DCIR’s Second Youth Conclave Examines India’s Foreign Policy Amid Global Shifts

The Deccan Centre for International Relations (DCIR), in partnership with Guru Nanak College (Autonomous) and the Department of Politics and Public Administration at the University of Madras, organized the second Deccan Youth Conclave on September 22, 2026, in Chennai.

Held at the Shaheed Baba Deep Singh Auditorium at Guru Nanak College, the conclave focused on the theme “India’s Foreign Policy in a World in Flux.”

According to a statement from DCIR, the event brought together diplomats, strategic affairs experts, academics, young scholars and students to examine key aspects of India’s foreign policy amid a rapidly changing global order.

“The programme featured a carefully curated set of four thematic sessions covering India’s Neighbourhood, Multi-Alignment and Strategic Autonomy with major powers, the impact of conflicts in West Asia and East Asia/Northeast Asia, and the changing nature of warfare and geopolitics, including hybrid, grey-zone, information warfare, and emerging technologies,” the statement said. “These sessions were thoughtfully designed to address the complexities of the present times and to foster a deeper understanding of the current conflicts and strategic shifts unfolding across the world.”

The inaugural session included welcome remarks by Ambassador T.S. Tirumurti, a retired Indian Foreign Service officer, former Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations and chair of DCIR’s Steering Committee.

Professor M. Uma Maheswari, head of the Department of Politics and Public Administration at the University of Madras, and Manjit Singh Nayar, general secretary and correspondent of Guru Nanak College, delivered special addresses.

O. Nirmala, assistant professor and head of the Department of Defence and Strategic Studies and dean of the School of Humanities at Guru Nanak College, delivered the concluding remarks.

The subsequent sessions featured Ambassador Gopal Baglay, former Indian high commissioner to Sri Lanka and Australia, in conversation with C. Balasubramanian, senior adviser at DCIR. Other speakers included Ambassador Sunjay Sudhir, former Indian ambassador to the United Arab Emirates and high commissioner to the Maldives; retired Air Marshal Anil Khosla, former vice chief of the Air Staff; and retired Rear Admiral Sudhir Pillai.

Namrata Hasija, a research fellow at the Centre for China Analysis and Strategy, and Sridhar Krishnaswami, visiting professor and scholar-in-residence at Sai University, also participated. Faculty members from the University of Madras and representatives of DCIR moderated the discussions.

The conclave concluded with a vote of thanks delivered by Sairakshit Raghupathy, research officer at DCIR.

The second edition of the conclave continued DCIR’s efforts to bring foreign policy and strategic expertise to South India. It also sought to encourage critical engagement among students, scholars, academics, professionals and strategic affairs enthusiasts on emerging geopolitical developments and India’s foreign policy choices.

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