Shishir Priyadarshi is not one to waste a room.

If he’s hosting an event, he’ll find you. He’ll make it a point to greet each guest, even in a hall of 500 people. He’ll introduce himself softly and courteously, with the unhurried manner of a man who has spent years in diplomatic corridors at home and abroad. He’ll hand out his business card readily. And he’ll make sure to mention Chintan early.

That’s Chintan Research Foundation, a relatively new but increasingly visible presence in Delhi’s policy ecosystem that he leads.

The think tank is angling for influence in a crowdedThe PrintIndian think tanks are growing in big numbers under Modi. But impact, influence questionable space where success is shaped in major part by three factors—a compelling reason to exist, a convincing pitch to grab attention, and a deep-pocketed patron to keep the wheels turning.

Chintan, started about two years ago, moved quickly to embed itself into key policy conversations in the capital, churning out nearly 350 publications—op-eds, research papers, policy briefs—in just one year and holding 30 events. It certainly helped that the new policy shop came bankrolled by one of the country’s biggest and most powerful conglomerates—the Adani Group. 

That’s two of the three factors checked.

Now, Chintan needs to show it belongs.  

It’s made a start. The think tank’s recommendations informed the Shanti Act of 2025, which opened India’s nuclear sector to private players, and it’s working on “South COP”, a global climate policy conclave on the scale of Raisina Dialogue, a foreign policy forum hosted by the Reliance-backed Observer Research Foundation (ORF).

Priyadarshi is the driving force. He spent 20 years as a civil servant in India and 22 with the World Trade Organisation in Geneva, retiring as director in 2022, before joining the Adani group as president of global relations.

He envisions Chintan as a think tank that “represents the industry” and sits in the big league of ORF, Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy, and the Centre for Social and Economic Progress. 

Copy Link Link Copied!

© The Ken