The Quest for Modern Assam: A History 1942-2000
 

By Arupjyoti Saikia (Penguin Allen Lane; 2023)           
 
Discussants: Shri Madan Prasad Bezbaruah, former Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, Govt. of India; Ms. Sangeeta Barooah Pisharoty, senior journalist and writer; and Prof. Arupjyoti Saikia, Professor, Dept. of Humanities and Social Sciences, IIT Guwahati and author of the book
 
Chair: Prof. Srinath Raghavan, Professor of History and International Relations, Ashoka University and Senior Fellow, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

Speaker: Dr. Sumita Banerjea, educator, and a qualified and practising Counsellor who has researched extensively on women criminals in 18th and 19th centuries Bengal
 
Chair: Dr. S. Zaidi

The talk will focus on crimes committed by women, primarily in Bengal in the 18th and 19th centuries. While research material is available on crimes against women, but research on women criminals during this period of Indian history remains largely unexplored. Perhaps the number of crimes committed by women was regarded as inconsequential or psychologically and socially it made people uncomfortable to view the woman as the offender. Police, jail and judicial records, diaries and records of officials, case records by private detectives and district records were used as source material. A cross section of criminal activities was revealed - dacoity, wayside robbery, railway banditry, fraud, killing because of superstition and societal pressures and also for greed and lust and even a serial killer. Anecdotes about these crimes will be shared.

Mixed media works by Sayali Goyal 

Preview on Tuesday, 23 January 2024 at 18:30

The exhibition is on view from 24 January to 4 February 2024, 11:00 to 18:00 daily
 

Curator: Prof. Himanshu Prabha Ray

Reading Narrative Panels on the Early Temples of Central India

Illustrated lecture by Dr. Aparajita Bhattacharya, Associate Professor, Centre for Historical Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University. Her research interest covers socio-cultural history of sacred landscape and architecture in early India, aspects of religion, religiosity, and art-iconography.

Chair: Prof. Seema Bawa, University of Delhi

This presentation examines the narrative panels sculpted on the early structural temples of Central India built during the period between 4th to 6th centuries of the Common Era. It explores the functional aspects of early temples as vibrant socio-cultural spaces by studying the aesthetic representation of the myth cycles of Vishnu from the temples of Pawaya (Gwalior), Nachna (Panna, Madhya Pradesh), Deogarh, Ramgarh hills (Vidisha, Madhya Pradesh) and Garhwa (Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh) to mention a few.  

Saga of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose and Singapore – An Indian Dawn in Singapore (Singapore)
(43 min; 2023; English)
Director: Lakshmi Raman Venkat, Gravitas Media

Produced by Gravitas Media Singapore

The film will be introduced by Partha Chatterjee, film critic and writer

A new documentary on Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose's "Dilli Chalo" in July 1943 from Padang, a central main event hosting field, from the then Japanese-occupied Singapore. The film captures the battle cry calling on the Indian diaspora to march on to the centre of Delhi and oust the British colonial government from India. Netaji's words galvanised the people in the region (South East Asia), ignited the 'Free India' movement, caused a surge in the ranks of the Indian National Army (INA) that he led and triggered the final push for India's independence which came four years later. The film also commemorates the intertwined histories and strong cultural ties between India and Singapore.

Swarna Saroja 

Bharatnatyam recital in memory of the late Guru Smt Saroja Vaidyanathan, Padma Bhushan

By Rama Vaidyanathan, senior artist

Accompanists: Sudha Raghuraman (vocal); Dr. S. Vasudevan (nattuvangam); Sumod Sreedharan (mridangam); and G. Raghuraman (flute)

Illustrated lecture by Sangeeta Barooah Pisharoty, senior journalist and writer, author of the recently published book, The Assamese – Portrait of a Community (Aleph: 2023)

Chair: Dr. Arshiya Sethi, dance scholar and author

The deep connect between textiles and civilisations is an old story. Weaves have a non-verbal language, mirroring the socio-religious and cultural history of a people. While custodians of Indian crafts have documented sacred textiles in India, the lens has not been widened yet to embrace those from North East India. In Assam, sacred weaves have an over four centuries of continued history, it is a living culture. The talk will focus on the profound bond between Assamese weaving culture and the community’s sacred, and war weaves.

Kuch Life Jaisa (English/90 min)
Written and Directed by Sohaila Kapur
Producers: Anuradha Dar & Sohaila Kapur
A Three Arts Club and Katyayani presentation

How strong are the ties between parents and children today? Kuch Life Jaisa is a family tale that re-looks at that bond in the context of today’s corporate and highly individualistic world. The story of four siblings who re-discover their mother, a single parent, at her funeral.
 

Enhancing Capacity Governance

Welcome Address: Shri Suresh K. Goel, former Director General, Indian Council for Cultural Relations

Introductory Remarks: Shri Prabhat Kumar, President, IC Centre for Governance

Keynote Address: Dr. Balasubramaniam (Balu), Member, Capacity Building Commission

(Collaboration: IC Centre for Governance)
 

Art as Social Action

Speakers: Gauhar Raza; Laila Tyabji; Yashadatta Alone and Ravi Agarwal