Dr Geeta Madhavan, PRESIDENT
Dr Geeta has her specialisation in International Law and is consultant to academic departments that feature International Relations programmes. She holds a PhD with doctoral thesis on Terrorism in International Law and is Awardee of the Advance Doctoral Fellowship of the Hague Academy of International Law. She was Visiting Faculty of Department of Psychology, the Department of Defense and Strategic Studies, and the Department of Legal Studies, Madras University. She is Visiting Faculty at Tamil Nadu Dr Ambedkar Law University handling Post Graduate courses on Maritime Law, International Criminal law, Human Rights, Civil Nuclear Energy Law. She is a RCSS Alumnus (Colombo); Salzburg Alumnus (Austria) and Alumnus of the Wilton Park Conference, UK. She participated in the International Visitor Leadership Program, USA. She is NESA Alumnus (USA), APCSS Alumnus (Hawaii) and Alumnus of Harvard Kennedy School of Government. She has written articles and books on international law and security related matters and is a regular contributor to leading journals on strategic issues. Read her work here.
Mr K Madhavan, SECRETARY
Mr K Madhavan is an Advocate and Notary Public who has 40 years of legal practise in the High Court of Madras . He is the Senior Partner of the law firm Madhavan & Associates , a leading law firm in Chennai, India. He practises civil, criminal and corporate law and has appeared in various judicial fori including .the Supreme Court of India. He is also a legal retainer for several corporate houses and institutions. He received the Rt. Hon’ble Madhavan Nair prize and the Sir William Ayling Memorial prize for academic excellence in Law. He is a Member of the Madras Bar Association and. the Indian Council of Arbitration.
Mr K Madhavan is an Advocate and Notary Public who has 40 years of legal practise in the High Court of Madras . He is the Senior Partner of the law firm Madhavan & Associates , a leading law firm in Chennai, India. He practises civil, criminal and corporate law and has appeared in various judicial fori including .the Supreme Court of India. He is also a legal retainer for several corporate houses and institutions. He received the Rt. Hon’ble Madhavan Nair prize and the Sir William Ayling Memorial prize for academic excellence in Law. He is a Member of the Madras Bar Association and. the Indian Council of Arbitration.
Kirthi Jayakumar is an activist, artist and writer from Chennai, India. She founded and runs the Red Elephant Foundation, a civilian peacebuilding initiative that works for gender equality through storytelling, advocacy and digital interventions. She is a member of the Youth Working Group for Gender Equality under the UNIANYD. Kirthi is the recipient of the US Presidential Services Medal (2012) for her services as a volunteer to Delta Women NGO, and the two-time recipient of the UN Online Volunteer of the Year Award (2012, 2013). Her second book, The Dove's Lament, made it to the final shortlist for the Muse India Young Writers' Literary Award. Kirthi was recently invited to the United State of Women Summit at the White House in Washington DC, as a nominated changemaker. She is also a Zen Doodler, and her works have been commissioned by corporate establishments, non-profits and art collectors world over.
Col. Hariharan, Founding Member
Col Ramani Hariharan served in the Indian Army for nearly three decades as a Military Intelligence specialist on South Asia as well as terrorism and counter insurgency. His has taken part in India-Pakistan wars in Kutch (1965), and East Pakistan 1971; his counter insurgency experience includes Northeast, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. He was awarded the Visisht Sewa Medal (VSM) for his service as the Head of Intelligence of the Indian Peace Keeping Force in Sri Lanka (1987-90). After retirement, he has been writing and commenting on strategic security issues in national and international print and electronic media. He has taken part in a number of national and international conferences on strategic security. His other experience includes a decade of service as Director, Madras Management Association. He had been a visiting faculty to a number of management institutions including the Indian Institutes of Management at Indore and Raipur.
