An annual national seminar

Bridging Citizens & the Armed Forces

India's premier military-citizen dialogue seminar, bringing together youth and the Indian Army, Navy & Air Force in an open, patriotic conversation about defence forces and life in uniform.

The Chief of the Army Staff in conversation on stage at Sena Samvad
A school student stands to ask a question
Students in the audience at the Manekshaw Centre
700Students in the room
40+Schools & colleges
3Services represented
2026Inaugural edition
What we do

A heartfelt bridge between Naagrik and Sainik.

National security is no longer confined to borders. It lives in our economy, our technology, our information and our collective mindset. Informed citizens make a stronger democracy. Sena Samvad is built to close the distance between the people who wear the Uniform of Pride and the citizens they serve.

01

Open dialogue forums

Citizens ask. Officers answer. Real, unscripted conversations about defence and life in service.

02

Fireside chats

Eminent people with a fauji connect share how the institution shaped who they became.

03

Welfare network briefings

The welfare agencies of the Armed Forces present directly to families: what exists, and how to reach it.

04

Career pathways

Students hear first-hand how people got in, what it demanded, and what the uniform gave them after.

Cadets salute on stage in front of the tricolour at Sena Samvad
Our mission

Make the youth aspire to don the Uniform of Pride.

The ideas of patriotism and service to nation risk taking a back seat in the modern world. Sena Samvad exists to put them back at the centre, by letting young people meet the soldiers, veterans and leaders who live them, and ask anything they want.

This is an enduring initiative, not a one-off. It is designed to run every year, scaling across editions, partnerships and digital reach, so each new cohort of students gets the same chance to sit in that room.

Who we are

Built by people from inside the institution.

Sena Samvad is run by Uniform Unveiled: a military veteran and a television journalist who between them have spent nearly five decades in and around the Indian Armed Forces.

Col. Rohit Dev (Retd.)

Col. Rohit Dev (Retd.)

Co-founder

A military veteran with 23 years of service, now a strategic thinker, defence and geopolitical analyst, and a thought leader on bioenergy. During his stint as a guest analyst across national media he saw the gap between the Indian forces and the common citizen, and that is what led him to conceive Sena Samvad.

Anjilee Istwal

Anjilee Istwal

Co-founder

A television journalist with 25 years across Aaj Tak, NDTV and India Today, and a fauji kid with three generations of service behind her. From anchoring prime time to reporting from the ground through elections and breaking news, she has done it all, including anchoring NDTV's marquee show Jai Jawan.

Who has shared our stage

A serving CDS, a serving COAS, two Governors and a Cabinet Minister, on one stage.

Never before had a star cast of this order sat down to take questions directly from school and college students. It happened at the inaugural edition on 16 May 2026.

General Anil Chauhan, Chief of Defence Staff

Gen Anil Chauhan

PVSM, UYSM, AVSM, SM, VSM

Chief of Defence Staff

General Upendra Dwivedi, Chief of the Army Staff

Gen Upendra Dwivedi

PVSM, AVSM

Chief of the Army Staff

General (Dr) V.K. Singh (Retd.), Hon. Governor of Mizoram

Gen (Dr) V.K. Singh

PVSM, AVSM, YSM (Retd.)

Hon. Governor of Mizoram

Lt Gen Syed Ata Hasnain (Retd.), Hon. Governor of Bihar

Lt Gen S.A. Hasnain

PVSM, UYSM, AVSM, SM, VSM (Retd.)

Hon. Governor of Bihar

Col Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore (Retd.), Cabinet Minister, Rajasthan

Col R.S. Rathore

AVSM (Retd.) · Padma Shri, Khel Ratna

Cabinet Minister, Rajasthan

Also on the 2026 programme: Lt Gen V.D. Dogra (Retd.), Lt Gen Raj Shukla (Retd.) and Col Bhupinder Shahi (Retd.). See the full 2026 edition →

What you get

Find yourself here.

Three ways to be part of Sena Samvad, depending on who you are.

Veterans seated at Sena Samvad

Veterans & speakers

Tell the story only you can tell.

  • A stage that reaches the generation still deciding what to do with their lives
  • Fireside chats moderated by senior national journalists
  • A growing network of veterans across media, business and public service
  • Sessions recorded and carried well beyond the room
Write to us
Serving officers and citizens together in the audience

Citizens & families

Understand the institution behind the uniform.

  • Briefings from the welfare agencies of the Armed Forces
  • What service actually asks of a family, told by families
  • An open, patriotic conversation with no gatekeeping
  • Open to every Indian citizen
Join the next edition
The proof · 16 May 2026

We have already done it once.

The inaugural Sena Samvad ran a full day at the Manekshaw Centre, New Delhi. 700 students from more than 40 schools and colleges, face to face with the top of the Indian Armed Forces.

700Students
40+Institutions
1Serving CDS
1Serving COAS
2Governors
1Cabinet Minister
Group photograph with the Chief of the Army Staff and student delegates
Group photograph with the Chief of the Army Staff
The Governors of Mizoram and Bihar in conversation on stage
Two Governors, both retired Generals, on one stage
Gen V.K. Singh speaking with a student
Students meeting the dignitaries off stage
Students listening intently during a session
A full house of senior school students
Col Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore meeting veterans
Col Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore meeting veterans
What happens next

Bring your students to the next Sena Samvad.

Sena Samvad runs every year, and seats are allotted institution by institution. Write to us with your school or college name, the number of students you would like to bring and a contact person; we will send you the dates and the confirmation process as soon as the next edition opens.

Students and dignitaries meeting after a session at Sena Samvad