Planning for Tomorrow: Financial Security, Legacy & Family Succession

Moderator:-   Ashwajit Singh, Chartered Accountant and Company Secretary and Trustee, IIC

Speakers: - CA (Dr) Girish Ahuja, eminent tax expert, author of various books on Direct Taxation, would speak on tax planning and financial security for succession planning;

Justice G.S.Sistani (Retd), Former Judge of the Delhi High Court, would cover aspects of legacy, preparation of will and succession planning.

As we advance through life’s later years, thoughtful planning becomes one of the greatest gifts we can offer ourselves and our families. This special program is designed to help senior citizens navigate important aspects of financial security, tax efficiency, wealth preservation and succession planning. The discussion will bring together leading experts in taxation, financial planning and estate law to provide practical guidance on managing assets, preparing a Will, understanding nominations and inheritance, minimising potential family disputes, and ensuring a smooth transfer of wealth across generations. The objective is to empower participants with the knowledge and tools needed to preserve their legacy, protect their loved ones and enjoy greater peace of mind for the future.
 

MOUNTAIN DIALOGUES

Fit at 60

Key Speaker: Rajesh Kalra, a digital media pioneer, sports administrator, and an endurance cyclist, who has served on the PM’s Olympic Task Force and various national sports committees.

Chair: Brigadier Ashok Abbey, a veteran mountaineer with over four and a half decades of climbing experience in the Great Ranges.

On 28 August 2025, his 60th birthday, Rajesh Kalra cycled to Umling La in Ladakh, the world's highest motorable road at 19,024 feet. An experienced long-distance cyclist and a trained mountaineer, he shares the challenges of riding at extreme altitude and reflects on endurance, adventure, and pushing personal limits. The feat has been accepted for inclusion in the Limca Book of Records.

(Collaboration: Himalayan Club and the Himalayan Environment Trust)
 

NEO, URBAN, AVATAR: A Mythopoesis of the Contemporary Times
Art works by Birendra Pani

The exhibition presents a body of drawing-based paintings that explore the fragmented realities of contemporary urban existence. Rooted in Indian aesthetic traditions yet shaped by a globalized and technologized visual culture, the works weave together mythology, memory, satire, consumerism and environmental traces into an evolving contemporary mythscape.

Birendra Pani, contemporary artist whose practice is shaped by his movement across geographies and cultural landscapes. Drawing from Indian visual traditions, folk and performative forms, and contemporary urban imagery, his works construct layered visual narratives that reflect on identity and the changing human condition.

The exhibition will be inaugurated on Tuesday, 30 June’26 at 17:30 hrs

Exhibition walkthroughs daily by the artist at 17:30 hrs
 

The exhibition will remain open daily from 1st July to 14th July from 11:00 to 19:00 hrs

(Collaboration: Purushottam Public Trust)

IIC FILM CLUB
WINDOWS INTO THE NORTHEAST
Presents a curated selection of contemporary films from Northeast India, bringing together distinctive cinematic
voices from the region. Spanning diverse languages, landscapes and lived experiences, the films offer intimate
reflections on identity, memory, community and change.

The Elysian Field (Ha Lyngkha Bneng), Meghalaya
(123 min; 2025; Khasi with English subtitles)
Director: Pradip Kurbah

With Richard Kharpuri; Helena Duiia; Baia Marbaniang; Albert Mawrie; Merlvin Mukhim; Jeetesh Sharma
Recipient of the Golden Saint George for Best Film and Silver Saint George for Best Director at the 47th
Moscow International Film Festival, 2025; NETPAC Award for Best Asian Film, Moscow International
Film Festival, 2025.
Set in the Khasi Hills in the year 2047, the film follows the lives of six remaining villagers negotiating loss,
memory and survival in an increasingly fragile world. Rooted in community and human resilience, the film
reflects on belonging, isolation and the enduring strength of collective spirit.

(This month’s film club films are open for all)

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

Blue Pulse

The performance brings together contrasting worlds of contemporary urgency and classical depth through a Kathak-based choreographic journey. Moving between the turbulence of urban life, marked by environmental crisis, plastic and water pollution, and the quiet introspection of Sufi sensibility, the work explores the search for stillness within excess.

Performers: Salomi Shah, Kalrav Dave, Vaishali Shah, Anar Jaikrishna, Vaama Patel, Khevna Patel, Anushka Shah, Priyanshi Jain and Vaishali Trivedi

(Collaboration: Sangati Centre for Performing Arts)

IIC FILM CLUB
WINDOWS INTO THE NORTHEAST

Presents a curated selection of contemporary films from Northeast India, bringing together distinctive cinematic voices from the region. Spanning diverse languages, landscapes and lived experiences, the films offer intimate reflections on identity, memory, community and change.

Joseph’s Son, Manipur
(83 min; 2023; Manipuri/Tangkhul/Thadou Kuki/Rongmei with English subtitles)
Director: Haobam Paban Kumar
With Rewben Mashangva

Official selection, Main Competition section, 25th Shanghai International Film Festival, 2023; Recipient of the Special Jury Award at the 29th Kolkata International Film Festival, 2023
In a conflict-ridden Manipur, a grieving father undertakes a difficult journey in search of his missing son. Moving through fractured landscapes and communities shaped by violence and uncertainty, the film becomes a quiet meditation on grief, endurance and the lingering scars of conflict.

(This month’s film club films are open for all)

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

Book Discussion Group

Yashodhra se Samvaad: A collection of Hindi Poems

By Sangeeta Gupta (Prithvi, 2024)

Moderator: Maya Parijat, Writer

Discussants: Dr. Alka Tyagi, Poet, Researcher and Translator; Prof. Rekha Sethi, Indraprastha College for Women; Dr. Suman Kesari, Hindi Poet & Writer; Prof. Harsh Bala Sharma, Indraprastha College for Women; Dr Usha Munshi, Chief Librarian, IIC; Sangeeta Gupta, Artist, Poet, Film Maker & Author of the book

Performance by Sanya Tyagi AND Hullas Purohit

INDIAN ARCHAEOLOGY 

Puspabhuti or Vardhana of Thanesar with special reference to excavation at Harsh ka Tila, Kurukhetra, Haryana

Speaker: Dr Devki Nandan Dimri, former Joint Director of Archaeological Survey of India, authored three books and several research articles and Participated in excavations at Banawali, Dholavira, Sringaverpur, Ramapuram, Hulas, Thanesar, and other ancient sites.

Chair: K. N. Shrivastava, Director, IIC

Moderator: Pratap Bhanu Singh Sengar, former Director (Monuments) Archaeological Survey of India

Situated in district Kurukshetra, Harsh ka Tila, one of the most important political power centres in North India. It is believed that Pushyabhuti was the founder of the kingdom hence called Pushyabhuti dynasty. Harsh ka Tila No. 1 was excavated by the Archaeological Survey of India for three field seasons from 1997 - 99. The site has revealed remains of successive cultural phases, starting from Kushan to late Mughal period without any gaps. The site has residential buildings, including a palace complex of post Gupta period, which was described by Banbhatta as Dhawal Gruha or white palace. Among the antiques noteworthy findings are the large number of terracotta tablets with other associated ritual objects from Rajput period.

Book Discussion Group

Jahan Ara Begum 1614-1681: A Biographical Study

By Nausheen Jaffery and Shailaja Kathuria (Tulika Books, 2025)

Chair: Rakhshanda Jalil, Translator and Literary Historian

Discussants: Meena Bhargava, Associate Professor (Retired), Indraprastha College for Women, University of Delhi; Raziuddin Aquil, Professor, Department of History, University of Delhi; Shailaja Kathuria, Editor of the Book