Alumni Feature | Anirudh Chakradhar, Master’s in Public Policy ‘16

Anirudh, a graduate in Literature from Delhi University, knew he wanted to make decisions for improving human development. He shirked at the traditional path of a law degree, and instead decided  to take a leap of faith to be part of the first batch of MPP at NLSIU. Anirudh was hesitant at first; the programme was new and public policy would take time to get recognition in the industry, while law was recognized. But by his own admission, he has not looked back since joining NLS. MPP at NLSIU opened Anirudh’s mind to the formal world of public policy and development, bolstering his knowledge in theory and equipping him with the mindsets and skill sets required to pursue a career in policy. According to him, the best thing about the course was the fact that it allowed independence to explore new areas of policy and put classroom learnings in practice, and it rewarded student initiative with faith and support to step it up further. Anirudh for instance, realised a new-found love for urban development, which he was able to explore extensively through his dissertation backed by the full advisory support of faculty and external supervisors. This experience helped him secure placement as a Consultant in the Government Advisory Practice at Grant Thornton, where he worked with various public sector agencies on management of urban infrastructure development initiatives. Over time though, Anirudh felt a yearning to work on more policy and development issues. He once again strayed off the beaten path, to set up a policy advisory division at a start-up law firm. Here he found the space to experiment and tinker with various offerings using his skillset in public policy. This experimentation led Anirudh to his current engagement as partner at his own development consulting firm called Pragma Development Advisors LLP, which he launched along with two batchmates from NLSIU. PragmaDev provides social enterprises a bundle of research and advisory services anchored in the disciplines of public policy and governance, with the aim of increasing the positive development outcomes of their initiatives. Anirudh hopes to build a niche for policy professionals in the country and be among the front runners of a new wave of boutique firms specializing in public policy and development.