Celebration of the Power of Non-Violent Action & the Life of Martin Luther King Jr

(15 January 1929 – 4 April 1968)

& Commemoration of the 55th anniversary of the Gandhi-King Memorial Plaza 

From 10:30 to 11:00 in Gandhi-King Memorial Plaza 

Commemoration Service 

Songs by Choirs of Schools from Delhi NCR

From 11:15 to 12:15 in C.D. Deshmukh Auditorium

Interactive Session 

Theme: "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly." - Martin Luther King Jr. (Letter from Birmingham, Alabama jail, April 16, 1963.)

During the Interactive Session a short film on Martin Luther King's Life shall be screened

Address by H. E. Eric Garcetti, U.S. Ambassador to India (tbc)

Moderators:

Shri Suhas Borker (Working Group on Alternative Strategies)

Shri Ramesh Sharma (Gandhi Yuva Biradari)

Students from Schools of Delhi NCR to participate.

This programme is part of the Taking Children to Gandhi series that brings children closer to the enduring legacy of Gandhi’s non-violent struggle for equity, justice, pluralism and sustainable development.

Gandhi-King Memorial Plaza was inaugurated on 21 January 1970 by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and commemorates two iconic figures of our times: Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr.

(Collaboration: Gandhi Yuva Biradari; and Working Group on Alternative Strategies)

Speaker: Amb. Talmiz Ahmad, former Indian Ambassador and expert on West Asia and Ram Sathe Chair, International Studies, Symbiosis International University, Pune

Chair: Amb. Gautam Mukhopadhyaya, Senior Visiting Fellow, Centre for Policy Research and former Ambassador of India to Syria, Afghanistan and Myanmar

The talk will look at the background to the upheaval in Syria, the emergence of the Hayat Tahreer al-Sham as a military and political force in the country, and the factors that facilitated its capture of Damascus. Amb. Ahmad will then discuss the role of different external players in the Syrian regime-change and the uncertainties – political, ideological and economic – that are likely to shape the national scenario in the coming months. Amb. Ahmad will also delve into the longer term implications of developments in Syria for regional and global politics and conclude with some reflections on the larger issues relating to emerging civilizational competitions and world order that will be resonant in the coming years

(Collaboration: Centre for Policy Research)

Is women-centric agri policy the Next Big Idea in Agriculture?

Speakers: Prof. Jayati Ghosh, University of Massachusetts; Prof. N. Manimekalai, Director, Centre for Women’s Development Studies; and Dr.Soma K.P., Mahila Kisan Adhikaar Manch

Chair: Shri Siraj Hussain, former Secretary Agriculture, Govt. of India

Moderator: Shri Pravesh Sharma, former MD, SFAC

https://youtu.be/nAVRhSXxf7A

Happy New Year 2025!

As we step into the new year, IIC extends our warmest wishes to all its members for a prosperous and fulfilling year ahead.

May the year 2025 bring you good health, boundless happiness, and prosperity in all your endeavours. Let this year mark new beginnings and inspire us to strive for greater success together.

We are immensely grateful for your unwavering support and contributions, which have been the cornerstone of our collective progress.

Warm regards,

President & all the staff of IIC
 

Speakers: Amb. Chinmaya R. Gharekhan, former Permanent Representative of India to the UN; Shri Sudhir T. Devare, former Secretary Economic Relations, Ministry of External Affairs; Shri K.P. Fabian, former Ambassador to Italy and Qatar; Shri Ronen Sen, former Ambassador to USA and Russia; and Prof. Anuradha Chenoy, former Dean, School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University

Moderator: Suhas Borker, Editor, Citizen’s First TV (CFTV) and Trustee, IIC

This is the tenth annual seminar in the series 'Keys to Governance'; the earlier nine seminars in the series were on 'Compliance and Delivery'(2016), 'Political Will'(2017), Constitution as Ideology' (2018), 'Education as Empowerment' (2019), 'Steel Frame' (2020), Independence of Judiciary (2021), Constitutional Morality (2022), Social and Communal Harmony (2023) and 'Free, Pluralistic and Independent Media'(2024).

The annual seminar is organised in remembrance of Shekhar Borker, 'Banana Boy' on the Indian postage stamp, private sector administrator, citizen environmentalist, and advocate of empowerment of persons of disabilities, who passed away in 2015 on 7 January.

(Collaboration: D. S. Borker Memorial Foundation)   
 

Shilpanatanam is a style of movement and choreographic vision conceived by Dr. Maya Kulkarni that departs from the structures of classical dance technique and conventional dramaturgy. Shilpanatanam taps into the wider world of literature and poetry. 

Dance presentations by Mesma Belsare and Dr. Kaustavi Sarkar

Children’s cultural film festival, a screening of the best films on heritage made by children across different schools in Delhi-NCR

(Collaboration: Heritage Education and Communication Service, INTACH)
 

Inaugural Session

Welcome Address: Amb. Shyam Saran, President, IIC
Address by Dr. Jeromin Zettlemeyer, Director, Bruegel

Keynote Address: Dr. S. Jaishankar, Minister for External Affairs, Govt. of India
Chair: Mr. Erkki Liikanen, Chairman, Board of Bruegel

On 5 February at 12:30
 

Valedictory Session
Valedictory Address by Shri Suman K. Bery, Vice Chairman, Niti Aayog

(Collaboration: Bruegel)
 

Speaker: H.E. Dr. Ali Achoui, Ambassador of Algeria to India

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