Bio: Born and brought up a stone’s throw away from Orwell’s birthplace in Champaran, Bihar, Akash claims to have inherited his skepticism of authority and concern for the poor but not his democratic socialism (whatever that means). He is currently a fourth-year Integrated Masters student at Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras majoring in Development Studies. Akash was introduced to libertarianism when he was gifted a copy of Ayn Rand’s Anthem by his teacher while on a high school exchange in the United States.

Akash’s belief in classical liberalism is firmly rooted in natural rights and Indic multiculturalism; although he considers himself to be a consequentialist libertarian in the mold of Milton Friedman. He finds his views close to that of the Bleeding Heart Libertarians, also known as Arizona School Liberals (coincidentally the state where he spent a year of high school and got his first lessons of the liberty movement). He is deeply passionate about contextualizing the liberty movement to suit the realities of South Asia and has a career interest in entrepreneurship and public policy. Akash likes to read in English as well as in Hindi and loves to hang out with people who treat him in exchange for his cribbing and chatter, mostly things political.

Favourite Libertarian Figures: Milton Friedman, James Buchanan, Elinor Ostrom, C Rajagopalachari, Sharad Anantrao Joshi, Chris Freiman, Justin Amash

On liberty and SFL: As Robin Williams tells his student in Dead Poets Society, “No matter what people tell you, words and ideas can change the world.” SFL has given me a family, individuals who are as crazy as I am, individuals who believe that together our ideas can change the world and make it a better and freer place to live in.