Conference on Engaging with India in a Multi-Polar World

Conference keynote speakers in alphabetical order

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Kristina Garalytė
Associate Professor and researcher at the Institute of Asian and Transcultural Studies at Vilnius University

She got her PhD in Social Sciences (Cultural Anthropology) at Vytautas Magnus University in 2016, with a dissertation titled Dalit Student Movement in India: From Identity Politics to Counter Culture Movement. Garalytė specializes in South Asian anthropology and cultural area studies. Her research centers on social and political phenomena in India and South Asia, with a particular focus on caste-based social inequality and Dalit movement. She also explores connections between South Asia and Lithuania by examining the Indian migrant community in Lithuania and the alternative orientalist religiosity in the late 20th century and contemporary Lithuania. She is involved in two research projects funded by the Research Council of Lithuania: 1) Ethnic, National and Transnational Identities and Geopolitical Attitudes of Third-country Nationals in Lithuania in the Context of the War in Ukraine and 2) Alternative Religiosity in Soviet and Post-Soviet Lithuania: Orientalist Religious Movements and their Features, Manifestations and Transformations.

Garalytė co-edited a special issue of South Asia Multidisciplinary Academic Journal titled Student Politics in South Asia, a special issue of CASTE: A Global Journal of Social Exclusion titled Historical and Contemporary Anti-Caste Utopias: A Dalit Bahujan Discourse, and an edited volume Anthropology: A Humanistic Science (Vilnius University Press).

In addition to her research, Garalytė is teaching both undergraduate and master’s level courses. Her teaching portfolio includes Anthropology of South Asia, Area Studies and Research, and Social Movements in Asia. From 2018 to 2024, Garalytė served as the Director of the Institute of Asian and Transcultural Studies at Vilnius University. Since 2024, she has been leading the Vilnius University Asian Studies Program Committee.

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Harsh V. Pant
Vice President – Studies and Foreign Policy at Observer Research Foundation, New Delhi

Professor Harsh V. Pant is a Professor of International Relations with King's India Institute at King’s College London. He is also Director (Honorary) of Delhi School of Transnational Affairs at Delhi University.

Professor Pant has been a Visiting Professor at the Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore; a Visiting Professor at Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi; a Visiting Fellow at the Center for the Advanced Study of India, University of Pennsylvania; a Visiting Scholar at the Center for International Peace and Security Studies, McGill University; a Non-Resident Fellow with the Wadhwani Chair in US-India Policy Studies at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, Washington, DC; and an Emerging Leaders Fellow at the Australia-India Institute, University of Melbourne.

Professor Pant's current research is focused on Asian security issues. His most recent books include India and Global Governance: A Rising Power and Its Discontents (Routledge), Politics and Geopolitics: Decoding India’s Neighbourhood Challenge (Rupa), America and the Indo-Pacific: Trump and Beyond (Routledge), New Directions in India’s Foreign Policy: Theory and Praxis (Cambridge University Press), India’s Nuclear Policy (Oxford University Press), The US Pivot and Indian Foreign Policy (Palgrave Macmillan), Handbook of Indian Defence Policy (Routledge), and India’s Afghan Muddle (HarperCollins).

Professor Pant writes regularly for various Indian and international media outlets including the Japan Times, the Wall Street Journal, the National (UAE), the Hindustan Times, and the Telegraph.

Indian Foreign Policy at a Time of Global Churn
Harsh V Pant, Vice President of the Observer Research Foundation, India

India’s political trajectory since its independence in 1947 has been one of the most interesting and significant democratic experimentations in human history. The nation’s journey has been bold, audacious and, at times, even tempestuous, but it has always been linked to the wider trends in the global order. From the very beginning, Indian policymakers wanted to carve a special role for their nation in the global polity. Indian foreign policy today stands at an inflection point at a time when global order is passing through an unprecedented flux with structural, institutional and normative shifts, making it imperative for nations to be highly adaptive in their approach and policy frameworks. India’s rise has made it central to most of the conversations on global governance, and unlike in the past, there are some critical choices to be made.

