He has been Director, Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies, New Delhi since 2003. Earlier he was the Executive Director of the Regional Centre for Strategic Studies of South Asia, Colombo from 1999 to 2002 and Jennings Randolph Fellow at the US Institute of Peace, Washington , DC in 2002-2003. Earlier he served for seven years in the Institute of Defence Studies and Analysis, New Delhi as a Senior Fellow and as Deputy Director. He was a consultant to the UN on the Conventional Arms Register in 2000 and an international adviser to the ICRC in 1999-2003. He has written extensively on security, disarmament and non-proliferation issues. He was commissioned in to the First Gorkha Rifles in Dec 1960; he commanded a Gorkha Battalion and was later Colonel of his Regiment in 1992-1996. He follows developments Nepal closely and visits it often. Resides in Delhi and can be contacted at dbanerjee@ipcs.org

Dr. Chellaney is a  Professor of Strategic Studies at the New Delhi-based Center for Policy Research, an independent, privately funded think-tank. He is also a Member of the Policy Advisory Group headed by the Foreign Minister of India.Until January 2000, Professor Chellaney was an adviser to India ’s National Security Council, serving as convener of the External Security Group of the National Security Advisory Board, as well as member of the Board’s Nuclear Doctrine Group. He holds a Ph.D. in arms control. A specialist on international security and arm control issues, Professor Chellaney has held appointments at the Harvard University , the Brookings Institution, the Johns Hopkins University ’s School of Advanced International Studies and the Australian National University . He is the author of three books, and has published research papers in international publications. Resides at Delhi and can be contacted at chellaney@gmail.com  

Colonel R Hariharan

Col R Hariharan, a retired officer of the Intelligence Corps, served in the Army for nearly three decades. During his career he was a specialist on Bangladesh , Burma , and Sri Lanka with special focus on insurgency and terrorism.  His intelligence operational experience includes service as the Head of Intelligence of the Indian Peace Keeping Force in Sri Lanka (1987-90). He was awarded the Visisht Sewa Medal (VSM) for his distinguished services in Sri Lanka .

 He writes analytical articles on national security issues, mostly relating to Burma , Bangladesh and Sri Lanka , terrorism and insurgency. He is a member of the Delhi-based intelligence think tank “South Asia Analysis Group”. He regularly writes in their website  www.saag.org, which carries over 90 of his papers. He also writes in The Hindu and the Indian Express.

After retirement from Army, he served as the Executive Director of the Madras Management Association for a decade.  He was awarded the Konrad Adenauer Medal for the leadership he provided to the joint project of MMA and Konrad Adenauer Foundation.

He now recides in Chennai and can be contacted by E Mail: colhari@gmail.com, colhari@yahoo.com

Amb. Krishnan is a distinguished IFS officer who has held varied diplomatic assignments. Retired finally as Ambassador and Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations in New York . After retirement, he as assigned as Special Envoy of the Prime Minister, in charge of the AFRICA Fund (1986-89); set up the School of International Studies of the Pondicherry University as its first Dean (1988-90); Member of the Board of Trustees of the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (1987-90); Member of the Executive Board of UNESCO in Paris (1989-93); Member of the UN Secretary-General’s Advisory Group on Disarmament 91995-98). Currently, he is Member of the Board of Trustees of the Institute of Social Studies Trust , New Delhi/Bangalore; Member of the Governing Board of Kalakshetra, Madras ; and member of the Advisory Committee of the Centre for Latin American Studies, Goa University . Resides at Bangalore and can be contacted at natlalk@bgl.vsnl.net.in

Vice Admiral PJ Jacob

Retired as Vice Chief of Naval Staff, an alumnus of the National Defence College, he has commanded the Eastern Fleet and also been the Director General of the Indian Coast Guard. He is a former member of the National Security Advisory Board and currently Chairman of the Global India Foundation. Resides in Bangalore and can be contacted by E mail at pjjacob@vsnl.net  

Shri  Akbar Mirza Khaleeli

He joined the Indian Foreign Service in May 1959 and has served as Ambassador to Iran and Italy . He was High Commissioner to Australia from 1991 to 94. He has also served in Indian Missions at Baghdad , Colombo and Amman . Can speak Persian, Urdu, French and Arabic. He is a student of comparative theology and cultures. Interested in Persian poetry, vocal music and painting. Resides at Bangalore and can be contacted on telephone No 080-22257494

He is currently a Research Faculty member in the National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bangalore . He conducts academic and policy research on issues relating to national and international security.  Before joining the NIAS in 1996, he was working with the IDSA in New Delhi . He also taught Political Science at Delhi University . He has many publications to his credit and has delivered talks in India and abroad. Resides at Bangalore and can be contacted at arvind@nias.iisc.ernet.in  

Shri A Madhavan

Joined IFS in 1956 after graduation, was posted in Burma and later in Hong Kong as Commissioner, and in Europe , apart from two postings in the Ministry of External Affairs. Senior level postings: Dy. Chief of Mission in the Indian Embassy, Moscow from winter 1981 to spring 1985, then Ambassador to Japan for three years, then Ambassador to Germany for three years.
After retirement, was Director, India International Centre, New Delhi for three years . Now settled in Mysore since 1995. He is a founder member of the Asia Centre. His interests include International Relations, History, Literature and Music. He can be contacted by E mail at madhavanmys@yahoo.com  

Maj. Gen. Ashok Mehta (Retd.)

