CAMBRIDGE, MA–The 23rd India Conference at Harvard, a major student-led global forum examining India’s rise across business, policy and culture, will bring together prominent voices from sport, politics and the creative industries next month, with Olympic champion P.V. Sindhu, parliamentarian Shashi Tharoor and designer Manish Malhotra among its headline speakers.
Scheduled for February 14 and 15, 2026, the conference will be held jointly at Harvard Business School and Harvard Kennedy School in Boston, continuing more than two decades of student-driven engagement on India’s evolving role on the global stage, according to a media release.
Two-time Olympic medalist and world champion badminton player P.V. Sindhu will participate in a moderated panel examining the evolution of India’s sports ecosystem and the relationship between elite performance, leadership and national identity. The session aligns with the conference theme, “The India We Imagine,” highlighting how sporting excellence and professional management shape India’s international sporting image.
Sindhu, the first Indian to win gold at the Badminton World Championships, has emerged as one of the country’s most recognisable sporting figures. Her appearance will include a discussion with Satyam Trivedi, chief executive of GMR Sports, focusing on how athletes and sports administrators together project India’s cultural confidence and global ambition.
The conference will also feature a keynote address by Shashi Tharoor, Member of Parliament and chairman of India’s Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs. A former United Nations under-secretary-general and widely read public intellectual, Tharoor is expected to anchor the conference theme through reflections on India’s constitutional ideals, democratic traditions and international engagement.
Organisers said Tharoor’s participation underscores the conference’s emphasis on serious civic and intellectual debate, exploring how ideas of India are articulated, challenged and advanced by institutions and citizens. His address is expected to draw on decades of experience in diplomacy, politics and writing on India’s place in the world.
Adding a cultural perspective, acclaimed fashion designer Manish Malhotra will speak on how fashion, film and creative entrepreneurship shape India’s global cultural identity. His session, moderated by Simi Shah, founder and chief executive of South Asian Trailblazers, will explore how creativity and cultural confidence contribute to a vision of India that is globally engaged while remaining rooted in indigenous traditions.
Now in its 23rd year, the India Conference at Harvard is among the largest and most influential student-led India-focused conferences in the United States. Organised by around 100 students from across Harvard University, it brings together policymakers, entrepreneurs, cultural figures and thought leaders for dialogue on India’s role in global affairs.
This year’s programme will feature more than 70 speakers over two days, including a fireside chat with actor Priyanka Chopra, a policy hackathon conducted with the governments of Jammu and Kashmir and GDi Partners on climate risk and sustainability, and a startup pitch competition offering over $20,000 in prizes.
Over the years, the India Conference has served as a platform connecting India’s emerging leaders with global influencers, reflecting the country’s expanding footprint in international business, governance and culture, while providing students a space to shape conversations on India’s future through dialogue and debate. (Source: IANS)
