Washington, D.C. · Established 2026

Chanakya
International
Council

An independent council for ethical leadership, considered counsel, and the renewal of enduring ideas.

Our programs Engage with the Council

Our purpose धर्म

The Council advances the well-being of society.

We promote ethical and civic leadership, cultural and philosophical education, and intellectual and personal development. We support community service, intergenerational exchange, and the preservation and renewal of cultural and philosophical traditions.

The name is drawn from Chanakya, also known as Kautilya, whose counsel joined ethics to statecraft. In that spirit the Council is nonpartisan and independent, concerned with enduring questions rather than passing ones.

प्रजासुखे सुखं राज्ञः प्रजानां च हिते हितम्।

In the happiness of his subjects lies the king’s happiness; in their welfare, his welfare.

Kautilya (Chanakya), Arthaśāstra
Rock edict of Ashoka in Brāhmī script, 3rd century BCE, Brahmagiri
Rock edict of Ashoka in Brāhmī script. Brahmagiri (Isila), 3rd c. BCE. Public domain, photograph by Sarah Welch.
Pillar of Ashoka with lion capital, Vaishali, 3rd century BCE
Pillar of Ashoka, Vaishali, 3rd c. BCE. Photograph by Hideyuki Kamon, CC BY-SA.

On the name कौटिल्य

Why Chanakya.

Chanakya, known also as Kautilya and Vishnugupta, was a teacher, jurist, and counsellor of the fourth century BCE, and the author of the Arthaśāstra, the earliest Indian treatise on statecraft, economics, and the ethics of power.

He is remembered for joining rigorous strategy to a first duty: the welfare of the governed. The Council takes his name as a standard, not a style. We are concerned with judgment, institutions, and the long horizon, in the tradition of counsel he represents.

How the Council works अभ्यास

Four practices, held together.

Convene
We bring people together across generations and disciplines, in rooms built for candor rather than performance.
Study
We support careful research and durable writing on ethics, leadership, and the institutions of public life.
Teach
We run programs, retreats, and workshops that develop judgment, not merely skills.
Counsel
We offer considered, nonpartisan perspective to those who carry public and civic responsibility.

Programs विद्या

Where the work takes shape.

  1. ०१01

    Sutradhara

    The Council’s program in cultural and philosophical inheritance. Fellowships, study, and public conversation that carry enduring traditions into present practice.

    Continue at sutradhara.co
    Flagship program
  2. ०२02

    Workshops & Convenings

    Retreats, lectures, and closed-door discussions that bring practitioners and scholars into the same room around questions of ethics and leadership.

    [ Upcoming sessions to be listed ]

    Ongoing
  3. ०३03

    Research & Publications

    Independent research and writing on statecraft, ethics, and the institutions of public life, published for a general as well as a scholarly reader.

    [ First publications forthcoming ]

    In development
  4. ०४04

    Leadership & Fellowships

    Structured leadership development and fellowships for a rising generation of civic and cultural leaders.

    [ Fellowship intake to be announced ]

    In development

Writing लेखन

Essays and commentary.

Independent writing from the Council on statecraft, ethics, and the institutions of public life. The writing program launches shortly; the pieces below are placeholders.

  1. Ethics

    Judgment over rules: educating leaders for uncertainty

    Why the Council’s programs cultivate practical wisdom rather than technique.

    By [ Author ] · [ Forthcoming ]

  2. Civic Institutions

    The long horizon: building institutions that outlast their founders

    Notes on continuity, stewardship, and the patience good institutions require.

    By [ Author ] · [ Forthcoming ]

  3. Cultural Heritage

    Inheritance as a living practice

    How traditions are renewed, not merely preserved, through study and use.

    By [ Author ] · [ Forthcoming ]

From the Chanakya Nīti नीति

  • Of all forms of wealth, knowledge is the highest, for it cannot be stolen, divided, or spent.

    Chanakya Nīti

  • Do not announce what you intend to do; keep your counsel, and let the finished deed speak for you.

    Chanakya Nīti

  • A friend is proven in hardship, a servant in duty, and a mind in the hour of decision.

    Chanakya Nīti

Engage संवाद

The Council works through people.

If you would like to take part in a workshop or program, propose a collaboration, or support the Council’s work, we would be glad to hear from you.

Programs & partnerships
[ programs@chanakyacouncil.org ]
Correspondence
[ Registered office address ]
Washington, D.C.

A formal interest form will follow. For now, a note by email reaches us directly.