Rediscovering Delhi
Illustrated lecture by Dr. Jasvir Singh Rana who will present a visual journey through the city’s historic monuments, museums, Lodi Art District and serene natural beauty of Delhi’s gardens. Along the way, Dr. Rana will also share valuable tips on cell phone photography
Chair: Dr. Ravindra Kumar Dewan, Director, National Institute of TB and Respiratory Diseases, Mehrauli
Dr. Jasvir Rana is a radiologist by training with a multifaceted passion for photography, history, and nature. For over three decades, he has been an avid heritage walker, art enthusiast, and nature lover, capturing Delhi’s monuments and natural landscapes through his lens
Indian Constitution @75: A Federal Democracy Perspective
Indian Constitution @75: A Federal Democracy Perspective
Speakers: Hon’ble Mr. Justice Madan Lokur, Judge, Supreme Court of Fiji, Chairperson, United Nations Internal Justice Council and former Judge, Supreme Court of India; Shri Rajeev Dhavan, Senior Advocate, human rights activist, and Commissioner of the International Commission of Jurists; and Prof. Neera Chandhoke, Distinguished Fellow, Centre for Equity Studies, and former Professor of Political Science, University of Delhi
Introduction: Prof. Balveer Arora, Chairman, Centre for Multilevel Federalism and Convener, IIC Programme Planning Group on Federal Democracy
Chair: Shri N.N. Vohra, Life Trustee, IIC
ART MATTERS
Memories & Experiences
Ravi Shankar, Agyeya, Swaminathan & others
By Madan Lal, eminent sculptor
(Collaboration: The Raza Foundation)
HISTORY AND HERITAGE: THE AFTERLIFE OF MONUMENTS
Curator: Prof. Himanshu Prabha Ray
Reading Monuments, Reading Buddhist Monuments
Illustrated lecture by Dr. Shashank Shekhar Sinha, independent researcher who has been working as Publishing Director, Routledge (South Asia) since 2012. He is the author of Casting the Buddha: A Monumental History of Buddhism in India (Pan Macmillan 2021), Delhi, Agra, Fatehpur Sikri: Monuments, Cities and Connected Histories (Pan Macmillan 2021), and co-edited, Gender in Modern India: History, Culture, Marginality (Oxford University Press, 2024)
Chair: Ms Junhi Han, Cheif of Culture, UNESCO Office, New Delhi
Why are monuments so important in history and the reception of the discipline in the public domain. Do we study or understand them adequately? The will highlight how a more inclusive study of monuments (and related artefacts) could lead to a more nuanced understanding of history while also making the discipline more interesting for the non-history public.
FOLK DANCE AND MUSIC
Traditional Folk Songs and Dances from Uttarakhand
Narendar Panthri and group, from Dev Bhoomi Lok Kala Society, Delhi
The traditional folk music of Uttarakhand dates back to ancient times. It combines poetry, mythology and oral narratives handed down from one generation to the next. Using traditional musical instruments the singing is often accompanied with dance.
The folk dances of Uttarakhand such as choliya, barada nati, jaggar, chhapeli, chancheri, etc. are deeply rooted in its history.
(Collaboration: NCZCC, Prayagraj, Ministry of Culture, Govt. of India)
Book Discussion Group
Genetically Modified Democracy: Transgenic Crops in Contemporary India
By Aniket Aga ( Yale University Press ;Orient Blackswan: 2022)
Winner of the 2022 Ludwik Fleck Prize from the international Society for the Social Studies of Science
Discussants: Shri Siraj Hussain, former Secretary Ministry of Food Processing Industries and Ministry of Agriculture & CMD, FCI; Dr. Suman Sahai, Founder of Gene Campaign; and Prof. Aniket Aga, Anthropologist, Academic and Author of the book
Moderator: Dr. Richa Kumar, Associate Professor of Sociology and Science & Technology Studies, IIT Delhi
IIC ANNUAL DAY 2025
Concert
Presented by Advaita Crescendo Quintet
With Dr. Suma Sudhindra (veena); Federica Colangelo (piano); Ned McGowan (flute); Karthik Mani (percussion, vocals); and Laurent Peckels (bass)
Advaita Crescendo is a new ensemble that weaves the rhythmic and expressive threads of Indian Carnatic music with the spontaneous flow of European jazz. Their rich compositions and intimate improvisations reflect the essence of Advaita – the unity of diversity
Organised in collaboration with Italian Embassy Cultural Centre; and Embassy of Luxembourg; and Embassy of the Netherlands
Understanding Ukraine
Speaker: Amb. A. Gitesh Sarma, former Secretary (West), Ministry of External Affairs and former Ambassador to Uzbekistan and High Commissioner to Australia
Chair: Amb. K.P. Fabian, Professor, Indian Society of International Law, New Delhi and Symbiosis University, Pune
This lecture is based and prepared as part of the IIC Sectoral Policy Group on International Relations under the Convenorship of Amb. K.P. Fabian
The Two Families and an Archive that Launched Pete Seeger
Illustrated lecture by Anthony Seeger, Curator and Director Emeritus, Smithsonian Folkways Recordings and Distinguished Professor of Ethnomusicology Emeritus, University of California, Los Angeles Chair: Courtney CJ Woods, Public Diplomacy Officer, Embassy of USA How did Pete Seeger (1919-2014) become the charismatic banjo-playing musician that had such a large impact on music and musicians around the world, including India? His start can be traced to two families and a unique group of field recordings collected for the United States Library of Congress. One family was Pete’s own, comprised of his musicologist father Charles Seeger and composer stepmother Ruth Crawford Seeger as well as their children Mike, Peggy, Barbara and Penny. The other family was the Lomaxes: folklorist/collector John, and his children, especially Alan and Ness. The archive was called the Archive of American Folk Songs. Its first honorary curator was John Lomax; its first employee was his son Alan. Its first paid intern was Pete Seeger. The two families changed how American music, as distinct from European music, became part of the educational system and cultural life of the United States. A contemporary once said: “Charles Seeger and Alan Lomax provided the fuel, aimed him in a certain direction, and Pete took off like a rocket.” Tony (Anthony) Seeger, one of Pete Seeger’s nephews and himself an archivist, will describe the remarkable combination of circumstances, musical influences, institutions, and sounds that influenced Pete in his early years. Tony will illustrate his talk with photos, and recordings, as well as songs on his 5-string banjo. He hopes his audience will join him on a few of them (Collaboration: Archives and Research Centre for Ethnomusicology, American Institute of Indian Studies) YouTube link: https://youtu.be/KjBq9daLEbU |
Gita practicals for a Better Life
A workshop conducted by noted Yoga Guru, author and speaker, Smt. Bijoylaxmi Hota
In the Bhagwat Gita, Sri Krishna says that life is sorrowful and reveals to Arjuna, the ways to overcome it, Of them, the ones that have been overlooked will be taught in the workshop for better physical, mental, and spiritual health, as well as for faster inner transformation
Members are requested to kindly requested to register their participation in advance on the following email id
iic.programme@gmail.com