PHYSICAL PROGRAMME

India – Africa Relations: Changing Horizons

By Rajiv Bhatia (New Delhi, Routledge India Taylor & Francis: 2021)

Discussants: Prof. Rajen Harshe, former Vice Chancellor, University of Allahabad and a leading scholar on African and International Relations; Ms Ruchita Beri, Senior Research Associate and Coordinator, Africa, Latin America, Caribbean and Unite Nations Centre, MP-IDSA; Shri Suhas Borker, Editor, Citizens First TV (CFTV); and Amb. Rajiv Bhatia, Distinguished Fellow, Gateway House, former Ambassador and author of the book

Chair: Shri N.N. Vohra, President, IIC

HYBRID PROGRAMME

Her Voice: Embedding Gender Justice in the Academy

A dialogue with Prof. Najma Akhtar, Vice-Chancellor, Jamia Millia Islamia; Justice Gita Mittal, former Chief Justice, High Court of Jammu and Kashmir; Mr. Eric Falt, Regional Director, UNESCO New Delhi Office; Prof. N.V. Varghese, Vice-Chancellor, National Institute of Educational Planning & Administration; Prof Krishna Menon, Amedkar University Delhi and Dr. Meenakshi Gopinath, Life Trustee, IIC and Director, WISCOMP

The panellists will deliberate upon the role of Higher Education Institutes (HEIs) in India’s quest for gender equality. They will share their insights on a range of equality concerns including What are HEIs doing to bridge gender gaps and break stereotypes, especially in the STEM fields? What role does policy play in catalysing these changes? What are the links between gender-just and enabling campuses and workspaces?  

(Collaboration: WISCOMP)

The Network Readiness of Nations: Combining Technology and Humanity for a Better future for all

Speaker: Prof. Soumitra Dutta, Dean Elect, Said School of Business, University of Oxford; Professor of Management and former Founding Dean, SC Johnson College of Business, Cornell University, New York 

Technology is a powerful force driving change in all facets of business and society. Countries and companies that are using technology effectively are gaining valuable competitive advantages. Yet technology needs to be shaped by people in order to ensure that it is used to create a better future for all. As technology becomes more intelligent, we need to ensure that the combination of technology and people works for the good of all and builds a more inclusive society. Good governance principles are essential for this. The network readiness of nations is key for a better future for all.

Chair: Shri Shyam Saran, Life Trustee, IIC

Registration link
 

The Bodies of Pompeii (UK) | Click here to watch
(66 min; 2021; English and with subtitles)
With Bettany Hughes

It is 79 AD and Mount Vesuvius is about to blow. In 24 hours the people of Pompeii and Herculaneum are going to die. They will be part of the death toll of one of the worst natural disasters in history. Starting with a forensic examination of their remains, historian Bettany Hughes pieces together the final 24 hours of their lives in incredible detail.

https://www.documentarymania.com/player.php?title=The+Bodies+of+Pompeii
 

Stories We Tell (Canada) | Click here to watch
(108 min; 2012; English)
Director: Sarah Polley

Multiple award winner including EDA Award for Best Documentary Feature Film, Alliance of Women Film Journalists 2013; AFCA Award for Best Documentary, Australian Film Critics Association Awards 2013; DGC Team Award –Allan King Award for Excellence in Documentary, Directors Guild of Canada 2013; ICS Award for Best Documentary, International Cinephile Society Awards 2014; among others

In this inspired, genre-twisting new film, Oscar nominated writer/director Sarah Polley discovers that the truth depends on who's telling it. Polley is both filmmaker and detective as she investigates the secrets kept by a family of storytellers. She playfully interviews and interrogates a cast of characters of varying reliability, eliciting refreshingly candid, yet mostly contradictory, answers to the same questions. As each relates their version of the family mythology, present-day recollections shift into nostalgia-tinged glimpses of their mother, who departed too soon, leaving a trail of unanswered questions. Polley unravels the paradoxes to reveal the essence of family: always complicated, warmly messy and fiercely loving. Stories We Tell explores the elusive nature of truth and memory, but at its core is a deeply personal film about how our narratives shape and define us as individuals and families, all interconnecting to paint a profound, funny and poignant picture of the larger human story.

https://watchdocumentaries.com/stories-we-tell/

But for Women…Dr. Brahms, Johannes Brahms (Germany)
(57 min; 1997; English)
Director: Janos Darvas

This fascinating, music-packed documentary examines the life and work of the great romantic composer from the viewpoint of his relationships with women.

Brahms produced some of the greatest works of German romanticism - symphonies, songs, chamber works and concertos of profound emotion and accomplishment. How much this was because, and how much in spite, of his unsatisfactory love life is a moot point, a point explored in this absorbing documentary. The film also includes a remarkable recording - Brahms himself playing his Hungarian Dance No 1 in 1889, in one of the earliest sound recordings ever made. It may be full of hiss and wind, but it's extraordinary to be able to hear a composer who died over a century ago interpreting his own work. It is contrasted with a modern recording from 1995 - the difference is amazing, artistically as well as technically.

A BBC documentary series presented by art critic Andrew Graham-Dixon, exploring Russian art from the origins of the Russian icon from its roots in Byzantium to today. The series consists of three episodes: the first episode "Out of the Forest" explores the origins of the Russian icon from its roots in Byzantium; the second episode "Roads to Revolution" tells of how art moved from being a servant of the state to an agent of its destruction; and the third and final episode "Smashing the Mould" looks at Russian art from the early revolutionary days in 1920s, through World War Two and the Cold War, to today.

Episode 1 - Out of the Forest | Click here to watch
(51 min; English)
Director: Karen McGann

This episode explores the origins of the Russian icon from its roots in Byzantium and the first great Russian icon, Our Lady of Vladimir to the masterpieces of the country's most famous icon painter, Andrei Rublev.

https://watchdocumentaries.com/the-art-of-russia/

First Position (USA) | Click here to watch
(95 min; 2011; English)
Director: Bess Kargman

Recipient of the Audience Award for Best Documentary Feature, Dallas International Film Festival 2012; Audience Award, DOC NYC 2011; Audience Award for Best Documentary Film, Portland International Film Festival 2012; and Staff Prize, San Francisco Docfest 2011

First Position follows six talented young dancers (ages 9-19) from five continents as they prepare for a worldwide ballet competition that could transform their lives overnight. Every year, thousands of aspiring dancers enter one of the world's most prestigious ballet competitions, the Youth America Grand Prix, where lifelong dreams are at stake. The film follows six young dancers as they prepare for a chance to enter the world of professional ballet, struggling through bloodied feet, near exhaustion and debilitating injuries, all while navigating the drama of adolescence. A showcase of awe-inspiring talent, tenacity and passion, First Position paints a thrilling and moving portrait of the most gifted young ballet stars of tomorrow.

https://www.documentaryarea.tv/player.php?title=First%20Position
 

PHYSICAL PROGRAMME

A book by Harsha V. Dehejia (DK Printworld:2020)

Launch of the book by Dr. Karan Singh

Followed by a talk   

The Third Eye of Indian Art

Speaker: Dr. Harsha V. Dehejia, Indo-Canadian allergologist, author, and radio host, and Professor of Indian Studies, Carleton University

Discussants: Shri Ashok Vajpeyi, Hindi poet and critic, noted cultural and arts administrator; Shri Pawan K. Varma, former diplomat, writer, and politician; and Prof. Makarand Paranjpye, novelist and poet, Director, Indian Institute of Advanced Study, Shimla

(Collaboration: The Raza Foundation)