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In-Person (Invite Only) In-Person Event

Building Bridges: Global Social Sciences Colloqium

May 11, 2026 - May 13, 2026
9 a.m.
Mumbai

About This Event

As part of Navati – marking 90th years of TISS – the Institute is hosting this international colloquium that brings together scholars, practitioners, diplomats, policy thinkers, educational advisors, and institutions from across the globe. Conceived as a dynamic platform for exchange, the gathering reflects the Institute’s enduring commitment to dialogue that transcends borders and disciplines. At its core, the Colloquium foregrounds India’s development experience as a vital source of global knowledge, examining its relevance across diverse social, cultural, economic, and geopolitical contexts. By situating local trajectories within wider global conversations, it positions India as a key contributor to contemporary knowledge production. Participants will engage in high-level round table discussions that reflect the plurality of perspectives shaping knowledge across regions and traditions, while collaboratively shaping forward-looking agendas for global engagement. Through interdisciplinary dialogue, the colloquium will address complex and interconnected challenges, encouraging innovative, comparative, and practice-oriented approaches that bridge ideas with meaningful action.

Inauguration Invitation

Official invitation brochure

Session Details

Complete programme schedule & panel details

Featured Speakers

Distinguished scholars, policymakers, and global collaborators participating in the colloquium.

Shri Dharmendra Pradhan

Hon’ble Chief Guest

Shri Dr. Vineet Joshi

Secretary, Dept. of Higher education, Ministry of Education

Prof. D. P. Singh

Chancellor, TISS

Prof. Badri Narayan Tiwari

Vice Chancellor, TISS

Dr. Surjit S. Bhalla

Former Member, Prime Minister’s Economic Advisory Council

Prof. Siri Hettige

University of Colombo

Prof. Abdul Shaban

Professor and Chairperson of the Centre for Public Policy, Habitat and Human Development at Tata Institute of Social Sciences.

Mr. Aditya Malkhani

Regional Director, Membership- The Association of Commonwealth University

Prof. Alexander Sorokin

Dean of the St. Petersburg School of Social Sciences and Senior Research Fellow at HSE University, Russia.

Dr. Almas Maz

Senior Lecturer at the University of Dar es Salaam

Prof. Amitabh Kundu

JNU (Rtd.)

Ms. Amrita Sadarangani

Chief Academic Services Officer at the University of York Mumbai

Prof. Anil Sutar

Prof. Aseem Prakash

Mr. Ashish Jaiswar

University of Reading

Dr. Bhawna Kumar

Acumen

Prof. Bino Paul

Prof. Bipin JoJo

Mr. R Chandra Sekhar

Bloomsbury Publishing India Pvt. Ltd.

Dr. Chetna Duggal

Prof. Dhananjay Singh

Member Secretary, ICSSR

Mr. Dhiraj Mehra

University of Notre Dame

Dr. Dinesh Kafle

Kathmandu University

H. E. Mr. Erik af Hallstrom

Consul General of Finland, Mumbai

Dr. Jamie Rhodes

UCL

Prof. John Bwalya

Copperbelt University, Zambia

Dr. Jonathan Symons

Macquarie University, Australia

👤

Dr. Kevin Davis

University of Sydney, Australia

Prof. Lindsay Oades - University of York, UK

Dr. Madhav Neupanne

Kathmandu University, Nepal

Prof. Madhushree Sekher

Dean, School of Skill Education

Dr. Manindra Nath Thakur

JNU

Prof. Manish Jha

Senior Professor at Tata Institute of Social Sciences

Prof. Mariappan M

Chairperson of the Centre for Hospital Management at the School of Health Systems Studies, Tata Institute of Social Sciences.

Dr. Narendra Mishra

Officiating Registrar, TISS

Mr. Niklas Kabel Pedersen

Voluntas, Denmark

Dr. Nisha Pandey

Director – Project & Policy Research at Ram Bhau Mhalgi Prabodhini, RMP

Prof. Nuzha Allassad Alhuzail

Sapir Academic College, Israel

Prof. P. K. Shajahan

Professor of Social Work

Dr. Pranjal Deekshit

Prof. Rabibrata Mukherjee

Professor of Chemical Engineering at IIT, Kharagpur and Dean for advanced research infrastructure

Dr. Rajagopal Devera

IAS (Rtd.)

