What is Baithak?
Baithak: Conversations in Policy is a discussion-based platform that brings together CCS alumni, students, and young professionals to engage thoughtfully with important themes in public policy. Each Baithak is structured as a moderated conversation between a speaker and a moderator, designed to explore ideas in depth and provide context and clarity. The discussion is followed by an interactive question-and-answer session, offering the audience an opportunity to engage directly with the speaker and reflect on the issues raised.

Why Baithak?
Baithak is a platform for anyone interested in public policy to engage in discussion on contemporary socio-cultural and economic issues. It brings participants into conversation with speakers from the liberal movement across the world, offering perspectives drawn from real policy work in different contexts. The aim is to build a shared space for learning and exchange that contributes to policy thinking beyond borders.

Through these discussions, participants learn from experiences of working on the ground across a range of issues, from street vendors and low-cost private schools to property rights for indigenous communities and technology freedom for farmers.

Topic: Heterodox Academy: Why Open Societies need Open Inquiry

About the Speaker

John Tomasi is the inaugural President of Heterodox Academy. Prior to joining HxA, he served as the Romeo Elton 1843 Professor of Natural Theology at Brown University. He is the author of Liberalism Beyond Justice: Citizens, Society, and the Boundaries of Political Theory (2001), Free Market Fairness (2012), and numerous influential articles in political philosophy.

About the Moderator

Anshu is Junior Associate at CCS. He studies political science at Hindu College, University of Delhi. His academic interests lie in liberal political thought and philosophical questions surrounding political obligation.