Chain of Light
“I’ve had the privilege to work with many musicians from around the world, but [he was] perhaps the greatest singer of them all.”
These were the words Peter Gabriel (of iconic British rock band, Genesis) had to share when his record company revealed they had made a fascinating discovery when combing through their archives in 2021: a long lost album from qawwali legend, Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan.
Recorded in 1990 (and subsequently forgotten in a storage warehouse, if you would believe), the posthumously-released album, Chain of Light, comprises four tracks and totals 41 minutes. With the discovery of this long-lost album, Khan, who passed away in 1997 at the age of 48, offers his long-standing admirers an unexpected opportunity for “celebration and nostalgia”, as Rolling Stone India put it.
While not a dusty album in a warehouse, Takshashila’s Saurabh Todi, in collaboration with Henry Nixon (Visiting Fellow at the Australian National University), together examine the discovery of something long missing in India’s SynBio policies. People.
They comment in Nature India following a recent Supreme Court split verdict on the release of genetically modified mustard, which has in turn, presented an opportunity for a more inclusive approach to India’s synthetic biology (SynBio) policy development.
The Court’s resulting directive asked the government to produce a national genetically modified organisms (GMO) policy, in consultation with stakeholders including states, independent experts and farmers’ bodies. Click here to read more about Saurabh’s and Henry’s analysis on the implications of this recent verdict and the significance of actively involving the public in the development of India’s SynBio policies.
P.S.: If I’ve successfully inspired you to give ‘Chain of Light’ a listen, I would recommend starting with ‘Aaj Sik Mitran Di’.
SynBio policymaking is not the only place where reform may be needed. State capacity reform and effective governance may be the missing pieces for India’s sustainable national development. Blue sky thinking? Perhaps not. Read on to find out more.
Effective Governance and State Capacity: To be or not to be?
Takshashila recently co-organised an event with the Bangalore International Centre where our very own Pranay Kotasthane was in conversation with Karthik Muralidharan, to discuss key themes in the latter’s recently released, and widely lauded book, Accelerating India’s Development: A State-Led Roadmap for Effective Governance.
Over the course of his talk delivered to a full house, Karthik outlined the pragmatic steps that can be taken to realise sustainable national development in India through effective governance and State capacity reform. Click here to watch this insightful conversation between Pranay, Manish Sabharwal and Karthik.
But if we’re talking about effectiveness, we have some helpful pointers for India’s nascent BioE3 policy in this next section.
India’s BioE3 Policy Can, and Should, Prioritise…
In two words? Market access. In their recent op-ed for the Deccan Herald, Takshashila’s Head of Research Shambhavi Naik and Takshashila’s Saurabh Todi, argue for why India should make concerted efforts to have local biomanufacturing and bio-services access international markets.They helpfully trace some parallels between India’s industrial strategy and lessons that could be learned for India’s biotechnology sector.
Click here to read on the specific opportunities they believe India is well posed to capitalise on now.
“Delhi, We Have a Problem…”
As famously misquoted from the Apollo 13-inspired movie of the same name, India’s space sector may have some problems it needs Delhi to deal with.
Watch Takshashila’s Aditya Ramanathan in conversation with The Hindu on what steps can be taken to build India’s space sector, and take a few more moments to read his analysis in this Times of India Op-Ed on key actions that ISRO can take for India to continue forging ahead in its own space odyssey.
…and What About India’s Space-Tech Manufacturing Ecosystem?
And with that we make a pivot to India’s space-tech manufacturing efforts. Takshashila’s own Air Marshal (Retd.) TD Joseph has both a diagnosis and remedy to share for India’s space-tech manufacturing ecosystem. In his recent op-ed for the Deccan Herald, he writes:
India requires a considerable number of satellites both for civilian and military use – for the purposes of positioning, navigation, timing, weather prediction, disaster prediction and management, crop management, intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and targeting, to name some. But what stops India from having satellites in the multiple orbital planes in space to meet these challenges? An examination of India’s needs and existing capabilities in design and manufacturing could throw up some answers to this question.
Click here to read more on why he believes the Indian government can play the role of facilitator in this ecosystem and what four key actions he recommends in that regard.
We’re now earthbound in this next set of research pieces that focus on geopolitical tensions that play across the Asia Pacific.
China versus India? China and India? Cooperate or Compete?
In her recently published Issue Brief, Takshashila’s Anushka Saxena introduces a nuanced analysis on Chinese analysts’ view on India’s role as a leader in the “Global South”. Is cooperation or competition the name of the game here? In the context of India-China relations being “at their lowest since the 1962 war”, she argues:
Chinese analytical views on India as the “voice of the Global South,” are deeply rooted in a sense of competition even though they project China’s willingness to cooperate more than compete. However, China and the Global South are presented as helpless, because of India’s “opportunism” and “pro-Westernism.” China’s indispensable role as a representative of the Global South, especially in terms of its contribution to developing countries’ growth and development, is again a feature of the competitive lens Chinese writings on the subject deploy, in that its economic might is contended against India’s lack of comprehensive national power.
Click here to take a closer look at her insights on the cooperate or compete discourse that has emerged on this issue.
We now turn to India and China’s engagement in Bangladesh.
Jostling for Room in Bangladesh’s Political Landscape
Should India be wielding greater influence in Bangladesh? Takshashila’s Rakshith Shetty wrestles with this question in his insightful piece for South Asian Voices, where he argues that India cannot afford to forgo an active engagement in Bangladesh's political landscape, particularly alongside the concerted efforts being made by China to gain political traction in the fragile nation.
Click here to read his analysis further.
Five Players, One Tightrope: India, Ukraine, Gaza, China, US.
Tread carefully. These are the words Takshashila's Director for Strategic Studies Programme, Lt Gen (Retd) Prakash Menon, may issue to India in the midst of the US’ involvement in the Ukraine and Gaza.
He argues:
The US is fully involved in the three major confrontations taking place in Ukraine, Gaza, and the Indo-Pacific. This scale of involvement would probably impact its ability to deal with the major geopolitical confrontation with China. With no end in sight for the wars in Ukraine and Gaza, the US faces an uphill challenge. This factor should inform India’s statecraft in dealing with heightened global geopolitical turbulence.
Click here to take a closer look at the complex dynamics India navigates in the current geopolitical climate and what dynamics China stands to benefit from in the midst of it all.
Wait, There’s More!
Takshashila’s just launched a new capsule course on 'Introduction to Geospatial Science and Technology'. Click here to see the tongue-in-cheek promotional video our in-house social media team has for you and here for more details on how you could avail of our early bird scholarship too.
We’re also keeping a keen eye out for a new Assistant Programme Manager to join Takshashila’s Policy School. Know of anyone who has stellar organisational and communication skills? Who enjoys the thought of delivering an awesome learning experience to students making their first foray into the world of public policy? If the answer is yes, encourage them to apply here.
This edition of the Dispatch was written by Kripa Koshy, Programme Manager for Takshashila’s Post Graduate Programme in Public Policy.