Phanigiri: Interpreting an Ancient Buddhist Site in Telangana

The Jewel in the Crown: Lessons on Heritage from Phanigiri
Illustrated lecture by Naman P. Ahuja, Curator and Professor, School of Arts and Aesthetics, Jawaharlal Nehru University

A Gateway to Phanigiri: Reading Architecture, Constructing Narrative at an Early Buddhist Site
Illustrated lecture by Parul Pandya Dhar, Professor of Indian and Southeast Asian Art History, Dept. of History, University of Delhi

Chair: Prof. Nayanjot Lahiri

The remains of what must have been a jewel of a Buddhist monastery, perched high on a granite massif, have been found at Phanigiri, 150 km away from Hyderabad. The main construction and artefacts date between the 2nd to 4th centuries AD – a decisive period when Buddhism was sharing space with a rising number of organised sects. Naman Ahuja will take the audience through the astounding quality of sculpture at Phanigiri and focus on just one piece: a stele that shows Siddhartha sacrificing his turban, the mark of his inheritance. This narrative forms one of the key moments in Buddhist art. Parul Pandya Dhar will speak about the unique torana gateway of the stupa, which is the only one of its kind in all of peninsular India

(Collaboration: The Marg Foundation)

An evening of Mindfulness, with Sitting, Walking and Tea Meditations

Led by monks, nuns and teachers in the Plum Village traditions

Release of a book by Thich Nhat Hanh, published by Aleph Book Company

Chair: Dharmacharya Shantum Seth

(Collaboration: Ahimsa Trust; and Aleph Book Company)

An Evening of Poetry

With poets – Narendra Pundrik (Banda); Asangaghosh (Jabalpur); Jyoti Sharma (Haridwar); and Arpan Kumar (Gorakhpur) who will read from their original work

(Collaboration: The Raza Foundation)

Santoor Recital
By Jonathan Voyer from Canada, disciple of  Pt Satish Vyas
 

At 19:00
Hindustani Vocal Recital

By Padmaja Chakraborty from Delhi, disciple of  Vidushi Sumitra Guha; and Vidushi Girija Devi  

For an Outstanding Woman Mediaperson

Followed by

B.G. Verghese Memorial Lecture

By Purushottam Agrawal

Nafrat se Itni Mohabbat Kyo?

(Why do we love to hate?)

Lecture to be delivered by Prof. Purushottam Agrawal, renowned scholar of cultural studies, a historian of ideas and literature, formerly Chairperson, Centre of Indian Languages, Jawaharlal Nehru University; formerly Visiting Professor, Faculty of Oriental Studies, Cambridge University; and author of numerous publications, mostly recently Kabir, Kabir, The Life and World of the Early Modern Poet-Philosopher

(Organised by The Media Foundation)

Hazaar Rang Shaairi: The Wonderful World of the Urdu Nazm

By Anisur Rahman (HarperCollins India: 2022)

Discussants: Dr. Lakshmi Kannan, eminent poet and fiction writer; Dr. Akhlaq Ahan, Chairperson, Centre for Persian and Central Asian Studies, Jawaharlal University; Shri Saif Mahmood, Advocate, Supreme Court of India and International Lawyer; and Prof. Anisur Rahman, bilingual writer, poet, critic, translator and author of the book

By G. Raghuraman, senior and well-known artist from Delhi 

(Collaboration: Gayathri Fine Arts)

To celebrate the centenary year of Amar Nath Sehgal, an exhibition of paintings and serigraphs a sculpture
From the Amar Nath Sehgal Private Collection

Curator: Uma Nair

Inauguration on Friday, 17 March 2023 at 18:30

(Collaboration: Amar Nath Sehgal Trust)
 

Mridula Garg, well-known Hindi and English writer, in conversation with Dr. Purushottam Agrawal; Dr. Lakshmi Kannan, Poet, Novelist & Short Story Writer and  Prof. Rekha Sethi, Author, Editor & Translator

Four Crises: Test of Diplomacy

By G.S. Iyer

Discussants: Amb. Ranjit Rae, former Indian Ambassador to Hungary, Vietnam and Nepal; Amb. Ashok Kantha, former Indian Ambassador to China, Hony. Fellow, Institute of Chinese Studies and Distinguished Fellow, Vivekananda International Foundation; and Amb. G.S. Iyer, former Indian Ambassador to Mexico & Morocco and author of the book

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