Cmde Amar K Mahadevan, Founding Member
Col Ramani Hariharan served in the Indian Army for nearly three decades as a Military Intelligence specialist on South Asia as well as terrorism and counter insurgency. His has taken part in India-Pakistan wars in Kutch (1965), and East Pakistan 1971; his counter insurgency experience includes Northeast, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. He was awarded the Visisht Sewa Medal (VSM) for his service as the Head of Intelligence of the Indian Peace Keeping Force in Sri Lanka (1987-90). After retirement, he has been writing and commenting on strategic security issues in national and international print and electronic media. He has taken part in a number of national and international conferences on strategic security. His other experience includes a decade of service as Director, Madras Management Association. He had been a visiting faculty to a number of management institutions including the Indian Institutes of Management at Indore and Raipur.
Cmde Amar K Mahadevan,VSM is an alumni of Loyola College, Chennai. After completing his B.Sc (PMC) he went on to serve in the Indian Navy for over 35 years. During his time in the Indian Navy, he completed the following courses: M.Sc Defence Studies from Defence Services Staff College, Wellington, Leadership Course from the Centre for Leadership and Behavioural Studies and Ethics, Kochi, Senior Level Management Course from Air Force War College, Hyderabad, and Higher Defence Management Studies Course from NDU, Beijing, China During his career he commanded various Ships and Establishments and held various coveted staff appointments. He has represented India in numerous International fora. He is a recipient of The President’s Gold Medal ( The Naval Academy), Commendation by The Chief of the Naval Staff and the Vishisht Seva Medal.
A Fighter Pilot, a graduate of the Defence Services Staff College (DSSC) and the National Defence College, he has served as Chief Instructor at DSSC, Wellington. He was a Test Pilot for three years with HAL. As Deputy Chief, he served a full term on the HAL Board of Directors. He instructed at the Iraqi Air Force Fighter Leader School, Baghdad, in 1983-85. An alumnus of the Kennedy School of Government, Harvard; he holds a first-class M Sc degree from Madras University and is a Fellow of the Aeronautical Society of India. He was Deputy Chief of the Air Staff; Commander-in-Chief, Eastern Air Command and, finally, Vice Chief of the Air Staff. He was appointed Hon’ble Member, UPSC, upon retirement from the IAF, in 2003. He completed his full 5-year term in this Constitutional Appointment, in 2008. A Life-Member of IDSA and the USI, he presently serves on the Executive Councils of the VIF & the USI. He has been a member of the Aspen-Ananta India-US, India-China & India-Japan Strategic Dialogues, since 2013.
Mr Sridhar Rajavelu, Founding Member
Sridhar Rajavelu is Dean of International Programs and an Associate Professor of Political Science in the Madras Christian College, India. He has over twenty five years of teaching and research experience. His areas of interest include India’s Foreign Policy, Nuclear Security, and Human Security Issues. He is an alumnus of the Fulbright American Studies Institute’s National Security Program conducted by Delaware University in 2005. He is the Secretary of the South India American Studies Association that promotes American Studies in India. Sridhar has held positions in Madras Christian College including those of Admission Officer of the College, Vice-President of the College Union Society, and Dean of Student Affairs. He is also the Joint Secretary of the MCC Alumni Association, the oldest Alumni Association in the Country. He has been Coordinator of international programs such as the Semester in India Programs of the Davidson College and Furman University and the India Study Program of the Elmhurst College of the USA.
Sridhar Rajavelu is Dean of International Programs and an Associate Professor of Political Science in the Madras Christian College, India. He has over twenty five years of teaching and research experience. His areas of interest include India’s Foreign Policy, Nuclear Security, and Human Security Issues. He is an alumnus of the Fulbright American Studies Institute’s National Security Program conducted by Delaware University in 2005. He is the Secretary of the South India American Studies Association that promotes American Studies in India. Sridhar has held positions in Madras Christian College including those of Admission Officer of the College, Vice-President of the College Union Society, and Dean of Student Affairs. He is also the Joint Secretary of the MCC Alumni Association, the oldest Alumni Association in the Country. He has been Coordinator of international programs such as the Semester in India Programs of the Davidson College and Furman University and the India Study Program of the Elmhurst College of the USA.
