Panelists: Dr. Anuradha Chenoy, formerly Professor and Dean, School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University; Dr. John Cherian, Consulting Editor, The Frontline; and Amb. Meera Shankar, former Indian Ambassador to USA and Prof. Ashis Nandy, Trustee, IIC

Chair: Amb. K.P. Fabian

We are witnessing the invasion of Ukraine by Russia.  Despite declarations of `all support' to Ukraine, U.S. and NATO have made it clear that they would not send troops to Ukraine to fight Russia.  This is because the West does not want to wage a war against Russia for reasons not difficult to understand, India has abstained at the Security Council on a U.S. motion vetoed by Russia.  The panelists will discuss the genesis of this crisis, its implications for geopolitics in general, and especially for India's relations with U S A

Panelists: Prof. Sonalde Desai, Professor, NCAER with a joint appointment as Professor of Sociology, University of Maryland, USA; Shri P.C. Mohanan, Chairman, Kerala State Statistical Commission; and Shri Mahesh Vyas, Managing Director and CEO, Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy Pvt Ltd.

Chair & Moderator: Prof. Ashwini Deshpande, Professor of Economics and Founding Director, Centre for Economic Data and Analysis, Ashoka University

The panel will discuss issues related to collection, dissemination and governance of large-scale nationally representative socio-economic data. Why do we need regular, transparent data on a variety of topics to guide policy? What are the pitfalls that data collectors should watch out for? How should we balance the process of strengthening and expanding the data infrastructure with that of protecting individual privacy? How does technology aid or impede these twin concerns?

(Collaboration: Centre for Economic Data and Analysis, Ashoka University)
 

(87 min; 1947; b/w; English)
Director: Elliott Nugent

With Bob Hope, Dorothy Lamour, Peter Lorre

My Favorite Brunette finds Bob Hope cast as a baby photographer who is mistaken for a private eye by a mysterious beauty as well as by the various crooks trying to keep her from blowing the lid off their nefarious scheme. Before long, the bumbling would-be snoop finds himself mixing it up with a menacing henchman (a wonderful Peter Lorre), trying to outsmart a dim-witted orderly (Lon Chaney Jr.), and facing execution after a wrongful murder charge. One of Bob’s best, My Favorite Brunette never slows down, offering plenty of choice one-liners, inspired set pieces, and a pair of ace cameo appearances.

https://archive.org/details/My_Favorite_Brunette_Xvid
 

Petra: Lost City of Stone | Click here to watch
(54 min; 2015; English)
A PBS International 

More than 2,000 years ago, the thriving city of Petra rose up in the bone-dry desert of what is now Jordan. An oasis of culture and abundance, the city was built by wealthy merchants whose camel caravans transported incense and spices from the Arabian Gulf. They carved spectacular temple-tombs into its soaring cliffs, raised a monumental Great Temple at its heart, and devised an ingenious system that channelled water to vineyards, bathhouses, fountains, and pools. But following a catastrophic earthquake and a slump in its desert trade routes, Petra's unique culture faded and was lost to most of the world for nearly a thousand years. Now, in a daring experiment, archaeologists and sculptors team up to carve an iconic temple-tomb to find out how the ancient people of Petra built their city of stone. Meanwhile, scientists using remote sensors and hydraulic flumes uncover the vast city and its sophisticated water system. The race is on to discover how these nomads created this oasis of culture in one of the harshest climates on Earth.

https://www.documentarymania.com/player.php?title=Petra%3A+Lost+City+of…

Tesla: Master of Lightning (USA) | Click here to watch
(87 min; 2000; English)
Director: Robert Uth

Nikola Tesla invented or developed many of the electrical technologies which form the basis of modern life, including: alternating-current (AC) power transmission and electric motors; high-frequency (HF) communications, the basis for radio and television; neon lighting; remote radio-control; and X-rays. But his visionary genius and technical skill was countered by his lack of business acumen and eccentric personality. After dying penniless in 1943, his "missing papers" regarding the construction of a 'death ray' became the focus of international intrigue. His research on particle beam weapons led to several American and Soviet military research programs, including the Strategic Defense Initiative, known as SDI or "Star Wars".

https://watchdocumentaries.com/tesla-master-of-lightning/

Bach: A Passionate Life (UK)
(89 min; 2013; English)
Directors: Cesca Eaton, David Jeffcock

BBC documentary written and presented by the famous English conductor Sir John Eliot Gardiner. It is a rigorous biography that tries to show the man and the musician at the same time. Gardiner reveals an artist so complex and passionate; a family man both warm and cozy who must fight the hierarchies of the state and the Lutheran Church to accomplish her art.

Human, All Too Human was a BBC television documentary that originally aired in 1999. Taking its title from Nietzsche’s book of aphorisms Human, All Too Human: A Book for Free Spirits, the three-part series covers the lives and work of Friedrich Nietzsche, Martin Heidegger and Jean-Paul Sartre. Although biographies, the overall theme was an exploration of the philosophy of Existentialism, as developed by these radical European thinkers.

Nietzsche: Beyond Good and Evil | Click here to watch
(49 min; English)
Director: Simon Chu

A brilliant young man, Friedrich Nietzsche was appointed professor at the University of Basel aged 24 having not even finished his degree. His evanescent philosophical life ended 20 years later when he went insane and died shortly afterwards.

Nietzsche’s argued that the Christian system of faith and worship was not only incorrect, but harmful to society because it allowed the weak to rule the strong – it suppressed the will to power which was the driving force of human character. 

However, without God he felt that the future of man might spiral into a society of nihilism, devoid of any meaning; his aim was for man to realise the lack of divine purpose and create his own values. 

https://documentaryheaven.com/nietzsche-beyond-good-and-evil/