Dramatised readings from A.R. Gurney’s “Love Letters” by Sunit Tandon and Sohaila Kapur

Love Letters is a play by A.R. Gurney, which was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. The play centres on two characters - Melissa Gardner and Andrew Makepeace Ladd III. Though geographically located in different places, they sit side by side and write letters to each other, discussing what has passed between them throughout their separation. 

The play has had some popular adaptations in India. It was adapted into Urdu in 1992 as Tumhari Amrita with Farroukh Sheikh and Shabana Azmi. Kaif Aur Main, written and performed by Javed Akhtar along with his wife Shabana, was also inspired by it, as was another play, Aapki Soniya, starring Sonali Bendre. 

The play in its original form was first enacted by Sunit & Sohaila about three decades ago. It was directed by the late Arun Kuckreja under the banner of Ruchika Theatre.  

It is perhaps more age appropriate for the actors today, since the characters are celebrating a friendship of 50 years. 

Produced by Anuradha Dar & Sohaila Kapur for Three Arts Club & Katyayani.

Speaker: Prof. Sari Hanafi, Professor of Sociology, Director, Center for Arab and Middle Eastern Studies and Chair, Islamic Studies program, American University of Beirut.  He is the President of the International Sociological Association and was also the editor of Idafat: the Arab Journal of Sociology (Arabic) (2017-2022).

Discussant: Dr. Bhrigupati Singh, Ashoka University and Brown University

Chair: Prof. Rita Brara, Editor, Contributions to Indian Sociology, Senior Fellow, Institute of Economic Growth, Delhi and Visiting Professor, Ashoka University

The CIS-IEG-SAGE Annual Lecture 2023

(Collaboration: Contributions to Indian Sociology; Institute of Economic Growth; and SAGE)
 

Speaker: Prof. Arogyaswami J. Paulraj, Professor Emeritus, Department of Electrical Engineering, Stanford University.  
Prof. Paulraj is the inventor of MIMO wireless communications, a technology break through that enables improved wireless performance. MIMO is now incorporated into all broadband wireless systems. He also pioneered MIMOOFDMA that is now the core physical layer technology for 4G, 5G mobile, and WiFi networks

Moderator: Ms Aruna Sundararajan, IAS (retd.) former Secretary Telecom and Chairperson, Telecom Commission

Chair: Cmdre C. Uday Bhaskar

Prof. Paulraj will offer his views on the criticality of semiconductors, the structure of the global industry, its competitive dynamics, and then focus his talk mainly on its huge entry barriers.

‘Unfolding the Cosmos’ – The Significance of History and of Architecture as its Primary Source: The Case of the Red Fort

Illustrated lecture by Anisha Shekhar Mukherji, architect who has specialized in conservation and is Visiting Faculty, School of Planning and Architecture, Delhi. Anisha works as an independent designer and researcher and is Founding Director, Ambi Knowledge Resources and author of The Red Fort of Shahjahanabad (Oxford University Press: 2003); Jantar Mantar (Ambi: 2010); Renewing Design with Communities (co-edited with Snehanshu Mukherjee, Routledge, 2023) among other books

Chair: Anuradha Chaturvedi, Architectural Conservation, School of Planning and Architecture, Delhi

The talk will explore the significance of history in construing and constructing identity and memory — what we are, what we may have been, and what we can be. And the role of architecture in all this, through the example of the iconic World Heritage Site of the Red Fort, a symbol of political and cultural identity. Can architecture be considered a primary source of history? And how should we read it?

Presented by the Ao Naga Choir from Delhi

Principal Conductor: Akala Akangmeren

The choir will present a repertoire of classical choral music for Christmas and well-known carols

Secularism in the Indian Constitution

Panelists: Manoj Jha; Zoya Hasan; Apoorvanand; and Harsh Mander

Chair: Neera Chandhoke

(Collaboration: Centre for Equity Studies)

A commemoration exhibition of sculptures and photographs to make the 100 birth anniversary of Keshav Malik, art critic and poet

On display are sculptural works by Amar Nath Sehgal, Satish Gujral, Himmat Shah, Neeraj Gupta, G. Reghu, Arun Pandit, Biman Das, Dhananjay Singh, Harsha Durugadda, Hariprasad, Rini Dhumal, Sonia Sareen, Phaneendra Nath Chaturvedi, Ankon Mitra and Rajesh Ram

Monochromes by Manoj Arora
Curator: Uma Nair

Inauguration on Thursday, 7 December 2023 at 17:00

(Collaboration: Delhi Art Society)

Indian Tax Collection – Too High or Too Low

Welcome Address: Shri Suresh K. Goel, former Director General, Indian Council for Cultural Relations
Opening Remarks: Dr. Anand P. Gupta, former Professor of Economics, IIM, Ahmedabad

Keynote Address: Shri Surjit Bhalla, former Executive Director, International Monetary Fund

(Collaboration: I.C. Centre for Governance)

India’s Foreign Policy in Changing Times

By D.K. Giri (Global Books Organisation: 2018)
 

Discussants: Prof. Mahendra P. Lama, former Vice Chancellor, Sikkim University; Prof. Ajay Darshan Behera, Academy of International Studies, Jamia Millia Islamia University; and Prof. (Dr.) D.K. Giri, columnist and author of the book

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

Traditional toys and dolls are dying a slow death in India despite a recent push from the Government. Continuing for thousands of years, toys and festive fairs are now vanishing from urban culture and public spaces. The art of toy making is not restricted to specific parts of India as commonly believed - rather it is extraordinarily vast - as is the diversity of the raw materials. 

This exhibition showcases more than 50 toys and dolls from different States and UTs of India made of wood, papier-mâché, metal, tin, stone carving, leather, candle, clothes, seashells etc.

From the Agnibarna-Madhumadhabi Bhaduri collection 
Curated by Asani Bhaduri

Inauguration by Shri Jatin Das, well-known artist on 5 December 2023 at 18:30