My PhD thesis was titled, “Interpreting the Regional Security Complex Theory in the context of South Asia’s Nuclearisation” at the Centre for International Politics, Organization and Disarmament, School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University.
My undergraduate and post graduate studies were in University of Delhi and Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), respectively.
My research interests lie in the centrality of India in the immediate neighbourhood of South Asia, the wider region of Southern Asia and its increasing political profile in the Asian and global areas. In the past, I have written on Nepal, India-Pakistan, India-China and Pakistan-China relations.
I enjoy reading, journalism and cinema.
BA History (Delhi, 1999).
MA International Relations (Jawaharlal Nehru University, 2001).
M. Phil International Relations (Jawaharlal Nehru University, 2003).
PhD International Relations (Jawaharlal Nehru University, 2009).
I have moved across disciplines over time and with my changing interests. My BA (1999) is in History and my interest in the Rise of Modern Europe together with the debate after the South Asian Nuclear Tests in 1998 prompted my MA in International Relations (1999-2001).
My Masters coincided with the changing focus of International Relations from hard traditional military security issues to a more expansive definition of security, involving the focus on refugees, human security and enviornment. However, primarily owing to my interests, I engaged with traditional notions of power and security in the South Asian plus China region focussed on Nuclear Weapons and Balance of Power.
The years of doctoral research and with my experience in the Peace and Conflict Studies department, made me conscious of the limitations of the dominant theoretical approaches in International Relations. Peace and Conflict Studies brought an entirely fresh approach to the study of conflicts and their resolution, drawing from multiple disciplines and helping generate new ideas and ways to examine contemporary problems.
With my Phd in International Relations focussed on strategic concerns of the South Asian Region, I have worked on China, Pakistan and Civil-Military Relations aspects of Indian Security. My first teaching assignment at Sikkim University was in Peace and Conflict Studies, where I taught, Theory of Peace and Conflict, Gender, Conflict in South Asia, Indian Foreign Policy.
In the past (2005-2010), I was the Assistant Editor of, China Report : A Journal of East Asian Studies, published by Institute of Chinese Studies and Sage.
My interests in China was further encouraged due to the mentoring of my teachers, engagement with elective courses offered and my choice of research for various academic writing requirements. The professional assignment with China Report furthered by interests in China and the ramifications of its growth and trajectory for the Asian region in particular and possible Indian responses.
The three and half years, I spent teaching in a Peace and Conflict Studies (PCS) department, brought my attention to the normative aspects of the Social Sciences and the potential richeness of analysis, insights and the creative aspects of PCS in dealing with intractable issues at the global, national and local levels.
I am currently engaged with possible configurations of autonomy and decentralisation arrangements to deal with the numeorus autonomy demands in India.
BA (Political Science)
International Relations Theory
Indian Foreign Policy
Peace and Conflict Studies
MA (Political Science)
International Relations Theory
Comparative Politics
Global Politics
International Studies Association.
Indian Association of International Studies.
"Security Challenges of a Rising Asia”, China Report, 45:4, October-December 2009.
“India Pakistan Peace Process: Incremental Progress?” in Anjali Ghosh et al (edited)
Indian Foreign Policy, Jadavpur University and Pearson 2009.
“China in Pakistan’s Security Perceptions” in Swaran Singh, edited, China-Pakistan
Strategic Cooperation: Indian Perspectives, Centre De Sciences Humaines and
Manohar, New Delhi, 2007.
“The Nuclear Tangle in South[ern] Asia”, China Report, 42: 3, July-September 2006.
“The Strategic Triangle: India-China-Pakistan”, in China Report, 40:2, April- June
2004, Institute of Chinese Studies, New Delhi, India.
Presidency University Students Corner