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)

INDIAN ARCHAEOLOGY

Buddhist Monasteries in Rock Art Sites of Central India

Speaker: Dr Shyam Sharan Gupta, rock art expert and former Superintending Archaeologist of Archaeological Survey of India (Bhopal).

Chair: K. N. Shrivastava, Director, IIC

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

The session will examine the transformation of prehistoric rock shelters in the Vindhyan plateau of Central India into Buddhist hill monasteries during the early centuries of Buddhism. Drawing on recent archaeological surveys and research, it will examine how these shelters were adapted for monastic life, the architectural and the religious features associated with them.

BOOK DISCUSSION GROUP

Migrants and other poems: A Collection of Reflective Poetry on Loss, Migration, and Displacement
By Prasenjit Mukherjee. (Penguin Random House, 2026)

Discussants: Parimal K. Brahma, Poet, and Writer; Ashok Lavasa, Former Election Commissioner of India; Amb. T C A Raghavan, Former High Commissioner to Pakistan; Dr. Meeran Chadha Borwankar, Writer & Former Police Commissioner, Pune; Dr. Prasenjit Mukherjee, Author of the book

Collaboration:  The Poetry Society (India) 
 

Architecture and Art – Processes, Products and Perceptions

Speaker: Rajesh Luthra, Principal of Development Consortium – Architecture & Urban Design, Visiting Professor at the School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi

Moderator, Mr Partho Dutta, Professor in the School of Arts and Aesthetics, JNU 

The talk would be a fascinating foray through what are often blurred lines between art and architecture as read via a reading of movements and individuals over time. It intends to explore the processes behind the canvas and the constructed even as it attempts an understanding of societal perceptions and responses. This, while contrasting within realms that may be seen as symbiotic or alternately, parasitic.
 

China’s Grand Strategy: India’s Long-Term Response in an Asymmetric Strategic Environment

Chair: Amb. Shivshankar Menon, former NSA and Foreign Secretary

Discussants: Rear Admiral K. Raja Menon (Retd.), former Indian Navy. Author and Expert on Maritime and Nuclear Strategy, and on defining Emerging Geostrategic Scenarios; Amb. Ashok Kantha, former Indian Ambassador to China and former Secretary, Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India; Prof. Srikanth Kondapalli, Professor of Chinese Studies, Centre for East Asian Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, and Dean, School of International Studies.

The discussion examines the concept of grand strategy in circumstances where war is not the preferred instrument of national policy. Drawing upon official Chinese documents and strategic writings, it explores the long-term objectives that underpin China’s grand strategy and assesses their implications for India.
 

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)
 

A Symphony of Discordant Notes: Navigating Evolving Technologies, Copyright Law, and Age-Old Indian Music

Moderator: Saikrishna Rajagopal, Managing Partner, Saikrishna & Associates

Discussants: Justice (Dr.) S. Muralidhar, Former Chief Justice (Orissa High Court) and Sr. Counsel, Supreme Court of India; Swathi Sukumar, Sr. Counsel, Delhi High Court and Supreme Court of India; Neel Mason, Counsel, Delhi High Court and Supreme Court of India; Adarsh Ramanujan, Counsel, Delhi High Court and Supreme Court of India; Gayatri Balasubramanian, Indian Carnatic Vocalist & Padma Shri Awardee, 2026 (on-line)

This session fosters a cross-disciplinary dialogue involving Indian music and legal experts to deconstruct the friction between modern studio practices and the demands of the evolving copyright framework. The panel will attempt to identify, simplify, and possibly solve the complexities of copyright law when dealing with the uniqueness and centuries-old heritage of Indian music.

(Collaboration: Saikrishna & Associates)
 

ART MATTERS

Protest and the Arts

Discussants: Ananya Vajpeyi, Veer Munshi, Aditi Mangaldas (TBC)
 

(Collaboration: Raza Foundation)