To commemorate Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, the Centre for Policy Research (CPR) invites you to the first lecture as part of:
India and the World
A lecture series bringing together distinguished speakers who have a long and deep engagement with India
Speaker: Peter Varghese, Vice Chancellor, University of Queensland, Former Australian High Commissioner to India
Chair: Shyam Saran, Senior Fellow, CPR and Former Indian Foreign Secretary
Read the full text of the lecture here.
The discussion will also be live-streamed on the CPR Facebook page.
In case of any issues and for any queries, please email at communication@cprindia.org.
About the Speaker
Peter Varghese began as Chancellor of The University of Queensland on 11 July 2016, and is now serving his second term. Prior to this appointment, Mr Varghese’s extensive career in public service and diplomacy spanned 38 years and included senior positions in foreign affairs, trade policy and intelligence. Most recently, he served as Secretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (2012-2016). Previous senior appointments included High Commissioner to India (2009-2012), High Commissioner to Malaysia (2000-2002), Director-General of the Office of National Assessments (2004-2009), and Senior Advisor (International) to the Prime Minister of Australia (2003-2004). Mr Varghese was the author of a comprehensive India Economic Strategy to 2035 commissioned by the Australian Prime Minister and submitted in July 2018.
Mr Varghese was educated at The University of Queensland, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts with Honours and a University Medal in history in 1978. He was appointed an Officer in the Order of Australia (AO) in 2010 and received an Honorary Doctorate of Letters from The University of Queensland in 2013.
Mr Varghese is chair of the Asialink Council and sits on the boards of CARE Australia and North Queensland Airports. He is also on the international governing board of the Rajaratnum School of International Studies in Singapore. He was awarded the Sir Edward “Weary” Dunlop Asialink Medal in 2019 in recognition of outstanding contributions to improving Australia-Asia relations.
About the Series
As part of the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, a special celebration organized by the Government of India to commemorate the 75th year of India’s Independence, the Centre for Policy Research (CPR) has launched a flagship lecture series titled, ‘India and the World’. The series will bring together distinguished speakers who have had a long and deep engagement with the country to understand their perspectives on India’s global relationships and how the world understands and engages with India – our history, our democracy, our economy and our society. This series will seek to bring a global perspective into dialogue with India with the objective of celebrating the country, its role in global governance and articulating a pathway in the new, shifting geopolitical landscape.
