India got independence in 1947 — but never true swatantrata. Sankrant Sani and Dr. Balasubramaniam deliver the argument that changes everything.
In this ICF book release discussion, Sankrant Sani presents the central thesis of The Third Republic: India’s governance structure remains the British colonial apparatus. He reveals that 85–90% of India’s Constitution was copied from the Government of India Act 1935 — an act Nehru himself called a “charter of slavery.” Tracing three republics (ancient Indian, colonial British, and the envisioned third), Sankrant argues that swatantrata — genuine self-rule rooted in Indian civilizational values — was never established. He proposes a Right to Legislate (ballot initiatives) and the KUSHAL citizen feedback system as first steps.
Dr. Balasubramaniam — who spent 26 years living among tribal communities before joining India’s Capacity Building Commission — brings a practitioner’s voice. Drawing from Kautilya, the Bhagavad Gita, and the Ramayana, his team has built a competency framework that has trained 2 million civil servants on janseva values, moving from a rules-based to a role-based model of public service. He contrasts Kautilya’s relational state with Machiavelli’s power-retention model. Moderator Dr. Sahasrabuddhe closes by naming five crises — identity, purpose, authenticity, ownership, and relationship — that the Third Republic must resolve.
About the Speakers:
Dr. R Balasubramaniam (Balu) is a widely respected development expert, public policy analyst, leadership trainer and author. He has spent several decades living and working among forest based tribal communities in the southern Indian district of Mysore. He is a medical doctor by training, with specialization in Public administration from Harvard University. Inspired by the life and teachings of Swami Vivekananda, he founded the Swami Vivekananda Youth Movement at the age of 19 and went on to work with the displaced and dispossessed forest-based tribes. He has been bestowed with the honour of being the Frank H T Rhodes Professor at Cornell University, USA. Over the years, Dr. R. Balasubramaniam has been a member of several Central and State Government committees. He also served as an adviser and consultant to the World Bank and WHO. He is also the Professor and Head of the Vivekananda Chair, University of Mysore.
Dr. Vinay Sahasrabuddhe is a nationalist social worker, an author and a Parliamentarian. Sahasrabuddhe is a post-Graduate in English Literature and a PhD in Political Science. Since January 2018, Dr. Sahasrabuddhe is the President of Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR).
Sankrant Sanu Ji is an entrepreneur, writer, and researcher based in Seattle and Gurgaon. His areas of interest include history, religious and cultural studies, entrepreneurship and technology. Sankrant has been actively involved in writing, consulting and social projects. His writings have appeared in various publications in India, the USA, and the UK.
