Book Discussion Group

The Kashmiri Yogi Extraordinaire Gopi Krishna Shivpuri
by S N Pandita ( Shubhi Publications; 2026)

Gopi Krishen (Krishan) Shivpuri was a Kashmiri Pandit Yogi, who has remained nearly unknown within his own community, less known in India but universally renowned in the West during his lifetime, (1903-1984), The pages that fill this monograph demonstrate that Gopi Krishna was the greatest Kashmiri Pandit, Kashmir has produced in more than one thousand years since the time of Acharya Abhinavagupta in the tenth century.

Chair: Dr Karan Singh, Padma Vibhushan, scholar, statesman & former Union Minister

Speakers: Prof Shashi Prabha Kumar, President, IIAS Shimla; Prof Sudhir Sopory, Former Vice-Chancellor, JNU; and SN Pandita, author of the book.

Woman| Life| Freedom

In Conversation: Swara Bhaskar, acclaimed actor and advocate for gender justice, civil liberties and democratic rights with Sujata Prasad, author, curator, founder, Ahad Anhad and works across heritage education and the arts and Oroon Das, designer, curator and theatre artist.

This is the 22nd Conversation in this Series
(Collaboration: Ahad Anhad)

BOOK DISCUSSION GROUP

Design your thinking
By Pavan Soni (‎Penguin Portfolio, 2020)

Discussants: Manjima Misra, Educator, Author, and Literary Commentator; Dr. Pavan Soni, Author of the book

Life and Legacy of Kazi Nazrul Islam

Chair: Dr Mujibur Rehman, faculty, Jamia Millia Central University, New Delhi

Discussants: Ashok Vajpeyi, Hindi poet-critic and art lover; Prof. Amitava Chakraborty, Prof of Bengali and Comparative Indian Literature, Department of Indian Languages and Literary Studies, DU; Dr. Gautam Choubey, academic, novelist and the host of Likhawat

Discussion will be followed by a musical presentation of Nazrul Sangeet at 19:00 hrs

Performers: Bidisha Roy Das, semi-classical artist and renowned Nazrul Sangeet performer, disciple of Late Smt Meera Deshpande (Gwalior Gharana) and Prabir Mazumdar, classical vocalist, disciple of Late Amal Kanti Roy and Pt Ajoy Chakraborty

A tribute to Kazi Nazrul Islam, one of the foremost literary and musical voices of the Indian subcontinent, whose poetry and songs continue to inspire generations with their message of compassion, resistance to oppression and harmony across faiths.

(Collaboration: Raza Foundation)
 

MUSIC APPRECIATION PROMOTION

The Teaching Legacy of Franz Liszt                                                                                                                 Illustrated lecture by Francesca Khalifa

Franz Liszt, a master of the piano, composer, and the father of the modern concept of the "piano recital", was also a prolific teacher. This lecture will explore the lineage through the work of modern musicians connected to the tradition via the teaching of Claudio Arrau, a student of Krause who embraced and structured the core elements of Liszt’s philosophy and approach.

The conversation will be followed with the screening of the documentary Piano Lessons: The Life and Art of Germán Diez, based on Khalifa’s research on Diez’s background and musical legacy.

Francesca Khalifa, an Italian-Egyptian concert pianist, researcher and educator. Her research work focuses on passing on the piano tradition inherited by Franz Liszt through the teachings of her late mentor, Germán Diez
 

BOOK DISCUSSION GROUP

Is This the Time for the Indian Elephant and the Chinese Dragon to Dance Together?
Edited by Surendra Kumar (Har-Anand Publications, 2026)

Chair: K. N. Shrivastava, Director, IIC

Discussants: Dr. Shashi Tharoor, MP & Chairman, Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs; Amb. Ashok Kantha, Former High Commissioner to Malaysia and Sri Lanka; Prof. Raja Mohan, Writer and Professor at Jindal University

BOOK DISCUSSION GROUP

On Angels’ Wings: Beyond the Bombing of Air India 182, My Journey of Resilience and Courage
By Sanjay Lazar (Author, 2026)

Chair: Amb K P Fabian, former Ambassador of India to Qatar

Speakers :Amb K P Fabian; Former Ambassador of India to Italy, Qatar and Finland (Chief Guest); 
Ms Kanika Sharma; Author – Hachette Books (Moderator) ; Shri Sanjay Chandra, Author &amp, Founder-Kala ; Dr Siddharth Sen, Founder -Wiseowl House; Ms Jasbir Basu, CA & Author ; Shri Sanjay Lazar
Author of the book
 

Cleaning Transport – Tackling Vehicular Emissions and the Future of Mobility
Uniting Science, Health, Policy & People

Moderator: Sarika Panda, Co-founder, Raahgiri Foundation and Director, Nagarro

Discussants: Dr. Virinder Sharma, Member (Technical), CAQM;Mahua Acharya, Founder & CEO, International Energy Transition Platform Transport Department; Amit Bhatt, India Managing Director, International Council on Clean Transportation; Balaji Raparthi, Senior Program Manager, Electric Mobility, Energiva Ventures
 

Transitioning to clean urban mobility yields profound benefits—ranging from improved air quality and reduced greenhouse gas emissions to quieter and more livable cities. This session will explore how to accelerate the shift toward zero-emission transport by scaling up electric vehicle ecosystems, modernizing public transit networks, and enforcing stringent emission regulations.

This is the fourth discussion in the series of dialogues under the umbrella of ‘Uniting Science, Health, Policy & People’

(Collaboration: Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) and Raahgiri Foundation)
 

Book Discussion Group

Illustrated Abhidhamma: Buddhist Inputs for Artificial Intelligence

By Chandra B Verma

Guest of Honour: Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Hon'ble Minister of Culture and Tourism, Govt. of India

Chair: K. N. Shrivastava, Director, IIC

Discussants: Prof. Sangit Kumar Ragi, Professor & Former Head, University of Delhi; Dr. Ravindra Singh Bisht, Former Joint Director General & Archaeologist, ASI; Dr V. N. Ojha; Former Chief Scientist (G) & Division Head, CSIR-NPL; Prof. C. B. Varma, Author of the book

Why are Indian elections so unpredictable?

Speaker: Pradeep K Chhibber, Professor of Political Science and Indo-American Community Chair in India Studies at the University of California, Berkeley. US

Moderator: Rahul Verma, Associate professor of political science at the Law School, Shiv Nadar University and Fellow at Centre for Policy Research (CPR)

Discussants: Barkha Dutt, Senior Journalist and Founder MoJo Story; Roshan Kishore, Political Economy and Data Editor, Hindustan Times

Indian elections continue to surprise us. While caste, religion, and community remain central to Indian politics, frequent electoral swings and shifting party loyalties reveal that identity alone cannot explain voting behaviour. Drawing on village-level election data, national surveys, and extensive fieldwork, the discussion shall reflect on the nature of weak party organization and over dependence on local influencers which results in the under-mobilization of poorer voters. This creates a "reciprocity trap" that binds parties and local elites together, leaving many citizens beyond the reach of party politics during elections.

(Collaboration: Centre for Policy Research (CPR)