An Evening of Poetry
With poets - Tithi Dani (Reading, UK); Rupam Mishra (Pratapgarh); Ruchi Bhalla (Phaltan); and Naazish Ansari (Lucknow) who will read from their original work

Moderator: Ashok Vajpeyi

(Collaboration: The Raza Foundation)

The programme can be accessed on:
facebookLive@razafoundation
YouTube@The Raza Foundation
 

(91 min; 1962; b/w; Russian with English subtitles)
Director: Andrei Tarkovsky

Recipient of the Golden Gate Award for Best Director, San Francisco International Film Festival 1962; and Golden Lion, Venice Film Festival 1962

The debut feature by the great Andrei Tarkovsky, Ivan’s Childhood is a poetic journey through the shards and shadows of one boy’s war-ravaged youth. Moving back and forth between the traumatic realities of World War II and serene moments of family life before the conflict began, Tarkovsky’s film remains one of the most jarring and unforgettable depictions of the impact of war on children.

A four – part series. Historian Michael Wood travels the globe seeking evidence of four of the world's most famous myths. He begins his quest in Jerusalem, travelling to Egypt and Africa as he hunts for evidence of the fabled Queen of Sheba. His search for the lost kingdom of Shangri-La takes him through India, Nepal and Tibet. He roams the Celtic world from Cornwall to Wales, Ireland and Scotland in search of the legendary King Arthur. And finally, he heads to Greece, Turkey and Georgia as he tracks the legend of Jason and the Golden Fleece.

Episode 4: Jason and the Golden Fleece | ( Click here to watch )
(60 min; 2005; English)

The tale of Jason, the Argonauts and the Golden Fleece is one of the oldest stories in all of Greek myth. In this episode, Michael Wood traces the route of Jason and his famous boat, the Argo, along its route from Greece to Turkey and Georgia. The story of Jason can be traced back to the town of Volos in modern day Greece. The probable site of ancient Lolkos, it was here that King Pelias feared Jason a contender to this throne and so sent him on an impossible mission to finish him off. The mission was to travel to the far away kingdom of Colchis — in the Black Sea — to retrieve the magical Golden Fleece that had been taken there. But Jason proved courageous and strong and set out on an epic route.

Chasing Trane: The John Coltrane Documentary | ( Click here to watch )
(99 min; 2016; English)
Director: John Scheinfeld

The music of John Coltrane is the real star of Chasing Trane: The John Coltrane Documentary. What makes Chasing Trane special is that music, and the insight it provides into Coltrane’s life. Denzel Washington stands-in for Coltrane’s voice, narrating the film with the saxophonist’s own words, and Washington is superb in his own understated way. 

Chasing Trane follows Coltrane through his whole life. We witness his humble beginnings playing not-very-good sax in a military band, and then learn of his obsessive devotion to practicing. Day and night the musician would practice, and when neighbours would complain about the sound he would silently finger the instrument, over and over again.  

A definitive documentary about an outside-the-box thinker with extraordinary talent whose boundary-shattering music continues to impact and influence people around the world. 
 

Still Waters: The Poetry of P.K. Page | (38 min; 1990; English) | ( Click here to watch )

Director: Donald Winkler
Producer: National Film Board of Canada

Patricia Kathleen Page, or P.K. Page was an acclaimed Canadian poet, novelist, script writer, playwright, essayist, journalist, librettist, teacher and artist. This short film encapsulates the life of P.K. Page, through an exploration of her life and art, the film shows how her powerful works have extended beyond their inherent confines into the realms of anthropology and ecology.

Baghdad Twist | (33 min; 2007; English) | ( Click here to watch )
Director: Joe Balass
National Film Board of Canada production

Featuring a unique collection of archival images, home movies and family photographs from Iraq, Baghdad Twist is a short film that pulls back the curtain on Iraq's once thriving Jewish community. Baghdad-born filmmaker Joe Balass takes us on a journey through the fragmented memories of an Arab exile. This powerful collage forms a portrait of a time and place that no longer exists.

 Asia, Europe and the Discovery of the Americas (57 min)
Video recording of the annual International Institute for Asian Studies, Leiden University lecture delivered by Dr. Peter Frankopan, Senior Research Fellow, Worcester College and Director, Oxford Centre for Byzantine Research, Oxford University. Dr. Frankopan is author of the acclaimed book, The Silk Roads: A New History of the World

The Great Hindu Civilisation: Achievement, Neglect, Bias and the Way Forward
By Pavan K. Varma (Westland Non-fiction, New Delhi: 2021)
 
Discussants: Dr. Seshadri Chari, journalist, author, Strategic and Foreign policy analyst; Shri K.N. Shrivastava, Director, IIC; and Amb. Pavan K. Varma, former Member of Parliament (Rajya Sabha) and author of the book
 
Chair: Dr. Karan Singh
 
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