Brahma Chellaney, Strategic thinker

So far, he has shown no sign of mellowing from his tough rhetoric and no-holds-barred criticism of what he sees as India’s soft approach to pressing national concerns. Brahma, as he is popularly known, doesn’t let euphemisms take the edge off his articulation. As a journalist who had covered militancy-ravaged Punjab in the 1980s to being a thoughtful and independent analyst of geostrategic trends, Chellaney has come a long way. He commands respect for refusing to be co-opted by the authorities and for talking sense to power. A conservative intellectual, his commentaries are issue-based and he lays emphasis on military strength, making him a vociferous critic of Indian policies irrespective of which party is in power.

A professor of strategic studies at the New Delhi-based Centre for Policy Research, his contribution to drafting India’s nuclear doctrine is well admired and he wields significant influence on policymakers as a strategic thinker. An alumnus of Hindu College and Delhi School of Economics, his writings have attracted wide attention and range from geopolitics in the Indian Subcontinent and Asia to international relations. He is the author of nine books.

Complete List of Open Minds 2018: Public Square

Salman Rushdie, Author | Pratap Bhanu Mehta, Political scientist | Nandan Nilekani, Infosys Chairman | Srinath Raghavan, Historian | Ram Madhav, BJP Leader | Swapan Dasgupta, Political commentator and MP | Shashi Tharoor, Scholar Politician | TCA Raghavan, Historian | Ramachandra Guha, Historian | Brahma Chellaney, Strategic thinker | Uday Shankar, President, 21st Century Fox, Asia | Anantha Chandrakasan, Technologist | Gita Gopinath, Economist | Soumya Swaminathan, Paediatrician and clinical scientist | Prasoon Joshi, Poet and Censor Board chairman | Madhav Khosla, Scholar | Sidharth Luthra, Lawyer | Shayara Bano, Triple Talaq Petitioner | Reuben Abraham, Economic Analyst | Pratima Joshi, Architect | Reetika Khera, Economist | Shamika Ravi, Economist | Sharmila Bhattacharya, Scientist | Vijay Prasad, Historian | Nayanjot Lahiri, Historian | Avani Chaturvedi, Fighter Pilot, IAF | Pranshu and Nishant Patni, Entrepreneurs

Complete List of Open Minds 2018: Soft Power

Virat Kohli, Captain, Indian Cricket Team | Priyanka Chopra, Actor | Jeet Thayil, Author | Anju Dodiya, Artist | Alia Bhatt, Actor | Rajkummar Rao, Actor | Chetan Bhagat, Author | Jahnvi Dameron Nandan, Perfumer | Rupi Kaur, Poet | Parvathy Thiruvothu, Actor | Sujatha Gidla, Author | Balkrishna Vithaldas Doshi, Architect | Prayaag Akbar, Author | Ruchika Sachdeva, Fashion Designer | Palghat R Ramprasad, Carnatic musician | Unni R, Author | Kunal Kamra, Comedian | Vikas Khanna, Chef and Television Personality | Shoojit Sircar, Filmmaker | Srikanth Kidambi, Badminton Player | CS Santosh, Off-Road Biking Champion | Mayank Austen Soofi, Author and Blogger | Ratish Nanda, Conservation Architect

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