The War in West Asia: The March of Folly

Discussants: Ambassador Ranjan Mathai, former Foreign Secretary and Ambassador to Israel; Air Vice Marshal (Retd) Kapil Kak, AVSM, VSM, veteran of the 1971 war, distinguished strategic affairs expert and former senior fellow at leading defence and policy institutions; Professor Achin Vanaik, former Professor of International relations and Dean of the faculty of social sciences, Delhi University.

Chair: Amb K P Fabian, Professor, Symbiosis, and World Peace University, Pune.

Poetry Recital by Sagari Chhabra, Writer and film director
 

The war on Iran initiated by Israel on 28th February, and joined by the U.S. immediately shows no sign of ending though President Trump has claimed that his military objectives have been more or less met. India has 10 million nationals in the region, including more than a lakh in Israel and about 9000 in Iran. The rise in oil and gas prices will adversely impact India and others in the region and the rest of the world. How soon can we expect the end of the war?

The establishment of the India-Australia trade and the influence of India on the Australian colonies in the early nineteenth century

Speaker: Dr Charmaine O’Brien, author, culinary historian, and educator whose work explores the rich intersections of food, culture, and identity. Authored books like The Penguin Food Guide to India, The Colonial Kitchen: Australia 1788-1901, Eating the Present: Tasting the Future: exploring India through her changing food.

Special Invitee: Gemma Haines, Counsellor Strategic Communications & Public Diplomacy, Australian High Commission New Delhi

Moderator: Gunjan Goela, Chef, author and a food consultant

This talk explores the early foundations of India–Australia trade, beginning with a famine-driven exchange in 1791 and evolving into a dynamic commercial relationship in the nineteenth century. It examines how trade with Calcutta enabled colonial survival, generated wealth, and fostered enterprise, while also tracing India’s cultural influence on settler life, including food, labour, and domestic practices.

BOOK DISCUSSION GROUP

The Jallianwala Bagh Journals: Political Lives of Memory
By Sarmistha Dutta Gupta (Jadavpur University Press, 2025)

Discussants: Uma Chakravarty. Historian and Film-maker, formerly of Miranda House College for Women, Urvashi Butalia, Writer, Researcher and Publisher; Madan Gopal Singh, Composer, Lyricist, Singer and Critic; Sarmistha Dutta Gupta, Independent Researcher, Writer and Author of the book

Moderator: Sucheta Mahajan, Historian, formerly of the Centre for Historical Studies, JNU
 

BOOK DISCUSSION GROUP

Harvesting Gods: Poems
By Satya Mohanty (Speaking Tiger, 2025)

Discussants: Anisur Rahman, Former Professor, Dept. of English; Radha Chakravarty, Writer, Critic & Translator; Satya Mohanty, Poet, Playwright and Author of the book.

Chair: Ashok Vajpeyi , Poet, Critic and Essayist
 

BOOK DISCUSSION GROUP

The Power of Ayurveda & Yoga
By Anita Dua (Shubhi Publications, 2026)

Discussants: Vaidya Devendra Triguna, Leading practitioner of Ayurveda; Annantharam Sharma, HOD Panchakarma and Former Medical Superintendent, All India Institute of Ayurveda; Bijoylaxmi Hota, Author & Yoga Therapist; Anita Dua, Author of the Book

   
Carnatic Music Vocal Duet Recital
By Vidwan Malladi Sreeramprasad & Vidwan Malladi Dr.Ravi Kumar

On Friday 10 April at 18:00
Veena Recital  
By Ustad Bahauddin Dagar - Rudra Veena &
Vidushi Saraswati Rajagopalan - Saraswati Veena

Followed by a jugalbandi
 

Nritya Nada: An Illustrative Essence in Swara and Tala
Conceptualized and directed by : Dr. Sucharita Khanna
Choreographer: Chitra C. Dasarathy
Composer: Praveen D. Rao
Melodious taranas by Dr. Veena Pani Shukla
Performers:  Dr. Sucharita Khanna; Aparnika Sahu; Tarini Chandrashekhar; Harshit Singh; Karuna Solomon; Anyesha Kheria; Vandita Bhandari; Shivanshi Agarwal.

Nritya Nada is a Bharatanatyam dance ballet based on the original ragas of the five faces of Panchamukhi Shiva and Devi Parvati. Through its artistic narrative, it beautifully conveys the timeless ethos of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati, while celebrating the profound beauty and spiritual depth of Indian classical music. The production features several bandish compositions by Padma Shri Balwantrai Bhatt and Shri Shankar Shripad Bodas.

(Collaboration: Kalanidhi – Centre for Performing Arts, Kanpur)
 

BOOK DISCUSSION GROUP

Riding with the Silver Wolf 
By  Bindiya Bedi Charan Noronha  (Red River, 2025)

Discussants: Sagari Chabbra, Writer and Film Director; Samar Singh Jodha, Photographer and Artist; Shalini Mullick, Writer; Mandira Ghosh, Poet, Author and Researcher; Bindiya Bedi Charan Noronha, Writer, Social Worker, Educationist, Bibliotherapist & Author of the book

Chair:   Dr. Amarendra Khatua, Former Secretary, MEA & DG, ICCR & Poet
 

Law and Ethics of Right to live , Right to Die with Dignity :A Step Toward Dignified End-of-Life Care

Speakers: Prof Rajinder K Dhamija, Director IHBAS and Board member INPCS; Dhvani Mehta, Advocate Supreme Court of India and Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy; Dr R K Mani, eminent Pulmonologist

Chair:  K N Shrivastava, Director IIC

Co-Chair:  Dr N Subramaniam, Urologist, Apollo Hospital, New Delhi

Recently, the Supreme Court allowed the withdrawal of life-sustaining treatment in the case of a 32-year-old man in an irreversible vegetative state for over 13 years. This has focused the nation’s attention on the right to live and the right to die with dignity. The culturally-sensitive issue involves complex medical, legal, and ethical considerations concerning patient autonomy and dignity. As India continues to grapple with the ethical challenges of modern medicine, the conversation on end-of-life rights has begun. This session will address some of these issues.