Max City Valley of Words Literature Festival was held in Mumbai on 01 & 02 March, 2025. India’s only litfest which discusses geopolitical, business and economical ‘Issues That Engage Us As A Nation.' The festival features eminent authors and personalities over two days of discussions at the National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA), a heritage institution in Mumbai, and in the prestigious Kitabkhana. India’s journey of governance is deeply rooted in civilisational continuity, not just post-1947 statehood. Unlike its unstable neighbours, India’s relative success stems from strong political leadership, an intellectually grounded freedom movement, and indigenous frameworks of statecraft—embodied in concepts like Prabhushakti (sovereign authority), Mantranashakti (policy wisdom), and Utsahashakti (administrative energy). However, post-colonial dependency on Western validation has hindered confidence in native systems. India still struggles with policy capacity, siloed ministries, and over-reliance on foreign consultants, but is gradually building indigenous solutions. In a globalised world, India offers a model of pluralism without cultural flattening—where governance is not just administrative, but civilisational in depth and imagination. About the Speakers: Dr. Sanjeev Chopra is a retired bureaucrat and former Director of the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration. Currently, he serves as Patron and Honorary Consultant of the Valley of Words International Literary Festival in Dehradun. A recipient of prestigious fellowships including the Hubert H. Humphrey (Cornell) and Robert S. McNamara (World Bank), he has also held academic positions at institutions like the Royal Asiatic Society, London, and Harvard’s Lakshmi Mittal South Asia Institute. Dr. Chopra is widely regarded as a leading literary and policy thought leader in India. Dr. Hindol Sengupta is a multiple award-winning historian and author of 12 acclaimed books, with a decade-long career as a columnist. He has served as Vice President (Strategy and Research) at Invest India and editor-at-large for Fortune India. His interdisciplinary work explores India’s rise, blending international relations, history, economics, and culture. A Senior Fellow at the Observer Research Foundation and World Economic Forum Young Global Leader, he holds a doctorate from the Geneva School of Diplomacy. Dr. Sengupta’s journalism appears in major publications globally, and he is an award-winning documentary filmmaker. He also directs the Jindal India Institute, focusing on statehood, multiculturalism, and technology’s impact on sovereignty. Sandeep Unnithan (Moderator) is a Delhi-based journalist and Editor of News 9Plus, the world’s first news OTT app. He is the author of Black Tornado: The 3 Sieges of Mumbai 26/11 and co-author of OperationX: The Untold Story of India’s Covert Naval War in East Pakistan. Topics Covered: 00:00 Dimensions of Leadership and Governance 01:16 India's Governance Success: A Contrast with Pakistan 06:07 Sacred Geography: India Existed Long Before Independence 15:49 The Quiet Force Behind Progress: Administrative Continuity 22:49 Rethinking India’s Policy Infrastructure: Capacity, Complexity, and Control 35:06 Decolonizing Policy And Revised Globalisation: Building from India’s Civilisational Roots 40:10 Hope in the System: Bureaucracy That Works with Small Ideas, and Big Impact 45:50 India’s Ancient Embrace of Multiplicity: Indigenous Wokeness Join this channel to get access to perks: / @sangamtalks Join our YouTube channel to get updated on new video releases: Hindi : / sangamhindi English : / sangamtalks Tamil : / @sangamtalkstamiz Punjabi : / @sangamtalkspunjabi Bhojpuri : / @sangamtalksbhojpuri Marathi : / @sangamtalksmarathi Malayalam : / @sangamtalksmalayalam Shorts : / @sangamtalksclips Bangla : / @sangamtalksbangla For updates you may follow us on: Facebook : / sangamtalks Instagram : / sangamtalks Telegram : https://t.me/sangamtalks Twitter : / sangamtalks Whatsapp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Va95... Linkedin: / sangamtalks Website : https://www.sangamtalks.org Donate : https://www.sangamtalks.org/donate
