Visiting Fellows

Ambassador Anil Wadhwa was a member of the India Foreign Service from 1979-2017 and has served as the Indian Ambassador to Italy, Thailand, Oman and Poland. As Secretary (East) in the Ministry of External Affairs of India he oversaw relations with South East Asia, Gulf and West Asia, Pacific and Australasia. He has served as the Indian Ambassador and permanent Representative to FAO, IFAD, WFP UNESCAP and worked with the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) in The Hague heading the Government Relations and Political Affairs and Media and Public Affairs Branches. He has served as India’s chief delegate to the East Asia Summit, Asean- India, ASEM, ACD, the Arab league, Mekong Ganga Cooperation, and ARF meetings. Ambassador Wadhwa’s previous postings include stints with the Indian Permanent mission to the United Nations in Geneva, twice to the Indian Embassy in Beijing, and in the Commission of India in Hongkong.  He has led a CII task force for writing the Australia Economic Strategy report for the Indian government. Ambassador Wadhwa is currently a Distinguished fellow with the Vivekananda International Foundation, New Delhi and serves as an Independent Director and Advisor on the Boards of some corporate firms and organisations in India and abroad.

Balvinder Kumar belonged to 1981 batch of Indian Administrative Service of Uttar Pradesh (U.P) cadre.

During service, he did Masters in Development Administration from University of Birmingham, England, UK from Oct 1, 1987 to Sept 30, 1988.

In all, Balvinder Kumar has varied experience in the sectors of Revenue Administration, Taxation, Industrial Development, Food & Civil Supplies, Social Development, Women & Child Development, Housing Sector, New Okhla Industrial Development Authority (Noida), Prison Administration etc. at the State level.

At Central Government level, he has served Fertilizer, Agriculture, Handloom, Mines and Metal Sector and worked as Vice Chairman of Delhi Development Authority.

After retirement from the service, Balvinder Kumar was briefly appointed in May2018, as Vice Chairman of SGT University of Gurugram, Haryana. Then later, he got posted as Member of Real Estate Regulatory Authority, Uttar Pradesh in August, 1918. This assignment then ended at the age of 65 i.e., Feb 2022.

Besides, having wide and varied experience in various government sectors at state and central level, he has written 4 popular books on spirituality and life sciences namely ‘’Man’s Spiritual Journey”, “Awakening the Thinking Mind – an Inward Journey”, “Redesign Your Life in Modern Age” and “Exploring Life”. The books were also presented to Prime Minister, the then President of India and Dalai Lama.

Later, a Mind Therapy & Wellness Centre, & Breathwork Centre have been established in Vasant Kunj area of New Delhi for making available services relating to mental wellness, right from counselling and therapies to deep relaxation techniques.

Being a life coach, meditation teacher, spiritual and motivational speaker, he takes workshops and online and offline sessions on various topics pertaining to mental wellbeing and stress management. He teaches meditation and deep breathing exercises for managing stress.

Currently, I am engaged with the following:

1. Founder of www.trendingaitools.com with more than 10,000 AI tools of 55 categories
2. ⁠Founder of theMindTherapy.in, SereneSoul Navigator and BreathWork centre.
3. Trustees on the IC Centre for Governance
4. Governing Council member on SGT University, Gurgaon
5. Independent Director on CMR Green Technologies, CMR Aluminium Ltd, CMR Nikkie Ltd and IFFCO SEZ Company

Dr. Arvind Kumar is President and Founder of India Water Foundation a non-profit organization and think tank, Former Governor, World Water Council. He is a strategist and key-influencer in development sector with more than 30 years of experience, author, columnist, Water expert and specializes in ecosystem-based adaptation, water-energy-food nexus, with specific emphasis on Transversality approach of inter-linkages between water, environment and SDGs. He has published over 500+ research articles and is a Ph.D. Defense Studies. He authored several publications like “SAARC Outlook on Water-Energy-Food Nexus in SAARC Region”. ‘United Nations: 75 and beyond’ ‘Ecosystem Based Adaptation’ published by Elsevier London, ‘India @75 and Beyond’ and Friday Musings.

He is former member of the ‘National Wetlands Committee, MoEF&CC, GOI, member Technical Advisory Committee for India’s Third National Communication and Biennial Update Reports to UNFCCC, member of the Meghalaya State Water Resources Council and Meghalaya council for Climate Change and Sustainable Development. He is an expert on the roster of UNFCCC for article 6.4 of the Paris Agreement.

He has been conferred with the Achievers Award for his exemplary contribution and commitment for protecting environment by India Eye IHRO in collaboration with UNIC for India & Bhutan on the occasion of World Environment Day 2017 in New Delhi.