Great power politics is once again shaping every dimension of the global order: climate change and sustainable development, infrastructure and connectivity, trajectory of trade partnerships, technological developments for the Fourth Industrial Revolution and global health paradigms. In the absence of major power consensus, the ideas of emerging powers like India have found greater receptivity. Indian foreign and security policies is having to contend with these shifts much like other nations. But unlike in the past, today, New Delhi wants to play a ‘leading role’ in the international system so that it can shape global outcomes, rather than merely being a recipient of the frameworks set by others. In the Indo-Pacific, for example, a large part of its foreign policy today is to find opportunities in a challenging environment to shape global outcomes. One of the ways in which India along with others have responded to this is to push the envelope on building issue-based coalitions among like-minded nations. The plethora of Mini laterals in the Indo-Pacific today underscore the stark void in this vast geography when it comes to institutionalization.

India’s past diffidence in making certain foreign policy choices is rapidly giving way to greater readiness to acknowledge the need for reassessing old assumptions. And in return the evolving global order is also responding by acknowledging India’s critical role in the emergence of the new strategic realities.

Engaging with India in a multipolar world: India and the Baltic states
Dr. Sriparna Pathak. O.P. Jindal Global University, India

The existing international order is undergoing several through several strains and pressures as ongoing conflicts in myriad formats make it further tumultuous. As countries seek to increase their own levels of development, economic engagements become even more pertinent than ever before. As countries and corporations continue to actively look for alternative supply chains, in the face of constant breakdowns of essentials from the world’s manufacturing platform, China; the concept of China Plus One gains in importance. Given India’s favorable growth rates along with a positive demographic dividend, it is looked at by several countries to become a crucial supplier of goods and services, beyond just essentials. For India, active partnerships with all are also crucial as it seeks to propel the Make in India programme and improve its share of manufacturing exports in the world. While India has become a partner of choice and India actively seeks to leverage international economics, a closer look at the Baltic states become important. Industry in the Baltic states is prominent, particularly the production of food and beverages, textiles, wood products, along with electronics, machine building and metal fabricating. In 2023, trade between India and the Baltic states stood at USD 595.48 million, which was a decrease from USD 705.05 million in 2022. There is a need to understand the decrease and to expand cooperation between the existing arenas. This paper analyses the arenas in which trade between India and the Baltic states can be further expanded and the opportunities that lie therein. The paper relies on primarily as well as secondary data and follows a mixed model of research methodology.

Bordering an aggressive neighbor: can Estonia and India learn from each other?
Karin Dean, Tallinn University, Eur-Asian Border Lab
Kalpit A Mankikar, Observer Research Foundation (India)

Although at different scales, both Estonia and India share voluminous border spaces with an aggressive neighbor. Russia by waging a war of aggression in Ukraine is violating the United Nations charter on the sovereignty of states and is a perceived threat to its other neighbors. China annexed Tibet in 1951 and invaded territories in Ladakh and contemporary Arunachal Pradesh in 1962, known as the Sino-Indian War. It continues to assert claims in the Himalayan region across the Line of Actual Control (LAC) agreed after the war.

While China is exerting pressure and deploying various tactics below the threshold of traditional warfare to keep the border issue with India alive, Estonia (and other countries on Russian eastern flank) have experienced constant Russian provocations and tensions at their borders, referred to as tricks and tactics by the Estonian Border Police Chief Egert Belitsev. In case of the ceasefire or freezing of conflict between Russia and Ukraine, these provocations are likely to increase, as Russia frees resources to enhance its unconventional tactics and strategies of ‘grey’ warfare, also warned by many European intelligence services.

The paper discusses the contemporary tactics by Russia and China to exert pressure and cause tensions at their borderlands, respectively, with Estonia and India. It regards borders not as linear but instead as volumetric spaces extending vertically into air (to be violated by drones, planes), sea or terrain (to be violated by undersea cables, ground tunnels, landmines), as well as virtual space (subject to virtual attacks). By discussing some of the developments at both volatile borderlands comparatively, the paper asks if Estonia (and Baltics/Finland) and India have anything to learn from each other in order to counter the provocations by their aggressive neighbors and keep their borderlands calm.

