India’s 500-year technological decline wasn’t passive — it was an active siege, and its reversal is happening right now. Astrochemist-turned-strategy-analyst Chaitanya Giri discusses his book “The Long Siege,” which traces India’s civilisational arc from 1508 through 1857 and into the present revival through the stories of largely forgotten pioneers.
Using the concept of “complex convergence” — drawn from his research on the origins of life on comets and asteroids — Giri argues that India’s techno-civilisational renaissance is not a sudden event but the product of intersecting historical forces. Remarkable vignettes emerge: a secret Shivaji Club training in Japan, Einstein considering a professorship at BHU, Bose’s scientific theory of independence. This is a book about the unseen engineers of India’s endurance.

About the Speaker:
Chaitanya Giri is an astrochemist turned science and technology strategy analyst. He received the Dieter Rampacher Prize from Germany’s Max Planck Society for his research on the origins of life conducted as part of the Rosetta comet mission. After postdoctoral research on asteroidal and early-nebula materials at leading planetary science laboratories worldwide, he has contributed to India’s space, polar, and science strategy initiatives across multiple government agencies. He is currently a fellow at the Centre for Security, Strategy, and Technology at the Observer Research Foundation.

Debasis Sarkar is an Anchor at The Sangam Talks and an independent researcher in Indology.