Former Member, National Human Rights Commission
Former Ambassador and Secretary to the Government of India                                
Former Advisor, National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC)
Author, Social Worker, and champion of welfare of  Overseas Indians

Mentoring organizations in strengthening Global Talent Mobility of Indian Youth

Dr. Dnyaneshwar Mulay is an accomplished diplomat, administrator, and author.  Has over four decades of experience in public service. Worked for five years in the National Human Rights Commission and more than three decades in the Indian Foreign Service. He has served in various capacities across multiple countries and ministries, focusing on governance, skill development, and public welfare. Known as the “Passport Man of India“, he revolutionized the passport issuance process in India. Currently, he is actively engaged in creating skill, employment generation and global talent mobility ecosystems for Indian youth in India and abroad.

Dr. Tuktuk Ghosh is a retired IAS Officer of the West Bengal Cadre. She has served in various senior positions , from the grassroots level of the State Government to the Ministries of Government of India. The professional and administrative experience acquired over three and a half decades have spanned diverse sectors , including Culture, Human Resource Development, Labour, Industry, Finance, Infrastructure , Logistics and Parliamentary Affairs.

Post retirement, Dr. Ghosh has served as Independent Director /Member on Government and Private Sector Boards , including Airports Authority of India , Indian Maritime University and DP World affiliated entities, among others.

She has also been associated with select socio-cultural and academic Organisations such as Ramana Kendra and Centre for Studies in Civilizations, as Vice President and Chairperson respectively.

Over the years she has contributed pieces on governance and policy issues to National dailies and Journals.

Prior to joining the IAS, Dr, Ghosh obtained a Doctorate degree in Ancient Indian History from the University of Delhi and taught at Hindu College .

Synchronising the best of our invaluable civilisational ethos with contemporary policy and developmental trajectories continues to be a deep and abiding interest.

Dr Uttam Kumar Sinha is a Senior Fellow at the Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (MP-IDSA), New Delhi, where he leads the Non-Traditional Security Centre. He also serves as the Managing Editor of Strategic Analysis, MP-IDSA’s flagship peer-reviewed journal published by Routledge, London.

He holds a PhD in International Politics from Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) and joined MP-IDSA in 2001 after a brief stint in print journalism. His research spans transboundary water politics, climate change and environmental security, Arctic geopolitics, and broader non-traditional security issues.

Dr Sinha has been associated with several prestigious academic and leadership programmes, including as a Senior Fellow at the Prime Ministers Museum and Library (2018-2020), academic visitor at Harvard Kennedy School (2015), a Chevening Gurukul Scholar at the London School of Economics (2008), and a Visiting Fellow at the Peace Research Institute Oslo (2006).

He is the author and editor of multiple influential books, notably Trial By Water: Indus Basin and India-Pakistan Relations (Penguin, 2025); Indus Basin Interrupted: A History of Territory and Politics from Alexander to Nehru (Penguin, 2021). He also contributes opinion and analytical pieces to leading Indian newspapers, including The Times of India, The Indian Express, and The Pioneer.

In summary, Dr Sinha is a well-credentialed strategic studies scholar with a strong academic background, extensive research on water security and climate issues, significant editorial leadership, and a broad portfolio of international fellowships and advisory roles.

From the Indian Administrative Service, batch of 1982, Madhya Pradesh cadre, a former Secretary to the Government of India. Have held key positions in the federal government such as that of Chairman of the National Highways Authority of India. Have earned a credible reputation for tangible work done in the areas of infrastructure, sustainability and arts – both at the national and the Madhya Pradesh state level.

Have been an alumnus of Harvard University, USA – as Edward S Mason Fellow, dividing time between the Harvard Kennedy School and the Harvard Business School. A recipient of the Joint Japan/World Bank GSP. Earlier completed BSc and MSc from Delhi University, as a resident of St Stephens College, where I was awarded the Sudarshan Kumar Memorial Prize for the best all-rounder. Recipient of the National Science Talent Scholarship for the period 1975-1980. Have also participated in various Executive Management courses in global institutions such as the Cambridge Judge School of Business, Columbia University, Berkeley University and the IIMs.

Currently, Independent Director on company Boards: Welspun Enterprises (WEL), JSW Cements, J Kumar Infra (JKIL), GR Infra Highways Management Company, Gateway Distriparks Limited, and Seamec Limited.

An accredited Arbitrator and Dispute Resolution professional who has completed several important commercial arbitrations. Also hold the position of Professor of Practice in Public Policy and Management in IIM Calcutta.

Services have been used by Government of India from time to time: for tasks such as an overarching Special Observer for the Lok Sabha General Elections 2019 covering the States of Punjab and Haryana and again as a Special Observer for the Rajya Sabha Elections 2020 in Gujarat. In the past have been a member of the following Committee of Secretaries of the Government of India to report directly to the Prime Minister in the period 2015-2018: (A) Infrastructure and Communications and (B) Social Development and Education

Key areas of professional expertise are:

Infrastructure Development and Public Private Partnerships

Have played a pro-active role in the overall infrastructure development of India, and the State of Madhya Pradesh, in particular.  Specific work areas included (A) Highway Development and Management (B) Housing and Urban Infrastructure Development (C) Industrial Infrastructure Management and Investment Promotion (D) Public-Private Partnerships.

