An exhibition of photographs by Dr. Jasvir Rana

The exhibition presents a tribute to the living Delhi, and its collection of monuments that capture the resilient soul of a city many times destroyed and rebuilt. The photographs on view include the Mehrauli monuments, monuments at Nizamuddin, Jamali Kamali, Red Fort, Purana Qila with Qila-e-kuna mosque, Jama Masjid, Tughlakabad fort, among other heritage sites

Inauguration on Tuesday, 9 January 2024 at 17:30 hours

A conversation with Charmaine O’Brien, author of Eating the Present, Tasting the Future: Exploring India through her changing food (Penguin Random House India, 2023); and Suvir Saran, renowned Chef and author

What we eat is more than what is on our plates; in this conversation, O’Brien and Saran will explore the evolution of India’s contemporary foodscape and how the myriad forces transforming what and how the country eats reflect broader changes in the country’s economy, social structure and place in the world. The influence of global media and ideals of so-called ‘wellness’ and global trade will be a particular focus
 

Panelist: Shri Kallol Bhattacherjee, Senior Assistant Editor, Foreign Affairs, The Hindu and author of The Great Game in Afghanistan: Rajiv Gandhi, General Zia and the Unending War

Chair: Amb. K.P. Fabian, Professor, Symbiosis University and Indian Society of International Law
 

(75 min; 2023; Marathi, Hindi, Pali with English Subtitles)
A film by Somnath Waghmare who will introduce the film

Screening will be followed by a discussion

The documentary explores the lesser-known history of Mumbai and the Dalit community's long history of social struggle in the city. The heart of the film is Chaityabhumi, a sacred site where Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar, the father of the Indian Constitution, was laid to rest. Every year, from December 1 to 6, millions of Dalit-Bahujans make a pilgrimage to Chaityabhumi to pay homage to their revolutionary leader.

Through interviews, personal stories, music, and evocative visuals, the documentary explores the tensions and complexities of caste dynamics in contemporary India.
 

Why We Fail and How to Rise Above Failure
By Amit Dasgupta (Wisdom Tree; 2023)

Discussants: Ms Shovana Narayan, well-known artist and Guru; Ms Sairee Chahal, Founder CEO of SHEROES; Shri Annurag Batra, Chairman and Editor-in-chief BW Businessworld  ; Founder Exchange4media ; Shri Anshu Gupta, Founder Director Goonj; and Amb. Amit Dasgupta, former Indian diplomat, writer and author of the book

An exhibition of digital restored photographs of Ajanta caves by Prof. Benoy K. Behl

The earliest Buddhist paintings of the world are of the 2nd century BCE. Shrouded in the darkness of the Ajanta caves, these did not get the attention of the world, despite their very sophisticated quality. They could hardly be seen owing to much early 20th century graffiti on them. This exhibition throws a magical light which shows these paintings for the first time, through Prof. Behl’s photography in darkness and subsequent removal of graffiti by painstaking digital restoration.

Inauguration by Lady Kishwar Desai, Chair, The Arts and Culture Heritage Trust on Saturday, 6 January 2024 at 11:30 hours

Chair: Padma Shri Prof. Kiran Karnik, noted intellectual, administrator and author.

7 and 13 January 2024 at 16:00 hours
Gallery Walk Through 
To be conducted by Prof. Benoy K. Behl

Speakers: Mr. Selvan Naidoo, Director of the 1860 Heritage Centre, Durban, South Africa; Shri Gopalkrishna Gandhi, Distinguished Professor, Ashoka University and Life Trustee, IIC; Shri Shiv Shankar Mukherjee, former Indian High Commissioner to South Africa; Latha Reddy, former Deputy NSA and former Secretary (East) MEA ; Mr. Sedula Mashudubele Mamabolo, Counsellor (Political), South African High Commission; Shri Sudheendra Kulkarni, columnist and Aide to former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee; and Shri Anil Nauriya, Advocate, Supreme Court of India

Moderator: Suhas Borker, Editor, Citizens First TV (CFTV) and Trustee, IIC

The programme will commence with the release of ‘E.S. Reddy – Festschrift’, Edited by Jairam Reddy and Selvan Naidoo (Micro Mega and 1860 Heritage Centre, Durban: 2022)

Enuga Sreenivasulu Reddy (1924-2020) powered the powerful international solidarity for the epic anti-apartheid movement and was a hero of the liberation struggle of South Africa. ES was the moving spirit behind the United Nations’ Centre Against Apartheid from the 1960s to the 1980s. He devoted his later years to writing extensively on the struggle against Apartheid, Gandhi’s philosophy of Satyagraha and non-violence and India - South Africa relations. He was a rare individual from one country (India) who dedicated his life to the liberation struggle of another country (South Africa).

(Collaboration: Working Group on Alternative Strategies)

Hindustani Vocal Recital
By Anisha Ray from Delhi, disciple of the late Pandit Manas Chakraborty & late Guru Sarathi Chatterji 
 
 

At 19:00 
Kathak Duet Recital
By Anjali Munjal and Muskaan from Delhi, disciples of Guru Vidha Lal 
 

Frankenstein
 

By Mary Shelley (Maple Press; 2020)

Discussants: Dr. Karen Gabriel, Head, Dept. of English & Director, Centre for Gender, Culture and Social Processes, St Stephen’s College, Delhi University; Dr. Abhinav Gupta, Associate Professor, Department of Physics, St Stephen’s College, Delhi University; and Dr. Alphy Geever, Assistant Professor, Dept. of Philosophy, St. Stephen’s College, Delhi University

Chair: Amb. K. P. Fabian, Professor, Symbiosis University, Pune and Indian Society of International Law, New Delhi

Resurrecting Lost Memories and Linguistic Archaeology of Ancient Cultures

Speaker: Prof. Anvita Abbi, Distinguished linguist and scholar of tribal and other minority languages of South Asia; B.B. Borkar, Chair Professor of Comparative Literature, Goa University and formerly Professor of Linguistics, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi

Chair: Ashok Vajpeyi, poet, essayist, literary-cultural critic and eminent cultural and arts administrator

Opening Remarks: Suhas Borker, Convenor, Dr Kapila Vatsyayan Memorial Committee and Trustee, IIC

Closing Remarks: Dr Subhash Malik, Renowned Anthropologist

(Collaboration: Kapila Vatsyayan Memorial Committee)