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: (1) National Security & Intelligence Management-A New Paradigm in 2016 (2) A life in Shadow- the secret story of A.C.N.Nambiar-a forgotten anti-colonial Warrior (2017) and (3) Keeping India Safe- the Dilemma of Internal Security (2017).
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(Harper Collins).
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 (1) Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy (2) Singapore Management University and (3) S.Rajaratnam School of International Studies.
Balachandran has also published 600 columns on security and strategic subjects in Indian and foreign publications.