Russia's Pivot to Asia: Is India Just a Friendly Counterbalance against China?
Anastasia Sinitsyna, University of Tartu

Russia's "pivot to Asia" reflects Moscow's intention to diversify its geopolitical and economic engagements beyond the West. This paper examines the roles of China and India within this foreign policy strategy, questioning whether India serves merely as "a friendly counterbalance" against China. By analysing and comparing the convergences and divergences of Russia's interests with China and India in key areas of Moscow's pivot to Asia that are the geoeconomic upgrading of Russia's Far East, Eurasian integration, and closer alignment with diverse actors in the region), this policy paper finds that Russia shares significant converging interests with both states. However, Beijing's strong presence in these areas exacerbates Moscow's concerns about becoming a junior partner of China. These concerns, coupled with the lighter presence of India in the above-mentioned areas in the pivot to Asia, suggest that the primary role of New Delhi is as a friendly counterbalance against China in that particular context. Nevertheless, the implications of the war in Ukraine for Moscow's engagements with the two states shed light on a broader perspective on these two dyads. Beyond the pivot to Asia, India plays a more significant and multifaceted role than counterbalancing China in Russia's foreign policy. In particular, this broader perspective points to the robust cooperation between India and Russia in energy and defence, despite the subsequent declines, as well as interdependence between this bilateral relationship and global geopolitical dynamics involving the US.

Localising the ‘Indo-European’: Towards a Cultural History of Indian Interest in Baltic Neo-/Paganism/s
Gautam Chakrabarti, Dr.phil, IFES, Europa-Universität Viadrina

The proposed paper shall focus — from a cultural-historical and comparative ethnographic perspective — on the various ways (both politically-ideologically inflected and not) in which various post-/Soviet Baltic neo-pagan movements, especially the Maavalla Koda, Dievturība and Romuva, are seen in/from India. The aim will be to examine these rather intriguing (from an Indian viewpoint) belief-systems as received and valorised — especially in the context of rising public and performative religiosity — in contemporary India. Hence, the paper will not dwell as much on the real and/or perceived resonances between Hindu/Buddhist/Jain/Sikh or — to use the generic term — Indic ritual-practices and core religio-cultural concepts and those of the Baltic faith-communities, as engage with the performative politics of its categorisation— in India — as a post-Soviet „neo-pagan“ and possibly Indophile cultural self-assertion. In the process, there will be references to the complex Soviet-era situations of these movements and the peculiar societal-cultural and ideological nuances and legacies of that experience. It should also be interesting to compare the deep multicultural and syncretic engagements and occasional ideological-spatial conflicts between Indic and Abrahamic faith-practices in India and similar phenomena in the Baltic States.

This presentation shall also seek to relate these religio-cultural affinities with the rising Baltic popular interest in contemporary Indian cultural products and phenomena, transcending obvious references to Indian cuisines, Yoga, Ayurveda and Bollywood. One might even make the case that Indian ‘soft power’ has — in the Baltic States — paved the way to a deeper and more sustainable politico-economic engagement with the world’s largest democracy and fifth largest economy. Finally, this paper would attempt to contextualize this Baltic-European ‘pivot to India’ against the backdrop of contemporary geopolitical challenges.

Indian Migrants in Lithuania: Their Sense of Belonging, Community Dynamics, and Geopolitical Views in the Context of the War in Ukraine
Kristina Garalyté, Assistant Professor

Lithuania has recently emerged as an increasingly popular destination for Indian migrants. In 2022, the Indian population in Lithuania stood at 1,118; by early 2025, that number had surged to 7,207. As of now, Indians represent the fifth-largest migrant group in the country, following migrants from Ukraine, Belarus, Russia, and Uzbekistan.

