6 –A Akash Ganga
(80 mins; 2023; Hindi with English subtitles)
Directed by Nirmal Chander who will introduce the film
 
Screening will be followed by a discussion
 
Can a musician exist without an audience? To find an answer, the film enters 6-A Akash Ganga, a flat overlooking the Arabian Sea in Mumbai. Here resides one of India’s most renowned classical musicians, a matchless guru—Annapurna Devi.
 
Maestros have waited for years for her to accept them as disciples. George Harrison, of the Beatles fame, had to seek special permission to listen to her musical practice. But in the mid-1950s, she vowed not to perform for anyone in an effort to save her crumbling marriage to the world-renowned Indian musician, Pandit Ravi Shankar, who had grown insecure with the acclaim she was receiving. Her disciple, Pt. Nityanand Haldipur, cuts through the myths to tell her story. The film has been produced by the Annapurna Devi Foundation.

A solo guitar recital by Deepak Castelino

"Under the Mango Tree" is a solo guitar presentation of original music compositions by Delhi-based musician Deepak Castelino.  Amidst an environment of overwhelming sadness and uncertainty during a severe lockdown, confined spaces, and tragic stories of loss and hardship all over, the confirming shade of the mango tree was a healing balm; a place to rest and escape albeit temporarily.

And against this grey background of gloom, the mango tree stood steadfast and strong, as a beacon of hope and rejuvenation, and gave us over two hundred sweet mangoes too as if to say, 'Don't worry, all will be well.'
 

Soul and Sword: The History of Political Hinduism 
By Hindol Sengupta (Vintage Books: 2023)

Discussants: Prof. Kapil Kapoor, scholar and former Pro Vice-Chancellor, Jawaharlal Nehru University; Shri Sanjeev Sanyal, historian & economist; Shri Hindol Sengupta, historian, journalist and author of the book
 

Phantom Parrot (USA/UK)
(82 min; 2023; English)
Director: Kate Stonehill

The film will be introduced by Apar Gupta, Advocate and Technology Policy Professional

Screening will be followed by a discussion

Phantom Parrot is a feature documentary that follows a British human rights activist as he is prosecuted under terror laws in the U.K. for refusing to hand over the passwords to his electronic devices at the airport. In the process, it unravels a secret U.K. government surveillance programme – named Phantom Parrot – in which the authorities stop people passing through U.K. borders with the purpose of secretly copying their data, using technologies known as ‘Mobile Device Forensic Tools’. 
 

Filmit India: IIC/ Intach Children’s Film Festival

Children’s cultural film festival, a screening of films on heritage made by children across different schools in Delhi
 
(Collaboration: INTACH)

Panelists: Dr. Sudipto Mundle, Chairman, Centre for Development Studies and former Member, 14th Finance Commission; Mr. Joshua Felman, Principal, JH Consulting and formerly, Resident Representative, the International Monetary Fund in India : Ms. Ila Patnaik, Chief Economist , Aditya Birla group and Shri Rajiv Mishra, Senior Economic Adviser, Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance, Govt. of India

Chair: Dr. K.P. Krishnan, former Secretary to Government of India

Legends in One Frame: Portraying the Lives of Great Maestros through the Lens of Ace Photographer Avinash Pasricha

Text by Sadhna Shrivastav (Shubhi Publications: 2024)

Chair: Dr. Karan Singh

Discussants: Dr. Sachchidanand Joshi, Member Secretary, IGNCA; Ms Shovana Narayan, well-known Kathak artist/Guru and author; Ms Anita Singh, musicologist , arts administrator and Arts Historian; and Ms Sadhna Shrivastav, anchor and author of the book

A bouquet of Multilingual Poetry on the eve of Martyr’s Day

Presented by Navtej Sarna; Fouzia Dastango; Satyanand Nirupam; Kasturika Mishra; and Rini Simon Khanna

(Collaboration: Sarvodaya International Trust-Delhi Chapter)

Speaker: Prof. Surya Deva, UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Development

Chair: Mr. Shombi Sharp, UN Resident Coordinator, India

Climate change poses a significant threat to the realization of all human rights, including the right to development. People in all world regions, especially in developing countries, have a legitimate aspiration to harness their capabilities and realise development goals. At the same time, pursuing economic development without respecting planetary boundaries will destroy the current ecological system. What development pathway should then states and individuals follow? In this public lecture, the UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Development will argue that since intergenerational equity is a key principle of the right to development, it is possible to achieve inclusive and sustainable development by embracing a model of “planet-centred participatory development”.

(Collaboration: United Nations India)