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: The Monetary Crises Ahead and Why Gold is the Solution
About the Speaker
Shanmuganathan. N is an investor and economist. He has extensive consulting experience in more than 10 countries in North America & Europe. He is the author of the book RIP USD: 1971 - 202X and has penned more than 100 columns in newsletters worldwide espousing the ideals of Laissez Faire Economics.
About the Moderator
Kumar Anand is Senior Fellow, CCS Academy & Policy Training. He is an economist and public policy professional with over 15 years of experience. He has worked on questions related to Indian Economy, Indian Economic History, and Public Policy at government and non-governmental organizations including Asianomics Limited, National Institute of Public Finance & Policy, Free A Billion, and Centre for Civil Society.
Kumar has written for numerous national and international publications including Le Point - Phebe, Asianomics, The Hindu, Rajasthan Patrika, Pragati, and Swarajya among others. Kumar has also delivered invited lectures on Public Policy at a variety of places including University of Oklahoma, Indira Gandhi Institute of Development Research, and Indian Institute of Technology Madras. He studied economics at University of Delhi and the Gokhale Institute of Politics & Economics, Pune.