This presentation delves into the migration stories of Indians, their experiences living in Lithuania, and the dynamics of their communities, as well as their perspectives on the ongoing war in Ukraine. It aims to explore how Indians in Lithuania perceive and react to the geopolitical crisis affecting Ukraine and Europe, and how this shapes their sense of belonging and integration in their new environment.
India maintains a neutral stance on the war, a position shaped by its long-standing ties with Russia in the defense and energy sectors, as well as its evolving role as a global power that seeks to navigate geopolitics while prioritizing strategic autonomy. This approach strongly influences public opinion in India and, in turn, shapes how its citizens view the war.

However, for Indian migrants in Lithuania—a country firmly supportive of Ukraine and a place where the specter of war spillover looms large—this shift in environment raises important questions. How do Indian migrants in Lithuania view the war and the broader geopolitical landscape? To what extent are their geopolitical perspectives influenced by India’s official position? How do their geopolitical attitudes and sense of belonging evolve amidst the proximity to war in their new surroundings? Finally, how can their geopolitical views be understood within the context of the integration versus disintegration debates in migration studies?

This research forms part of a broader project titled “Ethnic, National, and Transnational Identities and Geopolitical Attitudes of Third-Country Nationals in Lithuania in the Context of the War in Ukraine,” funded by the Research Council of Lithuania.

Potential effects on India's economy from the ongoing - drastic - trade diversion that is taking place in Asia
Christer Ljungwall Chalmers University of Technology

Trade relationships are continuing to reconfigure, and changing geopolitics is a major reason. As the global economic center of gravity shifts toward Asia, these disruptions present both structural challenges and new opportunities for India. My talk examines the economic underpinnings of the drastic trade shift in Asia, focusing on the implications for India’s trade policy, comparative advantage, and integration into global value chains.

Early Estonian Perception of India
Erki Lind, University of Tartu

In the 19th century, the scope of the Estonian printed word expanded notably, with popular magazines covering various topics from agriculture to geography taking their place next to traditional religious literature. At this time, India also started to appear in Estonian texts. This presentation studies the image of India in two 19th-century Estonian texts. Firstly, the first Estonian popular magazine, “Pühhapäwa Wahhe-luggemissed“ (Sunday Readings), published by O. W. Masing; and secondly, the first Estonian book dedicated entirely to India, „Missioni-Tö Tamuli rahwa seas India maal“ (Missionary Work among the Tamil Nation in India) by W. A. Hansen.

These texts paint a complex picture of India with different perspectives present. The biblical worldview is combined with modern geographical knowledge and scientific quest for knowledge, and the Christian missionary imperative meets the notion of shared universal humanity. How India is described is characteristic of the 19th-century culture in general that found itself between the two eras. A growing interest and curiosity in far-away lands and foreign cultures can be seen in this perception of India, with an appetite for knowledge as well as for exoticism, which, at the same time, is relatively free from many prejudices from the late colonial era.

From Handwritten Letters to Street Art: Gandhi and Tolstoy’s Ideals in Estonia’s Urban Landscape
Shameema Binte Rahman, Freelance Writer, Researcher, Tallinn

Street art, often regarded as a voice of contemporary resistance and cultural dialogue, serves as a powerful medium for cross-cultural connections. In Tartu, Estonia—a city renowned for its vibrant street art scene—one mural stands out: a striking depiction of Mahatma Gandhi and Leo Tolstoy side by side. This artwork, situated on Tolstoy Street, visually embodies the intellectual and philosophical discourse the two historical figures engaged in through their correspondence between 1909 and 1910.

Gandhi and Tolstoy, despite their geographical distance, were united by shared values of non-violence, self-reliance, and social justice. Their exchange of ideas played a crucial role in shaping Gandhi’s philosophy of passive resistance, which later influenced global civil rights movements. The mural in Tartu is more than an aesthetic piece; it serves as a site of historical memory and a reflection of the interconnectedness of Indo-European cultural thought.

By analysing this street art within the broader framework of Indo-European philosophical and cultural exchanges, this article explores how street art/public art resonates with themes of cross-cultural understanding. It examines the mural’s significance within the local Estonian context while juxtaposing it with historical intellectual exchanges, particularly the correspondence between Gandhi and Tolstoy. In doing so, this discussion highlights how visual storytelling transcends borders, bridging past and present through shared ideals.