He belonged to the Fifth Gorkhas and has known Nepal since 1959, when he first trekked there. He has covered some 30,000 km on foot in its countryside. So he knows the ground and the people, two key elements for understanding any insurgency. He has written more than 500 articles on Nepal , including some on the recent uprising.  One of his papers was entitled ‘Operation Tribhuvan’, dealing with the leftist insurgency in Nepal .  He was made a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society in recognition of his travels and his work in promoting the welfare of Gorkha servicemen.  Resides at Delhi and can be contacted at mehtaashokk@yahoo.co.in

A distinguished and decorated officer of the Army. He has attended the Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Defense Course at Tamishenko Academy in Moscow and is also a graduate of the United States Army Was College (1990-91) During his 41 years Army Service he has held many important assignments including Deputy Chief of Army Staff (Planning and Systems) and General Officer Commanding in Chief, Army Training Command. Finally he retired as GOC in C, Western Command. After retirement he was appointed Principal Adviser of CII and he is now its Director General. He is currently a Member of the UGC standing committee on Public Policy; and a Member of the National Security Advisory Board (NSAB). Resides at Delhi and can be contacted at s.s.mehta@ciionline.org  

Shri Kesava Menon  

Air Marshall (Retd)N Menon

She is a Research Fellow at the IDSA. Her specialisation is the regional security and foreign policy of the South Asian countries. She has undertaken research trips to all the countries of South Asia and presented papers in various national and international seminars, besides writing extensively on issues relating to them. She was a visiting Asia Fellow at the Department of International Relations, Dhaka University for a year. She worked on Identity politics and Indian immigrants in Nepal for her Ph.D. She has also written on the Indo-Nepal open border, the Maoist insurgency and the socio-political dynamics of Nepal .  She lives in New Delhi and can be contacted at smrutipattanaik@rediffmail.com  

He can be contacted on E Mail at dsrajan@gmail.com

   Shri C.V Ranganathan

Shri. C. V Ranganathan joined the Indian Foreign Service (IFS) in 1959 and has served in a number of distinguished positions as a diplomat. He has been the First Secretary, Embassy of India , Beijing , China (1965 – 1968) and Commissioner of India , Hong Kong (1980 – 1983). He has been Ambassador of India to various countries to including China and France .  Though he retired from Indian Foreign Service in 1993, he continues to be active, holding advisory and research positions. He is the Co-Chairman of “India-China Eminent Persons Group” from 2006. He has published many articles and contributions to books, newspapers, journals, and magazines in India and abroad on international affairs. His book “ India and China – The Way Ahead” that he Co-author with V.C. Khanna has won critical acclaim. Till recently he was the convener of the National Security Advisory Group.  He can be contacted on E-mail: viranga@dataone.in

Shri Rajiv  Sikri  

Rajiv Sikri is a distinguished career diplomat who retired in 2006 after more than 36 years with the Indian Foreign Service.  His last assignment was as Secretary (East) in India ’s Ministry of External Affairs, in which capacity he was responsible for relations with East Asia , ASEAN, Pacific region, Arab world, Israel , Iran , and the ex-Soviet countries.  Earlier, he was Special Secretary for Economic Relations responsible for overall foreign economic relations, including India ’s external technical and economic assistance programmes.  He has served as India ’s Ambassador to Kazakhstan , and headed the Departments dealing with West Europe as well as the Soviet Union and East Europe in the Foreign Office.  He has also served in Moscow (twice), New York , Paris and Nepal .  He is fluent in Russian and French. He can be contacted by E Mail at rajivsikri@gmail.com

  Shri Aravind Sitaraman

A Computer Scientist with over 20 years of work experience, Aravind Sitaraman has over 48 US patents for inventions in cutting edge technology . After pioneering work in several startup companies, he became one of Cisco Systems leading inventors. He returned to India in 2000 and has taken up a new line. He has reestablished the website “whatisindia.com” in Bangalore . This has its roots in ‘Prakash’, a policy advocacy group founded by him in the United States in 1995. This group brought together thousands of Indian American professionals into a single voice called ‘Prakash’ and has communicated with the US Congress, Senate and Administration on many issues. He is on the Board of Studies of Anna University and serves on the Board of Trustees of an educational trust bringing technology to rural India . He is a strategic analyst and he writes regularly on current issues for leading newspapers and the electronic media. Resides at Bangalore and can be contacted at editor@whatisindia.com