Society for Policy Studies (SPS), an independent, non-partisan, non-profit think tank, has been set up with some very specific and some broad objectives at whose heart is the core philosophy of deploying the transformative powers of excellence in journalism to discuss and debate issues concerning contemporary India and its multi-faceted engagement with the world.
Its location in the capital of India, the world’s largest democracy, is not just a happy coincidence but gives it both the motivation and seriousness of purpose beyond just policy think.
SPS’s three flagship projects are disparate and varied but are all prompted by the need to create interface between India and Indian interests with the rest of the world.
SPS has partnered with the International Center for Journalists (ICFJ) to set up the International Media Institute of India (IMII) in New Delhi. The institute launched in October, 2009 is a non-profit educational center that will marry cutting-edge, hands-on journalism instruction with the highest international standards.
The second major project that SPS is closely involved in is the Washington Leadership Program (WLP), a highly appreciated initiative on Capitol Hill where young Indian Americans intern with influential US Congressmen and Senators. Run for 15 years by the Indian American Center for Political Awareness (IACPA), a non-profit organization based in Washington, the objective of WLP, begun by the late visionary publisher Gopal Raju, was to sensitize Indian American youth to American politics and motivate at least some of them to consider taking up politics as a career. SPS is committed to reenergising the WLP to take it to the next level of leadership education.
The third major SPS activity is the South Asia Resource Centre (SARC), which is a response to a longstanding need to create a comprehensive resource base for South Asia, not just for the eight countries that constitute it, but, more importantly, for the rest of the world which is increasingly drawn into its triumphs and travails. Until recently, there has not been a single comprehensive source that global planners and policymakers can turn to for highly informed perspectives on South Asia. SARC, incubated by SPS, fills that enormous economic, political and cultural intelligence gap.
All three SPS initiatives draw on the excellence of journalists and editors with long careers in South Asia in terms of their perspective, professional network and privileged sources.
SPS seeks to promote debates and distil ideas on burning issues and policies among journalists, policy-makers and civil society.
SPS organises discussions, seminars and conferences on national and regional affairs, social justice, and educational and economic issues, apart from arranging visits and exchange programmes with journalists, scholars and experts in other countries.
Tarun Basu - President
Chief Executive and Chief Editor of Indo-Asian News Service (IANS), Basu is a journalist of 35 years' standing, having worked in both Indian and international media organizations. He is also the director and chief editor of IANS , a New Delhi-headquartered news agency and media house. He is well known in political, government and media circles and has travelled all over the world with Indian presidents and prime ministers.
Arvind Padmanbhan - Vice President
Working as Executive Editor with Indo-Asian News Service (IANS), Padmanabhan has over 20 years of experience in journalism, covering virtually all media streams -- news agency, newspaper, magazine, radio, television and the internet. In the past, he has worked for organisations such as The Press Trust of India, The Times of India and CNBC TV 18. He was Bureau Chief for IANS in the US, working out of Manhattan, and has traveled to several countries as part of the Prime Minister's media delegation.
Shibi Alex Chandy - Treasurer
Group Editor and Director of the Contract Publishing division in Indo-Asian News Service, Chandy has been with the organisation for over a decade and has headed operations for more than half that time. A media and communications professional for the past 22 years, he has worked with leading Indian newspapers (The Times of India), magazines (India Today) and TV stations (TV18) in key positions. His expertise lies in conceiving and producing quality publications - as well as online products - that help clients to effectively communicate with their stakeholders.
Partha Sarathi Mitra - General Secretary
Chief Technology Officer with Indo-Asian News Service (IANS). He has worked with the news agency Press Trust of India (PTI) and keeps himself abreast of latest developments in the world of gizmos and media technologies, all of which are put to productive use in this evolving ear of convergence in journlism.
Commodore C. Uday Bhaskar - Senior Fellow
Retiring from the Indian Navy in early 2007 after 37 years' service, Commodore Bhaskar is a New Delhi based security analyst and a noted columnist and author. He is currently Convener, India International Centre (IIC) Study Group on Strategic and Security Issues and Contributing Editor of South Asia Monitor. He was formerly associated with the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA) where he served as the Deputy Director (1996-2004) and later headed the Institute till late 2005. Subsequently he was appointed Member-Secretary of the GOI Task Force on 'Global Strategic Developments' - a report submitted to the PM of India.
Sudip Mazumdar - Senior Fellow
Sudip Mazumdar, Senior Fellow, has been Newsweek's India-based Special Correspondent for more than 26 years. Before joining Newsweek, awards-winning Mazumdar did a long stint as an investigative reporter with the Indian Express and with the Economic Times. Widely traveled, he is associated with several professional organizations, including the Overseas Press Club of America. With his abiding interest in human rights and international affairs, Mazumdar brings in sharp takes on subaltern politics, social trends and accountability and transparency in governance.
Mayank Chhaya - Senior Fellow
Mayank Chhaya is a journalist and writer with extensive reporting experience out of India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and the United States. During a career spanning nearly three decades Chhaya has covered every facet of life in South Asia, including politics, culture, cinema, economy, society, underworld, Islamic insurgency, and riots. He is a widely read commentator on South Asian affairs in general and US-India and China-Tibet issues in particular. Chhaya has written two books so far, both biographies. One on Sam Pitroda, the internationally respected information technology guru credited with having made India an information and communications technology powerhouse. The other an authorized biography of the Dalai Lama titled ‘Man Monk Mystic.’ It has been published in 20 languages.
