Indo-Aryan and the Linguistic History and Prehistory of North India

By Claus Peter Zoller (Harrassowitz Verlag: 2023)

Discussants: Prof. Anvita Abbi, linguist and scholar of minority languages; Dr. Peggy Mohan, Writer, Visiting Professor, Ashoka University; Dr. Ayesha Kidwai, theoretical linguist and Professor, Centre for Linguistics, School of Language Literature and Culture Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University; and Dr. Claus Peter Zoller, linguist and Professor of South Asian Studies, Department of Culture Studies and Oriental Languages, University of Oslo and author of the book
 

Chair: Prof. Anvita Abbi, linguist and scholar of minority languages.

Panelists: Sukumar Muralidharan, columnist and journalist educator; R. Srinivasan, columnist and former Editor, The Hindu Business Line; Sanjay Kapoor, Editor, Hardnews; Suhas Borker, independent filmmaker, Convenor, Jan Prasar and Trustee, IIC; Poornima Joshi, Political Editor and Chief of Bureau, Hindu Business Line; and Bharat Bhushan, South Asia Editor, 360info

Moderator: Anant Nath, Editor, Caravan

We live in times when media ownership has become corporatised, the role of the editor has changed beyond recognition, media is unable to hold the State to account, its access to the government and legislature has shrunk, investigative journalism seems to have become extinct and the threat to both journalism and journalists has increased. At a time of low trust in news and widespread misinformation, how does one understand the changes taking place in the media? This dialogue with media practitioners on the subject will examine what can be done and what needs to be done.

Programme organised as part of the IIC’s Sectoral Programme Group on Media 

Curated by Rajiv Mehrotra

Mindscapes…of Love & Longing (India)
(54 min; 2011; Hindi, English)
A film by Arun Chadha

Recipient of National Award 2012 for Best Film on social issues

Followed by a discussion with the filmmaker

Spotlighting the lives of individuals with disabilities, the film seeks to sensitively unpack misconceptions, prejudices and myths around their sexuality. Through personal narratives, it offers an intimate look into how they negotiate biological, medical, and socio-cultural beliefs to explore their identities and ultimately reclaim their sexual rights.

(Collaboration: Foundation for Universal Responsibility of His Holiness the Dalai Lama)
 

Strategic Choices, Ethical Dilemmas: Stories from the Mahabharat

By Aruna Narlikar, Amitabh Matoo and Amrita Narlikar (Vintage Books: 2023)

Chief Guest: Smt Smriti Irani, Hon’ble Minister for Women & Child Development

Panelists: Dr. Aruna Narlikar, columnist, poet and co-author of the book; Prof. Amitabh Mattoo, Chairperson, Centre for International Politics, Organisation and Disarmament, School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, and former Vice Chancellor, University of Jammu and co-author of the book; and Prof. Amrita Narlikar, President, German Institute for Global and Area Studies, Hamburg, Germany and co-author of the book

Consultant speakers: Dr. Naveen Talwar, Senior Consultant, Orthopedic Surgeon, Fortis group of hospitals in NCR; Ms Deepika Chopra, Corrective High-Performance Exercise Kinesiology (CHEK); and Ms Vartika Singhal, Clinical Dietician, Certified Diabetes Educator & Sports Nutritionist

From 14:00 to 17:00
Workshop on Pain Clinic

Open to IIC members and staff members of IIC

At 18:00
Lectures on: Exercise and Bone Health
Speaker: Ms Deepika Chopra

Nutrition and Bone Health
Speaker: Ms Vartika Singhal

Risk Factors and Prevention of Osteoporosis & Osteoarthritis
Speaker: Dr. Naveen Talwar

10 curated exhibitions by the Curatorial Intensive South Asia (CISA) 2023 Fellows. A key programme conducted by Khoj and Goethe-Institut/Max Mueller Bhavan, New Delhi which brings together curators from India, Iran, Maldives, Nepal, and Sri Lanka for a two-week curatorial fellowship. CISA aims to develop a diversity of perspectives on the medium of the exhibition in South Asia and Iran and to provide both a structured and an experimental inquiry into the possibilities of curatorial practice today.

Exhibiting curators include, Atefeh Khas; Bishal Yonjan; Bunu Dhungana; Jaisingh Nageswaran; Jatin Gulati; Neda Haffari; Pramodha Weerasekera; Snehal Morey; Sukanya Deb; and Umair Badheeu 

Preview on Tuesday, 12 December 2023 at 18:30 

There will be two performances during the preview

Performance by Fabienne Francotte
Curated by Neda Haffari

Performance by Ujjwala Maharjan
Curated by Bunu Dhungana

On 16 December from 11:30–13:00 & 14:30 to 16:00 in the Main Verandah Lawns
Sewing Circle with Sabeen Omar 
Curated by Pramodha Weerasekera

Two sessions with 10 participants each

(Collaboration: Khoj; and Goethe-Institut/Max Mueller Bhavan, New Delhi)

Conceptualised by Dr. Ashwani Kumar

 
From 10:00 to 13:00
Workshop on Cancer Screening
To be conducted by the National Cancer Institute Team, AIIMS, New Delhi.
 
Open to IIC members and staff members of IIC only
 
At 16:00
Lecture on Major Cancers in India, Strategies for Minimizing Risks
Speaker: Dr. Alok Thakar, Professor & Head, Otorhinolaryngology & Head-Neck Surgery; Head, National Cancer Institute, AIIMS, New Delhi
 
Panel Discussion on vaccination for cancer- where and why; screening for cancers- how and when; familial and genetic cancers- detection and treatments; and effective tobacco cessation.
 
Panelists: Dr Neerja Bhatla, Prof. & Head, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, AIIMS; Dr S.V.S. Deo, Prof. & Head, Department of Surgical Oncology, AIIMS; and Dr Raja Pramanik, Addl Professor, Department of Medical Oncology, AIIMS.
 
Chair: Dr. Ashwani Kumar

A Multilingual Recitation by Dr Karan Singh

Chair: Shri Muzaffar Ali, filmmaker, designer, poet, artist, cultural revivalist, and social worker

(Organised by IIC-International Research Division in collaboration with The Poetry Society, India)

Curator: Prof. Himanshu Prabha Ray

Early Buddhist Art at Sanchi: Power and Piety in Uruvela Narrative Cycle

Illustrated lecture by Prof. Seema Bawa who specializes in the History of South Asian Art and Culture, Department of History, University of Delhi. Books written by her include Gods, Men and Women: Gender and Sexuality in Early Indian Art and Religion and Art of the Chamba Valley, A.D. 700-1300. The areas of research focus on Indian Art, Ancient Indian Art and Iconography; Western Himalayan Art and Religion and Modern and Contemporary Indian Art. She was a recipient of DAAD Fellowship at the University of Bonn

Chair: Prof. Y. S. Alone, Jawaharlal Nehru University

This presentation focuses on the physical and imagined landscapes and locale within the visual narratives in early Buddhist art at Sanchi. The Uruvela or Uruvilva cycle, depicted on the pillar of the Eastern gateway at Sanchi Stupa 1, illustrates the interaction between the Kasyapa brothers and the aniconic presence indicating the Buddha. The fact that this is also a story that is based on the contestation between the established ideology of yajna and the emergence of Buddha as a proselytizing force makes nuanced reading of this visual even more interesting.