Borderlands and its people in the context of imperial aspirations. Some lessons from the Line of Actual Control in Chang-Thang areas of India and China for Estonia.
Natalia Munatajeva, University of Tartu

This paper outlines the main challenges faced both by the polities and the local population on the frontier between territories controlled by India and China in the area of Changthang. Although historically the region was shared by the principalities of Western Tibet and the Kingdom of Ladakh, while experiencing different claims and multi-layered religious and civil power dynamics it had transparent borders, freedom of movement for its nomadic population and strong interconnections with the neighbours for centuries. Due to the claims by the PRC it has experienced ideological and military pressure for several decades on both sides of the frontier. Seen as the distant periphery from the Indian centre, this borderland area and its population posed conceptual and categorical challenges for the governmental offices, which led to the greater military, political and economic problems. For the local people, from the position of being central to their own world they shifted gradually to the margins of the great powers, being at the centre of the territorial dispute and ideological clash simultaneously. Apart from losing their lands and mobility, the people lost the ownership of self-identification for the sake of appearing more understandable and therefore reliable for the polities, who in turn initiated some developmental and supportive projects for the area.

One of the reasons for such a close scrutiny of the borderlands in Changthang may be the question - is it possible to put the claims of the PRC for the territory of Changthang and at times - all of Ladakh, in the same conceptual framework with the recent actions and statements of the authorities of the Russian Federation in relation to Estonia? And if so, then given all the differences between these two borders and its populations, what lessons from the experience of Changthang could be relevant for the Baltic country? In my attempt to answer these questions, partly I rely on my interviews and observations from the borderlands of Changthang and Estonia.

The Baltic States in the Context of Indo-Chinese Competition
Daniel Riether, University of Tartu

This presentation will introduce recent developments in China and India’s relations with the Baltic states in the context of Indo-Chinese competition. The Baltics have increasingly gained the attention of both India and China, two major competitors in economic and security sectors. Historically China has had a larger footprint in these states, but its role is diminishing while India’s is growing rapidly. Chinese interests in the Baltics are viewed with suspicion due to its cooperation and tacit support for Russia and increasingly aggressive behavior on the international stage, but there are similar concerns regarding Indian interests. In recent years, India has pursued an ambiguous strategic relationship with Russia, whom it relies upon heavily for armaments and energy supply. There are also concerns about increasingly authoritarian state measures employed within India, and extralegal crackdowns on dissent abroad. Nevertheless, the potential of the Indian market and their strategic positioning as a major competitor to China creates mutual incentives to foster closer relations between India and the Baltic states.

India-Baltic Renewable Energy Collaboration: Unlocking Opportunities
Aleksandra Sharapova, University of Turku

India has rapidly expanded its solar, wind, and hydrogen energy sectors, becoming an increasingly significant player in the global shift toward renewables. Meanwhile, the Baltic states are making impressive strides in offshore wind, digital energy solutions, and smart grids. With these strengths, there is a clear potential for deeper India-Baltic collaboration in renewable energy, especially in technology exchange, investment, and policy development.

Key areas for cooperation include:

• Offshore wind energy – The Baltic states have extensive experience in offshore wind, which could help India as it works to expand its own wind power along the coastline.

• Green hydrogen development – Since both regions are investing in hydrogen as a clean fuel, collaboration in research and industry could speed up innovation.

• Smart energy solutions – Estonia’s advancements in AI-driven energy management and smart grid technology could support India’s large-scale renewable energy projects.

By analyzing these areas, this study examines how India and the Baltic states can deepen their renewable energy ties, drive innovation, and contribute to shared sustainability goals within the global clean energy transition.

Why India–Estonia Need Stronger Ties
Mohan Jayaram, University of Tartu

India and Estonia, despite their geographical and economic differences, share complementary strengths that create immense potential for a stronger bilateral relationship. Diplomatic ties established in 1991 have evolved through further agreements in education, culture, trade, and technology. The presence of embassies in both countries and a growing Indian diaspora in Estonia further solidify this partnership.

