Remembering Prof. André Béteille: Life, Scholarship and Legacy
 

Speakers: Romila Thapar, Professor Emerita and Historian; Nandini Sundar, Professor of Sociology at the Delhi School of Economics, DU; Virginius Xaxa, eminent sociologist and former Professor at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences; Surinder S. Jodhka, Professor of Sociology at Jawaharlal Nehru University; Deepak Nayyar is a distinguished economist, former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Delhi; Amita Baviskar Professor of Environmental Studies and Sociology at Ashoka University; Patricia Uberoi, sociologist and former Professor at the Institute of Economic Growth; Deepak Mehta, Professor of Sociology at Ashoka University; Gopa Sabharwal, Professor of Sociology and Former Vice Chancellor, Nalanda University
 

Chair: Dipankar Gupta, distinguished sociologist and former Professor at Jawaharlal Nehru University
A commemorative conversation honouring Prof. André Béteille (1934–2026), eminent sociologist, Padma Bhushan awardee, and long-standing faculty member at the Delhi School of Economics. 

The programme will reflect on his intellectual legacy, international stature, and enduring contributions to the study of inequality, social structure, and democratic thought.
 

Threaded Heritage: Symbolism, Ritual and Memory in North East Textiles
Curated by Sentila T. Yanger
 

The exhibition explores how textiles function as a visual language expressing cultural iconography, identity, and belonging. Patterns, motifs, and colours convey narratives of cosmology, kinship, and land. Through ceremonial and sacred cloths, textiles also mark life’s transitions, becoming living archives of memory and cultural continuity.

The exhibition will be accompanied by live-demonstrations by weavers from the Northeast at the gallery.

The exhibition will be inaugurated on Tuesday, 2 April 2026 at 18:00 hrs

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

Where I am From
By Shyla Kumar Sapra ( Har Anand Publications, 2026)

Discussants: Dr Shovana Narayan, Padma Shri, Kathak Guru ; Prof. Radha Chakravarty, Former Professor & Poet 
Chair : K N Shrivastava, Director, IIC 
 

Speaker: Roberto Tottoli, Rector, University of Naples “L’Orientale”, scholar of Islamic studies. He has held academic appointments at Princeton Institute of Advanced Study, Harvard, Princeton University, University of Tokyo, Paris EHESS and the University of Pennsylvania

Moderator: Dipanjan Roy Choudhury, Diplomatic Editor, Economic Times

As global mobility accelerates and migration corridors increasingly shape geopolitics, Europe stands at a critical juncture in managing immigration and redefining multiculturalism. In this lecture, drawing on his extensive work on Islam in Europe, Tottoli examines how the growing presence of Muslim communities has transformed debates around integration, secularism, citizenship, and social cohesion, balancing openness with security, rights with responsibilities, and diversity with shared civic frameworks.
 

Rising Ambition: Carving New Pathways- India’s Energy Transition

By Ajay Shankar (The Energy and Resources Institute, TERI, 2024)

Discussants:  Amitabh Kant, Former sherpa G20 and CEO,Niti Ayog;Dr Sanjaya Baru, Former Media Advisor to PMO,Commentary and Policy Analyst; Ajay Shankar, Distinguished fellow, TERI and Author of the book.

Chair: Shyam Saran, President, IIC

Moderator: Dr Ipshita Mitra, Manager, Communication and Stakeholder Engagement

VASANT UTSAV: A FESTIVAL OF FOLK ARTS – 19 AND 20 MARCH 2026

A two-day festival of folk music,dance and art, celebrating contemporary narratives in traditional folk art. The festival includes performances, exhibition and demonstration.  

On 19 and 20 March 2026 from 11:00 to 17:30

Phulkari Embroidery Demonstration and Exhibition

An exhibition by the women artisans from Nabha, Punjab will exhibit traditional Phulkari embroidered textiles and conduct live-demonstrations and workshops. The Nabha Foundation launched the ‘Nabha Phulkari,’ the Foundation supports over 300 women artisans through the Nabha Phulkari Mahila Industrial Cooperative Society Limited.

The artist will continue to demonstrate and sing on the second day of the festival also.

On 19 March 2026 at 18:00 in the Fountain Lawns

Basant in the Land of Five Rivers: Dance and Songs from Punjab

By the artists of Universal Art and Culture Welfare Society, Mohali, who shall be performing Jundua, Gidha, Bhangra ; Folk singing by Garry Gill and Sukhbeer Pal Kaur.

On 20 March 2026 at 18:00 in the Fountain Lawns

Rhythms of Chhattisgarh: Folk Dances of the Heartland

By the artists of Indira Kala Sangit Vishwavidyalaya, Khairagarh performing Gedi Dance, Karma Dance, Sarhul Dance and many more from the region.

(Collaboration: NCZCC, Ministry of Culture, Govt. of India)

Paka and Ahara: Everyday Stories of Food and Nutrition

Speakers: Dr. Kalyan Sekhar Chakraborty, Department of History, Ashoka University and postdoctoral fellow at the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History; Dr. Ishita Dey, Department of Sociology, South Asian University; Dr. Neha Vermani, Honorary Fellow, Durham University, UK

Chair: Dr Gurmeet Singh, Professor & Dean (Research & Outreach), TDU

Food has always occupied a central place in South Asian thought—not merely as sustenance, but as a medium through which ideas of health, wellbeing, ethics, labour, ecology and community are articulated. In manuscripts, memories and everyday kitchens, food emerges as a language of balance and belonging. The SAMHiTA- Bharat ki Soch Food Colloquium brings together noted scholars to trace India’s rich heritage and explore how historical and contemporary food practices shape community life. Through conversations that move between scholarship and lived experience, the colloquium traces how food practices in South Asia have shaped ideas of health, wellbeing and nutrition.

Curatorial note: Prof Kiranmayi Bhushi, Department of Sociology, IGNOU