It was a monumental time to visit India over the past two weeks. The youth-led protests that started in Delhi grew throughout the country. Against the backdrop of the leaked NEET paper (medical entrance exam), the movement brought tens of thousands of young people onto the streets. Research Fellow Dr Teesta Prakash and I unpack the Cockroach movement and future of the education system in this latest episode on our Chats Over Chai podcast channel.
At the same time, our thoughts are with all those impacted by the recent flash floods in India, Pakistan and Afghanistan.
The Institute was proud to support the University of Melbourne’s Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences in celebrating its health partnerships in India at Melbourne Global Centre – Delhi.Congratulations to Institute Academic Fellow Nathan Grills, who was recognised for his significant contribution to building these partnerships. I was also pleased to join CUTS Global and the Rajasthan International Centre in Jaipur for a dialogue on Building an India–Australia Energy Security Corridor for Indo-Pacific Resilience. My thanks to Pradeep Mehta, CUTS Secretary General, for his leadership in advancing closer Australia–India cooperation.
The Australia–India Annual Leaders’ Summit this month brought Prime Minister’s Albanese and Modi together to meet a packed diaspora crowd in Melbourne, underscored the growing importance of our nations’ economic, defence and people-to-people ties. The Institute was a leading voice throughout, providing expert analysis and commentary across major media platforms, as well as through our podcast episode with Special Envoy for Indian Ocean Affairs Tim Watts MP on the bilateral relationship and Australia’s Asia capabilities.
Finally, I am pleased to welcome Rear Admiral Sanjay Roye AVSM VSM (Retd.) as the Institute’s latest Distinguished Fellow. Rear Admiral Roye’s deep experience in maritime security and strategic affairs will be a rich asset to the Institute’s thought leadership.
Best
Lisa