MOUNTAIN DIALOGUES 

Lighting Up the Himalayas: When Adventure Creates Lasting Change

Speaker: Paras Loomba, Founder, Global Himalayan Expedition (GHE).  Recipient of UN Global Climate Action Award at COP26 and WTTC Tourism for Tomorrow Award

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

Can an expedition leave behind more than memories? This talk explores how Global Himalayan Expedition (GHE) transformed adventure travel into a platform for creating lasting impact in some of India's most remote mountain communities. The speaker reflects on how adventure tourism can become a catalyst for climate action and inclusive rural development.

(Collaboration: Himalayan Club and the Himalayan Environment Trust)
 

Book Discussion Group  

CHINDIA: Journey to an Asian Century.

By Shastri Ramachandaran (AuthorsUpFront, 2026)

Chair: Shyam Saran, President, IIC

Discussants: V Srinivas, Chief Secretary, Govt of Rajasthan; Dr Rityusha Tiwary, Faculty of Chinese Studies, DU; Santosh Pai, Honorary Fellow, Institute of Chinese Studies and member, Confederation of Indian Industry’s core group on China; Shastri Ramachandaran, Journalist & Author of the book

BOOK DISCUSSION GROUP

Raag Darbari: Polity as Fiction, Fiction as Reality 
Edited by Satyajit Singh (Orient Blackswan, 2026)

Moderator: Dr. Balveer Arora, Former Professor, Centre for Political Studies, JNU

Discussants: Dr. Yogendra Yadav, Former Professor, Centre for the Study of Developing Societies; Dr. Sekhar Bonu, retired ADB & Visiting Professor, Ashank Desai Centre for Policy Studies, IIT Bombay; Dr. Rekha Saxena, Professor and Head, Department of Political Science, DU  and Satyajit Singh, Editor of the book.
 

Sculptor's Lens: Isamu Noguchi and Premodern India

Speaker: Kalyani Madhura Ramachandran, art historian, currently a postdoctoral fellow, NYU Shanghai and previously worked at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Moderator: Parul Pandya Dhar, Art Historian. Professor, Department of History, University of Delhi

This talk highlights the modernist sculptor Isamu Noguchi's interest in the stonework of premodern India—including ancient sites such as Sanchi, Elephanta, Ajanta, and Mahabalipuram, the early medieval Qutb complex and late medieval Mughal structures—and traces the centrality of the "matter of sculpture" in his distinctive artistic philosophy and practice. 
 

Raseedi Ticket – A Journey into the Soul of Amrita Pritam

(Inspired by the autobiography, stories, and poetry of Padma Vibhushan Amrita Pritam)

Design and Direction: Dr. Savita Rani; Writer: Sudha Adukula; Actor: Shalom Sannutha; Art: Khaju Guttal 
Music: Munna Mysore

Inspired by Amrita Pritam's autobiography, stories and poetry, Raseedi Ticket is a one-woman play that traces the life and literary journey of one of India's most celebrated writers. The play explores themes of love, rebellion, freedom and the resilience of women, offering an intimate portrait of the woman behind the words.
 

Afsaana Hui Shaam: Dramatized reading of short stories of Begum Masroor Jahan

Performers: Saira Mujtaba; Sunita Singh; Tariquee Haameed

The play is an endeavour of promoting intimate literary ‘mehfils’ where the storyteller/raconteurs present short stories through voice acting alone. Four stories would be read – Lootera, Kunji, Khoye Huye Lamhe and Jilawatan.

(Collaboration: Wings Cultural Society)

अंदरूनी सरहदें (Inner Frontiers)

Solo exhibition by Namita Prakash, visual artist and interior designer. The artist has exhibited at World Art Dubai, India Art Festival and Qatar International Art Festival

The artworks explore the invisible emotional and spiritual boundaries that shape our identities. Through layered mixed-media paintings inspired by nature, memory and the feminine experience, the exhibition reflects on resilience, transformation and the quiet landscapes within.

The exhibition will be inaugurated on Wednesday, 5th August’26 at 16:00 hrs by Aloka Guha, Former Chairperson, National Trust, Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment, Govtof India.

The exhibition will remain open daily from 11:00 to 19:00 hrs
 

Two Poets and a River

(75 minutes; 2021; Wakhi,Tajik and Dari with English subtitles)
Director: Richard K. Wolf

Recipient of the ICTM Prize for Best Documentary Film or Video at the International Council for Traditional Music, Portugal (2022) and an Official Selection at the RAI Film Festival, Bristol, UK (2023).

Set along the Oxus River, which separates Tajikistan and Afghanistan, the film explores themes of love, loss and belonging through the lives and musical poetry of two renowned Wakhi poet-musicians, Qurbonsho and Daulatsho. Against the backdrop of a border shaped by history, the film reflects on shared cultural heritage, memory and identity through music.

Followed by a post screening discussion with film-maker, Prof. Richard K. Wolf, G. Gordon Watts Professor of Music and Professor of South Asian Studies, Harvard University. The session will be moderated by Shubha Chaudhuri, Associate Director General (Academic), Archives and Research Centre for Ethnomusicology, AIIS, Gurugram.

(Collaboration: American Institute of Indian Studies, Center for Art and Archaeology)

25TH BCF ANNUAL LECTURE

Compassion in Action: Journey of Courage and Commitment

Speakers: Dr Prakash Amte & Dr Mandakini Amte, Co-Founders and pioneers of Lok Biradari Prakalp (LBP), Padma Shri 2002, Ramon Magsaysay Award 2008

Chair: Ravneet Pawha, Deakin University

Moderator: Dr. Mathew Varghese, St. Stephen’s Hospital

Vote of Thanks: N.S. Katoch, BCF Treasurer
 

The discussion will explore the extraordinary journey of Dr Prakash Amte and Dr Mandakini Amte, reflecting on over five decades of service to the tribal communities of Hemalkasa, Gadchiroli. Focusing on their pioneering work in healthcare, education, wildlife conservation and humanitarian service.

(Collaboration: Business and Community Foundation)
 

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