance of weak hydrogen bonds and introduced the “supramolecular synthon” concept.He served as President of the International Union of Crystallography (2011–2014). Educated at St. Xavier’s College (University of Bombay) and the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign (PhD, 1976), he has authored/edited several influential books.He remains one of India’s most cited chemists and a leading voice on the future of chemistry and science in the country.

Over the past decades, he has emerged as one of the foremost voices on terrorism, separatism, and the Kashmir conflict, regularly writing and speaking on these issues in national and international forums.

Shiv Varun Singh is the Founder & CEO of Nautical Wings Aerospace, India’s first electric propulsion technology company based in Bengaluru. A deep-tech entrepreneur with a passion for aviation and clean technology, he is building the propulsion backbone for the next generation of electric aircraft. Under his leadership, Nautical Wings focuses on advanced electric propulsion solutions and integrated propulsion units (iEPU) that can be custom-designed for almost any aircraft configuration, from new-age drones to future electric aircraft platforms.Committed to efficiency, sustainability, and engineering excellence, Shiv is part of a new wave of Indian founders working at the cutting edge of aerospace innovation. Through Nautical Wings, he aims to help shape a future where Indian technology powers sustainable skies across the world.

Prasanna Tantri is an Associate Professor in the Finance area and Executive Director of the Centre for Analytical Finance at ISB. His research areas include- banking, financial inclusion, financial contagion, regulation, and the relationship between politics and finance. He teaches a course on Indian financial systems.