Opening Remarks by Dr. Ashok Behuria, Chairman, Centre for Peace Studies 

Distinguished guests, Excellencies, members of the India International Centre, friends from the Centre for Peace Studies, and dear colleagues—good evening and a very warm welcome.

It is an absolute privilege to chair this evening’s session. As Chairman of the Centre for Peace Studies, I am particularly proud to co-sponsor this event. I want to extend my sincere thanks to the India International Centre for hosting us.

Before we begin, let me say a few words about the Centre for Peace Studies. 

The Centre was founded in October 1993 by the late Professor Riyaz Punjabi with a single, enduring conviction: that peace is not just the absence of war. It is the active, patient work of building resilient institutions, inclusive societies, and cooperative relationships.

Navigating the emerging complex geopolitics around us and working towards lasting peace demands intellectual rigour, moral courage, and an unwavering commitment to dialogue. And it is in this precise spirit that I want to recall the legacy of our founder, Professor Riyaz Punjabi. Many of you knew him personally. 

When he established the Centre in 1993, the world looked very different, and discussing peace and human rights was not so fashionable. A Padma Shri awardee and former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Kashmir, Professor Punjabi’s journey was anything but comfortable. Forced to leave his ancestral home in Kashmir in the early 1990s, he rebuilt his life here in Delhi.

Yet, he never allowed personal tragedy to embitter him. He remained a saner voice—refreshingly neutral in his academic approach, yet fiercely firm in his patriotic convictions. On the international stage, particularly at the UN Commission on Human Rights in Geneva, he was a fierce opponent of extremism. In fact, he was once colourfully described as a “good-running vehicle without brakes”—a badge of honour for a man who refused to be silenced or controlled.

I take this occasion to also remember another academic stalwart and noted sociologist Late Prof T. K. Oommen who was one of the founder members of the Centre. A Padma Bhushan awardee, he was known for his monumental contributions to the social sciences. His seminal research on national identity, citizenship, and social movements remains foundational to the field. At CPS, he provided the intellectual scaffolding for our mission. He was a constant source of inspiration for all of us at CPS; his vision and his ideas will continue to guide us in our future endeavours.

We are standing on the shoulders of such stalwarts tonight. The broader dialogue we are kickstarting this evening— “Peace Dialogue: Shared Risks to Shared Future”— seeks to continue the work they started according to the vision they set for us at CPS.

This dialogue we are launching today matters deeply. It matters not just to the diplomats and strategists in this room, but to the fishermen on distant coasts, the port workers, the small businesses, and the millions living in coastal communities across the Indian Ocean rim.

This dialogue urges us to move away from zero-sum thinking and embrace shared responsibility. Because, when risks are shared, our solutions must be shared too—whether through cooperative maritime governance, transparent economic partnerships, or climate resilience.

We are deeply honoured this evening to welcome Her Excellency Mahishini Colonne, the High Commissioner of Sri Lanka. A career diplomat with over twenty-five years of experience, Ms. Colonne holds degrees in Economics from Pune, International Relations from Singapore, and Law from London. Her distinguished career includes serving at Sri Lanka’s UN Mission in New York and overseeing critical portfolios like Ocean and Multilateral Affairs.

We could not have had a more distinguished speaker addressing us on the topic that Her Excellency has chosen: “Calm Waters, Rising Tide: Stability as the Foundation for Indian Ocean Growth.”

As an island nation at the geographic and strategic heart of the Indian Ocean, Sri Lanka’s history and people remind us of how interlinked our fortunes truly are. Your Excellency, your voice is indispensable to this conversation, and we are eager to hear your perspectives. We are grateful that you have joined us this evening to share your perspectives with us.

The topic could not have been more timely. The Indian Ocean has connected our societies for centuries. It has carried trade, ideas, cultures, and people across continents. Today, it remains one of the world’s most important strategic and economic regions. At the same time, it faces challenges that no country can tackle alone—maritime security, climate change, disruptions to trade, natural disasters, and growing geopolitical competition.

These are shared challenges. And if the risks are shared, the responses must also be shared.

When we speak of “calm waters,” we are not just talking about a lack of storms. We are talking about the essential prerequisite for prosperity. As the 10th Indian Ocean Dialogue recently reaffirmed, India’s vision for this region is an “Ocean of Opportunity”—built on peace, partnership, and collective stability.

I must also emphasise that stability is not a passive state. It is an active, difficult, but essential pursuit. It is the quiet tide that lifts all boats. To navigate the future, we must anchor ourselves in the wisdom of the past and the courage of visionaries who came before us.

As Chair, my job is simple now: to open the floor for a frank, grounded, and aspirational exchange.

Before I hand over the floor, I want to extend my sincere thanks to the dedicated team at the Centre for Peace Studies for keeping Professor Punjabi’s legacy alive.

Now, it is my singular honour to welcome our distinguished speaker.

Your Excellency, the floor is yours.