Book Discussion Group
Vasna Ek Nadi ka Naam Hai
By Savita Singh (Vani Prakashan: 2024)
Discussant: Prof. Rohini Agrawal, poet and author; Prof. Sudha Singh, Professor of Hindi, University of Delhi; Ms Aditi Maheshwari, Executive Director, Vani Prakashan; and Prof. Savita Singh, Professor and founding Director, School of Gender and Development Studies, Indira Gandhi National Open University (Delhi) and author of the book
Chair: Prof. Sukrita Paul Kumar , Guest Editor, Indian Literature, poet and academic
(Collaboration: The Poetry Society, India)
Chameli Devi Jain Award 2025
For an Outstanding Woman Mediaperson of the Year
The Vishwa Nath-Delhi Press Award for Fearless Journalism, and the Kamla Mankekar Award for Journalism on Gender
will also be presented
Followed by
B.G. Verghese Memorial Lecture
Media, Courts and Freedom of Expresssion
To be delivered by Justice S. Muralidhar, Senior Advocate, Supreme Court of India and former Chief Justice, Orissa High Court and Judge, Panjab and Haryana High Court
(Collaboration: The Media Foundation)
Sustainable Agriculture
Trump’s America First Trade Policy: Implications and Options
Speaker: Prof. Abhijit Das, expert on international trade and former Head, Centre for WTO Studies, Indian Institute of Foreign Trade
Discussant: Shri Anup Wadhawan, former Union Commerce Secretary
Chair: Shri Siraj Hussain, former Union Secretary Agriculture, Govt. of India and Advisor, Food Processing, FICCI
The Transformative Power of Mediation: Compassion in Action
Speaker: Prabha Sankaranarayan, President and CEO of Mediators Beyond Borders International (MBBI). Drawing on her extensive mediation experience across the USA, Africa, and Asia, her lecture will delve into mediation as a transformative experience, emphasizing compassionate interaction over transactional settlement
The fourth edition of IIC-WISCOMP Dialogues: Conversations on Mediation, will present a compelling case for placing compassion at the heart of peace mediation. Drawing on her extensive experience working in Ukraine, Gaza, Colombia and Syria, internationally acclaimed mediator Prabha Sankaranarayan will explore the mediation as a transformative process beyond transactional settlement.
Ukraine: Where is it headed?
Ukraine: Where is it headed?
Speaker: Dr. John Cherian, senior journalist
Chair: Amb. K.P. Fabian
Application for the post of Helper - 3 Posts

Book Discussion Group
Midnight Haze
By Kaia Roy
Discussants: Shri Sunit Tandon, Director, India Habitat Centre; Prof. Sukrita Paul Kumar, Guest Editor, Indian Literature, poet, academic and critic; Prof. Malashri Lal, academic, writer, editor and anthologist; and Ms Kaia Roy, author of the book
Chair: Prof. Meenakshi Gopinath, Life Trustee, IIC
Unveiling the First Galaxies and The First Black Holes
An illustrated lecture by Priyamvada Natarajan
Chair: Dr Shailesh Nayak, Life Trustee, IIC, Director, National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bengaluru
Prof. Natarajan will present and discuss the latest results from the James Webb Space Telescope that have started to radically transform our understanding of the formation of the first stars, galaxies and black holes. Starting with the overall context and the current framework used to comprehend the cosmos, she will present the new ideas and theories that have been put to test by James Webb, including her own work on the new pathway to form the first black holes by direct collapse of gas in the very early Universe.
The Sky’s the Limit: A Life in Science
Programmes with Prof. Priyamvada Natarajan
Prof. Priyamvada Natarajan is Joseph S. and Sophia S. Fruton Professor of Astronomy and Professor of Physics; Chair Astronomy; Chair Women Faculty Forum, Department of Physics, Yale University
An informal interaction with Prof. Priyamvada Natarajan
Chair: Dr. Pratibha Jolly, physicist and Principal Investigator, GATI (Gender Advancement for Transforming Institutions)
Amidst an intellectual revolution in cosmology and astrophysics, the interplay of powerful ideas and innovative instruments is radically reshaping our understanding of the universe. As part of Her Voice: Engendering the Discourse, internationally acclaimed astrophysicist Priyamvada Natarajan will be in conversation with Pratibha Jolly, Indian physicist and Principal Investigator, GATI (Gender Advancement for Transforming Institutions). This special conversation will explore their personal trajectories, glass ceilings breached, the opportunities and challenges for women navigating the discursive terrain of science.
(Collaboration: Wiscomp)
Confluence of India and Central Asia through the Ages
Launch of the IIC-IRD book edited by Syed Akhtar Husain (New Delhi: Primus Books, 2025)
Shri N.N. Vohra, Life Trustee, IIC will release the book and preside over the discussion
Panelists: Amb. T.C.A. Raghavan, historian, former High Commissioner to Pakistan, and former Director General, Indian Council of World Affairs; Prof. Siddiq Wahid, Distinguished Professor, School of Humanities and Social Sciences, and Senior Fellow, Centre of Excellence for Himalayan Studies, Shiva Nadar Institution of Eminence; Dr. Meena Singh Roy, Head, West Asia Centre, Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses, New Delhi; and Prof. Syed Akhtar Husain, volume editor, Professor, Centre of Persian and Central Asian Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, and President, Institute of Indo-Persian Studies
