Vappala Balachandran is an Indian national security intelligence specialist and a former Indian police officer who served 17 years in the state of Maharashtra, India and 19 years in foreign intelligence service. He retired as Special Secretary, Cabinet Secretariat, Government of India in 1995 and is based in Mumbai. He has authored 3 books, two on security and one on the life of a forgotten Europe based freedom fighter who was a close friend of Jawaharlal Nehru and Subhas Chandra Bose: National Security & Intelligence Management-A New Paradigm in 2016 A life in Shadow- the secret story of A.C.N.Nambiar-a forgotten anti-colonial Warrior and Keeping India Safe- the Dilemma of Internal Security. Shri M.J.Akbar, presently Minister of State in our External Affairs Ministry had written the preface for National Security & Intelligence Management when he was Editor, Sunday Guardian. On 7 September 2017 he addressed a gathering at National Press Club, Washington DC on his new book Keeping India Safe- the Dilemma of Internal Security. Earlier on 5 September he gave a presentation of this book to the India Office of the US State Department on their invitation. Early in November 2017 he delivered 3 lectures at 3 leading Singapore Universities Lee Kuan Yew School of Public PolicySingapore Management University and S.Rajaratnam School of International Studies. Balachandran has also published 600 columns on security and strategic subjects in Indian and foreign publications.
Early life
Balachandran originally hails from the state of Kerala, Southern India. His father, K.P. Kutti Krishna Menon, was an officer in the Myanmar government and he lived in Yangon till 1940. During the War, his father stayed back in Myanmar to serve the government. Balachandran is the grand nephew of the late V.P. Menon of "Vappala" Theravad, Ottapalam, Kerala.
Achievements
In 1993 and 1994,Vappala Balachandran led the Indian interagency groups for annual dialogue with U.S agencies on terrorism. Between 2007 and 2009 he wrote several papers for the Henry L. Stimson Center, Washington, D.C. for their "Regional Voices" project. His paper "Insurgency, terrorism, and transnational trends" was included as Chapter 6 in their publication Transnational Trends. Balachandran was a member of the two-man "High Level Committee" appointed by the Government of Maharashtra to inquire into the police response during the Mumbai 26 November 2008 terror attacks. In November 2009 he was invited by the Governor of Hawaii to be the key note speaker at the 2009 Asia Pacific Homeland Security Summit at Honolulu and address senior police officials in Singapore on urban security and terrorism. Balachandran spoke at the Pluscarden Programme conference on "The Future of International Cooperation in Countering Violent Extremism" at St Antony's College, Oxford University in October 2010 and in 2013 on "India’s Politics of Free Expression-A Law & Order perspective" under the "Marchioness of Winchester Lectures 2013". The interview was aired by the BBC radio along with three other participants. Vappala Balachandran is also an active columnist who writes for The Sunday Guardian and The Asian Age newspapers.
Awards
In 1975, Balachandran was awarded the Indian Police Medal for meritorious service and in 1986, The President's Police medal for meritorious service.
