IIC DIAMOND JUBILEE POETRY READINGS – CULTURE AND CREATIVITY – LEGACY AND CHANGE

A YEAR OF POETRY AT IIC
Conceptualised by Gitanjali Surendran

Shahr aur Shaayari: The City in Urdu and Indo-Persian Poetry
An evening of readings, recitations, discussions, and appreciation of a wide range of Urdu and Indo-Persian poetry by the greatest as well as some contemporary poets on the city – cultures of Hindustan – of Delhi, Lucknow, Banaras, Hyderabad and elsewhere. Spanning from the shahr-ashob or the ‘lament or tumult of the city’ traditions to monothematic qat’as, and long poems such as the masnavi on Banaras by Mirza Ghalib

Panelists: Dr. Saif Mahmood, Advocate and author of Beloved Delhi: A Mughal City and Her Greatest Poets; Dr. Swapna Liddle, historian, and author of Connaught Place and the Making of New Delhi, Chandni Chowk: The Mughal City of Old Delhi, and Delhi: 14 Historic Walks; Dr. Maaz Bin Bilal, Associate Professor of Literary Studies, Jindal University and author of Ghazalnama: Poems from Delhi, Belfast, and Urdu; and translator of Mirza Ghalib’s Temple Lamp: Verses on Banaras; and Dr. Mohammad Sayeed, Co-Founder Chiragh-e-Dilli: Writing a City, Co-Curator, Smell Assembly: An Exhibition of Smells of Delhi, and Ethnographer of Delhi

An exhibition of paintings and drawings by Nita Banerji from Chandigarh

Preview on Wednesday, 24 August 2022 at 18:30

Nothing to See Here: Situating the Study of Nagpur Bhosle Architecture within Indian Heritage and History
Illustrated lecture by Dr. Cathleen Cummings, Associate Professor, The University of Alabama at Birmingham

Chair: Shri K.N. Shrivastava, Director, IIC

When the 1904 Ancient Monuments Preservation Act was passed, the temples of the Bhosle family of Nagpur were little more than a century old. Many were still “living sites”, rather than archaeological monuments no longer in active use. The Act, although making provision for Hindu temples still in worship, was overarchingly concerned with the discovery, classification, and preservation of India’s deep historical past. To the present day, almost all of the eighteenth and early nineteen-century temples and wadas if Nagpur remain neglected: it is not under the protection of any heritage “register”; is unknown even to many Nagpurkars; and has been largely left unstudied by historians of art and architecture. As a case study, this presentation explores some of the key ideas affecting our classifications of “heritage”, “history”, “monument”, and “living”, site in India
 

Speaker: Dr. Arthur L. Frank, Professor and Chair Emeritus, Public Health, Drexel University, School of Public Health, Philadelphia, USA and IIC Distinguished Fellow

Chair: Shri K.N. Shrivastava, Director, IIC
 

Coordinated by Maj. Gen. (Retd.) Ashok K. Mehta

Pakistan at 75

A discussion with Amb. T.C.A. Raghavan, former High Commissioner to Pakistan and former Director General, Indian Council of World Affairs; Shri Tilak Devasher, Member, National Security Advisory Board; Prof. Sanjay Kathuria, former Lead Economist, The World Bank and South Asia Specialist; Dr. Smruti Pattanaik, Research Fellow, MP-IDSA and Coordinator, Pakistan Project; and Senator Mushahid Hussain, Member, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (recorded presentation)

Chair: Maj. Gen. Ashok K. Mehta, Coordinator of the ongoing India-Pakistan Track 2, facilitated by FES

Pakistan is no stranger to crises. At 75, it is facing multiple challenges – political, economic, foreign relations and is to choose a new Army Chief. Has Pakistan muddled through with its highs and lows but not taking its eye off Kashmir? The panel will discuss this question and other issues
 

(105 min; 1978; Russian with English subtitles)
Director: Emil Loteanu

Deeply atmospheric and beautifully shot, Emil Lotyanu's very popular adaptation of this Anton Chekhov novel takes place in the 19th century countryside in Russia and tells a story of crime and passion. Beautiful but poor young Olga is forced to marry an elderly prince Urbenin whose wealth and passionate love she enjoys. But Olga's heart is stolen by detective Sergey Kamishev, a younger friend of her husband. Torn between love and money, Olga promises her heart to Sergey but than bounces back to the older husband. A top Soviet-era production, A Hunting Accident depicts Russian aristocracy in its most decadent glamour through passion, obsession and jealousy. 

Born into Brothels: Calcutta’s Red Light Kids (USA) | Click here to watch
(85 min; 2004; Bengali/English with English subtitles)
Directors: Zana Briski, Ross Kauffman 

Multiple award winner including Oscar Award for Best Documentary, Features, Academy Awards 2005; Audience Choice Award, Bermuda International Film Festival 2004; Audience Award, Sundance Film Festival 2004; Best Film Award, Cleveland International Film Festival 2004; among others

"Without help they're doomed," says co-director Zana Briski of the kids she encounters in Calcutta's wretched Sonagachi district, and Born Into Brothels movingly charts how it is possible to make a difference to lives that appear devoid of any hope. Shot on digital video over a period of several years, this unsentimentally compassionate film focusses on a group of neglected and impoverished youngsters, who display unexpected photographic abilities.

https://vimeo.com/365877481

Series director: Adrian Pennink
Recipient of the International Emmy 2008 for Best Documentary 

A six-part documentary presented by Niall Ferguson. Based on his book The Ascent of Money: The Financial History of the World, the film examines the long history of money, credit, and banking. Throughout the series, Niall Ferguson examines the origins of the pillars of the world’s financial systems, and how behind every great historical phenomenon – empires and republics, wars and revolutions – there lies a financial secret.

Episode 5: Safe as Houses (47 min)
Niall Ferguson explains how someone's bright idea to bundle together a bunch of sub-prime mortgages and sell them on, virtually brought down the world's financial markets.

The Mushroom Club (USA) | Click here to watch
(35 min; 2005; English/Japanese with English subtitles)
Director: Steven Okazaki

The Mushroom Club is a filmmaker's journey to Hiroshima, sixty years after the bomb. Filmmaker Steven Okazaki, who first visited the city in 1980, takes a very personal look at Hiroshima — the place, the people, the historical event, the idea. He gathers a compelling collection of everyday images — a class photo, a spool of thread, a handful of buttons — and the powerful stories that come with them.

https://vimeo.com/299800622

China’s Forgotten Emperor (UK) | Click here to watch
(49 min; 2016; English)
Director: Stephen Finnigan

Narrated by Rufus Sewell

China's Forgotten Emperor is an elegant and illuminating portrait of one of China's most consequential and misunderstood figures. Wu Zetian rose to power over 1300 years ago when she became the only woman in history to claim the title of Emperor of China. Her history has been marred in scandal and controversy. In its examination of newly discovered artefacts and other materials, China’s Forgotten Emperor attempts to piece together the real story behind this enigmatic leader. 

https://topdocumentaryfilms.com/china-forgotten-emperor/