Dr. Ramanand Nand

Dr. Rekha Mammen

Prof. Robert Chaskin

University of Chicago

Prof. Robert Harland - Loughborough University

Reader in Urban Graphic

Prof Ruth Gamble - La Trobe University, Australia

Mr. Ryan Pereira - USIEF

Prof. Samapti Guha

Dr. Sandhya Iyer

Dr. Santosh Kumar Gautam- University of Notre Dame

Dr. Shashank Shah

Director (Senior Specialist - Viksit Bharat Perspective Planning & Visioning)

Prof. Sunil Santha

Dean (Academic Affairs)

Mr. Todd Miller

Austrade

Event Agenda

May 11, 2026 | 9 a.m.

Arrival & Registration

May 11, 2026 | 10 a.m.

Welcome by Prof. Madhushree Sekher

 

TISS Tone and Tenor | Beyond the Case Study Paradigm: Viksit Bharat and India’s Emergence as a Global Social Science Knowledge Producer

 

Moderator: Dr. Manish Jha (TISS)

Panelists:

  • Dr. Shashank Shah (National Institution for Transforming India - NITI Aayog)
  • Dr. Dhananjay Singh (Indian Council of Social Science Research)
May 11, 2026 | 11:30 a.m.

Tea Break

May 11, 2026 | noon

Networking: Meet and Greet

May 11, 2026 | 1 p.m.

Lunch

May 11, 2026 | 2 p.m.

Inauguration

  • Welcome: Dr. Madhushree Sekher (TISS)
  • Context Setting - Understanding India: New Social Science Research
  • Optics: Prof. Badri Narayan Tiwari (Hon’ble Vice Chancellor, TISS)
  • Keynote Address: Dr. Surjit Bhalla (Former Member, Prime Minister’s Economic Advisory Council)
  • Special Guest Talk: Dr. Siri Hettige (Professor Emeritus, University of Colombo)
  • Address: Dr. Vineet Joshi (Secretary, Dept. of Higher Education, Ministry of Education)
  • Address: Prof. D.P Singh, Hon’ble Chancellor, TISS
  • Inaugural Address by the Chief Guest: Mr. Dharmendra Pradhan, Hon’ble Minister of Education
  • Launch of Publications by Chief Guest
  • Closing Remarks: Dr. Narendra Mishra, Registrar (Officiating)
May 11, 2026 | 4:30 p.m.

Tea Break

May 11, 2026 | 5 p.m.

PANEL 1 | Complex Geopolitics and the Relevance of Social Sciences

Moderator: Dr. Aseem Prakash (TISS)

Panelists:

  • H.E. Mr. Erik af Hallstrom (Consul General of Finland, Mumbai)
  • Dr. Rajagopal Devera, IAS (R), Former Additional Chief Secretary, Govt. of Maharashtra
  • Dr. Alexander Sorokin (HSE St. Petersburg)
  • Dr. John Bwalya (Copperbelt University, Zambia)
May 11, 2026 | 6 p.m.

PANEL 2 | India's Economic Scale and its Evolving Trajectory

Moderator: Dr. Abdul Shaban (TISS)

Panelists:

  • Mr. Todd Miller (Austrade)
  • Dr. Nisha Pandey (Rambhau Mhalgi Prabodhini)
  • Dr. Amitabh Kundu (Jawaharlal Nehru University) (Rtd.)
May 11, 2026 | 7 p.m.

Cultural Programme: Dances of India

May 11, 2026 | 8 p.m.

Dinner hosted by Prof. Badri Narayan Tiwari (Vice Chancellor, TISS)

Event Details

Start Date
May 11, 2026
End Date
May 13, 2026
Time
9 a.m.
Venue
Convention Centre , TISS New Campus
Mumbai
Category
In-Person (Invite Only)