A festival of 14 exceptional nonfiction films from South Asia produced in the last two years. The festival encapsulates the flavors of the Subcontinent with films about people from India, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. The festival includes the award winners of Film Southasia Festival 2022, Kathmandu as well as other films selected to showcase the variety, treatment and intensity that marks the world of Southasian documentary and non-fiction. Organised with Film Southasia, Kathmandu. The festival also includes an exhibition by Hri Institute for Southasian Research and Exchange, Southasian Trust, Kathmandu

COMPLETE SCHEDULE

At 18:00
Introduction
By Kanak Mani Dixit

The Secret Life (Pakistan)
(13 min; 2020; Urdu with English subtitles)
Director: Nadeem

A glimpse into the lives of indigenous people in the Hunza valley of Pakistan

AT 18:35
Gurkha Girl (Nepal)
(35 min; 2021; Nepali with English subtitles)
Director: Bishal Rokka Magar

Co-Recipient of the Tareque Masud Award for Best Debut Film, Film Southasia Kathmandu 2022

As news surfaces that Britain is recruiting Nepali girls in its British Gurkha regiments, Dilmaya, a young girl from a mountain village, sees it as a life changing opportunity and devotes all her time in preparation.

AT 19:15
The Casteless Collective – Prologue (India)
(90 min; 2021; Tamil/English)
Director: Monesh

Music breaks barriers of caste and class in performances by a revolutionary band. The documentary chronicles the story of India’s most revolutionary political musical outfit The Casteless Collective (bold) from its inception through the release of its debut album “Magizhchi” (Joy) in 2019.
 

An exhibition to mark the 550th anniversary of the birth of Nicolaus Copernicus; the 480th anniversary of his death; the release of his magnum opus De revolutionibus orbium coelestium; and the 510th anniversary of the origin of the heliocentric theory

Exhibition presented by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Govt. of Poland and Archives of the Polish Academy of Science

Inauguration on Tuesday, 4 July 2023 at 18:30

(Collaboration: Polish Institute, New Delhi)
 

Curated by Rajiv Mehrotra

The Last Dalai Lama? (USA)
(82 min; 2016; English)
Director: Mickey Lemle

Recipient of the Audience Award, Mill Valley Film Festival 2016

Screening will be followed by a discussion with Rajiv Mehrotra
 
His Holiness turns 88 in July. The film reflects on the 14th Dalai Lama, his ongoing confrontation between Tibetans and China; His Holiness’s influence in political and spiritual spheres; his work with educators and neuropsychologists; and his personal feelings on ageing, dying and the question: Will there be a fifteenth Dalai Lama, or will he be the last Dalai Lama?

(Collaboration: Foundation for Universal Responsibility of His Holiness the Dalai Lama)
 

India’s Finance Ministers: From Independence to Emergency (1947-1977)

By A.K. Bhattacharya (Penguin Business: 2023)

About the Book:

Independent India has so far witnessed twenty-eight finance ministers. But only a handful of them could leave their mark on the exchequer or North Block, the headquarters of the Indian finance ministry. From Independence to Emergency: India’s Finance Ministers 1947-1977 is the story of India’s unforgettable finance ministers who shaped India’s economy in the first thirty years after Independence. The book highlights the significant difference that these finance ministers made to the management of the Indian economy and to the policy evolution of the government, and who thus left an indelible mark on the psyche of Indian citizens. It attempts to measure the impact these decisions left, not only on India’s economic system but also on its political system, and looks at to what extent the decisions were influenced by the socio-economic backgrounds of the finance ministers. Full of interesting anecdotes, the book is the first in-depth account of the crucial role these finance ministers have played in the functioning of India’s economy.

Full of interesting anecdotes, the book is the first in-depth account of the crucial role these
Finance ministers have played in the functioning of India’s economy.

Speakers

Dr. Shankar N. Acharya, Former Chief Economic Adviser, GoI

Dr. Montek Singh Ahluwalia, Distinguished Fellow, Centre for Social &Economic Progress & Former Deputy Chairman, Planning Commission

Dr. Nitin Desai, Former Chief Economic Adviser, GoI

Dr. V. Anantha Nageswaran, Chief Economic Adviser, GoI

Shri Mohit Gupta, Founder-Frob (Moderator)

Shri A. K. Bhattacharya, Editorial Director, Business Standard & Author
of the Book

Mughal Banaras: An Exploration

Speaker: Malavika Kasturi, Associate Professor (South Asian History), Departments of History and the Centre for the Study of Religion, University of Toronto and with author of Embattled Identities, Rajput Lineages and the Colonial State in Nineteenth Century North India (OUP, 2002). Prof. Kasturi is working on the urban history of Banaras from the eighteenth century from the perspective of Mughal pensioner families

The illustrated lecture will explore the lesser-known history of Banaras through the legacy of exiles and pensioners from the eighteenth century, especially Mughal princes like Jahandar Shah and his descendents.

Chair: Dr. Yaaminey Mubayi

Tale of a Gypsy in Kafka’s Land

A collection of poems by Mandira Ghosh (Authorspress: 2023)

Discussants: Prof. Radha Chakravarty, Former Prof. of Comparative Literature and Translation Studies, AUD, Critic; 
Dr. Gauri Shankar Raina, Broadcaster, Translator and Member, Advisory Board, Sahitya Akademi; Ms. Mandira Ghosh, Poet,Researcher, Writer and Author of the book

Chair: Shri K. Jayakumar, President, Poetry Society (India) and Former Chief Secretary, Govt. of Kerala
 

(Collaboration: The Poetry Society, India)

Vajpayee: The Ascent of the Hindu Right, 1924-1977

By Abhishek Choudhary (Picador India: 2023)

Discussants: Shri Shashi Tharoor, Member of Parliament and author; Shri Swapan Dasgupta, author and former Parliamentarian; and Shri Abhishek Choudhary, author of the book

Moderator: Ms Manisha Pande, Executive Editor, Newslaundry

Changing Global Dynamics and Challenges for India in International Trade Negotiations

Speaker: Dr. Abhijit Das, international trade expert with more than two decades of experience in international trade and WTO in various capacities, including five years in trade policy making in the Government of India and twelve years as the Head of the Centre for WTO Studies, Indian Institute of Foreign Trade, New Delhi. His research and advocacy wok has played an important role defining the terms of debate on many issues including agriculture, government procurement and digital economy

Chair: Shri Siraj Hussain, Promoter Director, Arcus Policy Research Private Limited (APR)

Watch it Live 

https://youtube.com/live/4C0p442A5dk?feature=share

                  New Members

           26^th July 2022 – 31^st May 2023

            During the period 26^th July 2022 – 31^st May 2023 the following number of categories have been inducted under the various categories:

   (Note:  * Please click on this number to see the entire list

                                                                                                               Secretary
                                                                                                           5^th  June 2023

AI and its Impact on Journalism: The Road Ahead

Chair: Harish Khare, President, The Media Foundation

Panelists: Ritu Kapur, Co-founder and Managing Director, Quint Digital Media; Sunil Abraham, Public Policy Director, Meta India and Samarth Bansal, Tech and Media Reporter

Moderator: Karishma Mehrotra, South Asia Correspondent, The Washington Post

OpenAI's Chat GPT has made the technology easily accessible to a vast number of people. However there are growing concerns over how artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to destroy the very nature of journalism

IIC-The Media Foundation Dialogues is a series of conversations that regularly discuss issues challenging the Fourth Estate. Featuring prominent voices and highlighting different perspectives, these interactions are a platform to promote debate, analysis and understanding.