India’s rapidly expanding economy, skilled workforce, and digital transformation align seamlessly with Estonia’s global leadership in e-governance, cybersecurity, and innovation. Recent collaborations in areas like cybersecurity and digital governance highlight the potential for deeper cooperation. Estonia’s expertise can accelerate India’s e-governance initiatives, while India offers access to its vast market and vibrant start-up ecosystem.

Strengthening people-to-people connectivity through cultural exchanges, tourism, and education will further enhance ties. Additionally, partnerships in green energy, sustainable agriculture, and vocational training can address global challenges like climate change and skill development. This presentation explores how existing diplomatic frameworks, including the Indian Embassy in Tallinn, can be leveraged to deepen this mutually rewarding relationship for a more interconnected and prosperous global future.

Baltic to Nordic from the Prism of History: India’s Growing European Miles
Dr Jagannath Panda Head, Stockholm Center for South Asian and Indo-Pacific Affairs, ISDP, Sweden

The rise of India is becoming a permanent entity in the global multipolar architecture. Through partnerships in trade and technology, naval and maritime aspects, space and land technology, and energy and electric aviation cooperation, India and the Baltic as well as the Nordics carry the potential to forge a greater partnership that would augment the economic landscape of Europe-Asia. This promising alliance, anchored by India and the Baltic as well as Nordic countries’ joint technological expertise and manufacturing might, represents more than mere commercial opportunism—it signals a strategic realignment. For this emerging strategic alignment to be successful, there must be concerted political will from both India and the Baltic countries, as well as regular and open policy exchanges at working and high levels to resolve points of divergence and strengthen areas of convergence. Such an effort could be built and strengthened through historical parameters and knowledge-sharing exercises.

CONFERENCE SITE

All sessions take place in the University of Tartu Faculty of Arts and Humanities. Please enter from the main entrance, take a few steps up the stairs and you will find the conference room at your left.

Street address: Lossi 3, Tartu.

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WELCOME RECEPTION

The welcome reception takes place in Ülikooli Kohvik restaurant that is located in the historic building next to the University of Tartu main building.

Street address: Ülikooli 20, Tartu.

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ARRIVING TO TARTU

There are several options to arrive in Tartu.

BY PLANE

Tartu Airport (15 min drive, 10 km from Tartu city centre).
Tartu Airport has Helsinki-Tartu flights. From the airport, there is a special Airport Shuttle, an Express bus No. E1 operating between Tartu Airport and Tartu City. Detailed timetables and stops are provided here.

Lennart Meri Airport in Tallinn (2 hours drive, 176 km from Tartu)
Tallinn Airport has direct air links to numerous cities. To travel from Tallinn airport to Tartu there is a choice between a bus and a train. You can board the Tallinn-Tartu line from the Tallinn airport for a bus, or from Ülmiste stop for train. Tickets can be bought online and downloaded to a smartphone.

Riga Airport in Latvia (3.5 hours drive, 253 km from Tartu)
There is a special bus line from the Riga Airport in Latvia to Tartu Coach station that we’d recommend. It is operated by the Lux Express company, and the direct link to their ticket platform is here. Please make sure the selected stops are Riga Airport and Tartu Coach Station.

BY BUS

Tartu bus station is a few minutes walk from the conference venue. All bus tickets can be purchased on the Tpilet website and bus station ticket offices. Tickets can be purchased in advance for 10 to 180 days, depending on the bus company. Please note that arriving at the bus station is advisable 15 minutes before departure. If you are arriving by plane via Lennart Meri Airport in Tallinn, there is also a bus stop at the airport “Tallinn Airport”.

BY TRAIN

To travel from Tallinn to Tartu there is also an option for a train. You can board the Tallinn-Tartu train bus either from “Balti jaam” or “Ülemiste” (type the name for the departure), and the destination will be Tartu. Tickets can be bought online and downloaded to a smartphone.

HOTELS

You will find a large variety of nice hotels and other places to stay in online booking sites. The venue is located in the University of Tartu. Address: Lossi 3, Tartu, Estonia. For all the presenters and keynote speakers we have booked rooms in Dorpat Hotel.