International Trade and Investment Promotion:

Have been Director in the Ministry of Commerce looking after WTO, bilateral trade with various countries and the key public sector trading companies: MMTC, STC and PEC while keeping abreast of latest developments in international economics and finance.

Have headed the following corporate bodies at different times in my career: National Highways Authority of India, MP State Industrial Development Corporation, MP Trade and Investment Facilitation Corporation, MP Road Development Corporation, Indian Highway Management Company, MP Civil Supplies Corporation, SEZ Indore, Pithampur Auto Cluster and the MP Housing Board.

Agriculture Sector and Sustainability Management:

As Government of India’s Additional Secretary and Financial Advisor for the Ministries of Agriculture/ Farmer’s Welfare, Animal Husbandry/Dairying/Fisheries, Rural Development and Land Resources, Drinking Water and Sanitation: had complete oversight into budgeting and financial control of all major national programs relating to agriculture, animal husbandry, poverty alleviation, rural infrastructure and skill development: e.g., National Food Security Mission, National Horticulture Mission, National Livestock Mission, etc. Several important schemes and projects in the social sectors were launched in that period. Also contributed to reshaping various technical missions to make them more responsive to regional needs.   

As Secretary Sports in MP, chaired the organizing committee for an equivalent of Rural Olympics. For this successful initiative was honored with a cricket bat by ESPN-Star Sports –signed by the top players of the then Indian cricket team. As Secretary of the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes, a body mandated under the Constitution of India, helped to carve out various initiatives for empowering the scheduled tribes and to improve their social and economic parameters.

Other Interests:

Director of the Bhopal Literature and Art Festival that has conducted seven editions successfully. Author of two acclaimed novels that have been positively reviewed by the national apex institution, the Sahitya Akademi.

Op-eds on Governance, Sustainability and Arts have appeared frequently in prominent national journals. CEO of advisory platform CUNSULT.

Play golf as a member of the Delhi Golf Club; have occupied a position on its managing committee for three years.

Sunit Tandon is currently the President of the Delhi Music Society, Delhi’s oldest society
promoting Western Classical music appreciation and education, which includes establishing
and running the Delhi School of Music.
He was till recently, also Director of the India Habitat Centre for seven years, from 2018 to
2025.
Prior positions held include: – – –
Festival Director of the 48th International Film Festival of India (IFFI, Goa), Ministry
of Information & Broadcasting 2017-18
Director General of the Indian Institute of Mass Communication, the premier Mass
Communication and Journalism Institute of the country, under the Ministry of
Information & Broadcasting for six years from 2009 to 2015
Chief Executive of the Lok Sabha Television Channel (LSTV), Lok Sabha Secretariat,
Parliament of India, for over two years from 2008 to 2009.
Previous official positions include: Executive Director (Marketing), LSTV; General Manager,
National Film Development Corporation Ltd. (NFDC), Deputy General Manager, NFDC; and
Deputy Director, Directorate of Film Festivals, Ministry of Information & Broadcasting,
in-charge of Film Selection and Programming for the International Film Festivals of India
(IFFIs).
Sunit Tandon is well-known as a former news and current affairs anchor on Indian national
television (Doordarshan and LSTV) and a radio broadcaster for over forty years on All India
Radio (AIR). He has presented prime time news bulletins and anchored election, budget and
other live telecasts, apart from conducting one-on-one interviews with world leaders and
other leading personalities and moderating discussion programmes on diverse topics for over
over three decades.
He has also, at various stages in his career, been a banker, a theatre critic, a western classical
music critic.
He has been active as a theatre actor and director for over four decades, with approximately
200 productions to his credit, working with such leading theatre groups in New Delhi, as
Yatrik, Akshara Theatre, The Three Arts Club, Katyayani Productions, Stagedoor, Miran
Productions, Ruchika, Scene Stealers, Prime Time Theatre, Teamwork, Chingari, Masque,
TAG, and the Shakespeare Society, St. Stephen’s College. Of these, he was also Founding
President of the Masque Theatre Society and Director of Yatrik Theatre for many years, till
2018. He has also directed three western classical opera productions for the Neemrana Music
Foundation.
In recent years, he has also accepted a few roles and guest appearances in films. Films
released so far include “Dil Bechara” Dir. Mukesh Chhabra, “Axone” Dir. Nicholas
Kharkongor, “Ghost Stories” on Netflix Dir. Karan Johar, “Bell Bottom” Dir. Ranjit Tiwari,
“Tejas” Dir. Santosh Mewara. Forthcoming films include the Netflix film “Lootyens” Dir.
Neeraj Pandey.
Sunit Tandon did his schooling from La Martiniere College, Lucknow, completing his Indian
School Certificate Examination with 7 points in 1974. He then did his B.A. (Hons.) in
Economics (1975-78) and an M.A. in History (1978-1980) from St. Stephen’s College, Delhi
University.