Gail & Bharat
(2025; 80 min; Marathi & English)
Directed by Somnath Waghamare, documentary filmmaker and researcher whose work focuses on Dalit histories and social justice. 
This documentary traces the life and work of sociologist and Dalit rights activist Dr Gail Omvedt and Dr Bharat Patankar, capturing their shared journey through India’s anti-caste and social justice movements. Avoiding academic jargon, it offers an accessible and important record of their enduring contributions.
 

The screening will be followed by a discussion with Prof. Smita Patil (IGNOU); Dr. Rahul Dev (art historian) and the director, Somnath Waghamare.

A Global political and economic realignment? Global supply chains in the next decade

Speaker: Rajneesh Narula OBE, John H. Dunning Chair of International Business Regulation, Henley Business School, University of Reading; and Perspectives Editor of Journal of International Business Policy.

Moderator: Prof. Suma Athreye, FRSA, FAcSS

School of Public Policy, IIT Delhi

This talk examines the unravelling of “Pax Americana” and the shift towards a fragmented global economy shaped by inequality and geopolitical realignment. As globalisation’s hidden costs drive unrest and interventionism, the world is moving towards two hegemonic blocs centred on the U.S. and China, alongside loosely aligned, economically peripheral countries. This realignment will reshape multinational enterprises’ global value chains and compel unaligned states to pursue deep structural reforms, long-term capacity building, and regional integration.

In Conversation

Ambassador Gautam Mukhopadhyay was India’s Ambassador to Syria (2006-08), Afghanistan (2010-13) and Myanmar (2013-16) with Thant Myint-U, award-winning historian, writer, conservationist and international public servant. An honorary fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge and a recipient of a Padma Shri from the Government of India;

A thought-provoking chat with acclaimed historian Thant Myint-U and his book which traces his grandfather’s (U Thant, Former Secretary-General of the United Nations) integral yet forgotten roles in some of the twentieth century’s most critical crises. Drawing on newly declassified documents, he traces U Thant’s tireless efforts to bring peace to Vietnam, create a fairer international economy, safeguard the environment and avoid a third world war.

River Traveller: Journeys on the Tsangpo- Brahmaputra from Tibet to the Bay of Bengal
by Sanjoy Hazarika (Speaking Tiger, 2025)

Discussants: Prof Mahesh Rangarajan, Environmental Studies and History, Ashoka University ; Prof. Sanjoy Hazarika, Journalist and Author of the book

Moderator : Ms. Anupreeta Das, South Asia correspondent for The New York Times

Book Discussion Group
Anna Mani: The Uncut Diamond

by Asha Gopinathan (National Book Trust, 2025)

Discussants: Surbhi Baghotia, Engineer, VSSC, Trivandrum; Gautam Venugopalan, Physicist, Stanford University; Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, Director General of Meteorology, India Meteorological Department; Manju Mohan, Former Professor, Centre for Atmospheric Sciences, IIT Delhi

Moderator:  Asha Gopinathan, Neuroscientist, Writer & Author of the Book
 

Adding life to years: Building care systems for life of dignity and quality
Paper presentation by Pallavi Gupta and Sonali Randhawa

Discussants: Rama V. Baru, Professor, Jindal School of Public Health and Human Development, Jindal Global University and Former Professor, Centre of Social Medicine and Community Health, JNU; Dr Ravinder Mohan,  Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Advisor, CanSupport

India’s rapidly ageing population urgently needs accessible, affordable, and regulated home-based care. The paper maps current gaps in services, workforce training, and policy frameworks, and argues for integrated medical, functional, and social support. A public discussion is invited to shape a national approach that ensures dignity, safety, and quality care for older persons.

The session is in association with Jindal School of Public Health and Human Development, OP Jindal Global University, Sonepat, Haryana

(Organised by the IIC’s Sectoral Policy Group on Health under the Convenorship of Rama V. Baru)
 

The Bard and The Balladeer 
A Musical tribute to Bharat Ratna Dr. Bhupen Hazarika 
 

Presented by Mayukh Hazarika, singer, songwriter and music director from Assam and Laili Dutta.

The occasion marks the centenary year of Dr. Hazarika, being celebrated across Assam and the country. The artists have carried forward the bard’s legacy through performances in India and abroad. Their repertoire will be interwoven with personal anecdotes and lesser-known stories behind his iconic songs.

(Collaboration: Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER)