Nitin Pai

I am the co-founder and director of the Takshashila Institution, an independent think tank and school of public policy based in Bangalore. We started this institution to champion India’s national interest and constitutional values. Personally, I believe individual liberty, free markets and reason offer the best prescription for a just society and a sustainable planet. At Takshashila, I do what I love. I get to dabble in everything from high tech geopolitics, synthetic biology, space, defence economics, maritime strategy and ethical reasoning. The best thing though is to hang around in the company of smart people who have expertise in many different areas. But mostly my job is to ensure that the refreshments we serve — especially the coffee — is as outstanding as our Research & teaching. Our Church Street office, located in a building that once housed an iconic bookstore, is called LSpace, and is full of books. My wife and I have three kids and you might find my Debates with my Daughters interesting to read. My dog does not debate. Before moving back to India in 2012, I worked many years in the area of technology policy for the Singapore government. I played a small role in the deregulation of the telecommunications industry and deployment of broadband infrastructure. Between two innings in government, I spent a couple of years in SingTel’s international connectivity business, handling satellite and undersea cable sales for the Middle East, India and South East Asia. It was an exciting period: we built a submarine cable connecting Singapore to Chennai that drama