Saving the temples on the Nile | ( Click here to watch )
(42 min; English)
A DW DocFilm

A timeless treasure, nearly lost forever. Without the UNESCO‘s unprecedented rescue operation, future generations might have only seen the stunning temples of Ramses II and Cleopatra in the pages of history books. In 1960, then Egyptian President Nasser ordered the dam‘s construction. In order to save the temples of Ramses II and Cleopatra, among others, UNESCO reached out to over 50 countries, and raised $80 million. After receiving multiple proposals to save the structure, it was one from Sweden that proved successful. The plan: dismantling the complex and rebuilding it on higher ground.  

Between November 1963 and September 1968, saws were used to cut the two temples into 1,036 blocks, each weighing between seven and 30 tons. Their new location was 64 meters above the old site and 180 meters further inland. After five years of construction, this major undertaking was completed on September 22, 1968. The Nubian temples of Abu Simbel are now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

A two-part BBC television series with British gardener and broadcaster, Monty Don. Monty Don travels the Islamic world and beyond from Morocco to India in search of Paradise Gardens celebrated in the Koran and uncovers the influence they've have had back in the UK.

Episode II: Turkey, India and UK | ( Click here to watch )
(59 min; English)
Director: Jason Holmes

In Turkey, Monty is dazzled by a display of the Ottoman Empire's favourite flower - the tulip - and learns of its sacred significance. Travelling to India, Monty encounters a new type of spirituality in the tomb gardens of the Mughal Empire. Mausoleums were set in vast gardens as places where an earthly king could enter a divine paradise. But unlike our quiet courtyards and cemeteries, these were places filled with life - tented cities where people lived as well as prayed. As favoured spots for yoga and exercise, they still retain this lively spirituality today.

Returning to the UK, Monty sets out to see how the concept of paradise gardens have fared in some very different places. In Bradford, a water garden inspired by India provides a setting for different communities to come together, while at Hestercombe, Somerset, Monty uncovers the inspiration behind what appears to be the most English of gardens.

The Marvellous World of Roald Dahl | ( Click here to watch )
(59 min; 2016; English)
Director: Andrew Thompson

Recipient of BAFTA Scotland Ward for Best Specialist Factual, BAFTA Awards, Scotland 2017

Fighter pilot, inventor, spy - the life of Roald Dahl is often stranger than fiction. From crashing his plane over Africa to hobnobbing in Hollywood and his remarkable encounters with everyone from Walt Disney to President Roosevelt - this is the story of his greatest adventures and how his real-life escapades find expression in his most famous books, from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory to Matilda. Through a vast collection of his letters, writings and archive, the story is told largely in his own words with contributions from his last wife Liccy, daughter Lucy and biographer Donald Sturrock. Long-term collaborator and illustrator Quentin Blake also creates exclusive new drawings for the film which are specially animated to bring Dahl's marvellous world to life.

By Aching Shaiza (piano and voice) and her students

Artists: Aalaya Chandola, Donika Kahoto, Kritin Pandey, Kabir Mathur, Ninou Kipgen, Noel Sakhi, Steve Daniel Panna, Shyla Upadhyay, Shraddha Singh, Sarthak Upamanyu, Tara Sarna and Taarini Mullick

The artists will present a concert of choral and instrumental music by Bach, Mozart, Chopin, Schubert, Chausson, Schönberg, Sondheim, Billy Joel and others

 Christmas Concert details   

 Christmas artists profile     

Video recording of a concert for IIC online programme activities

Day & Date: Friday, 24th December 2021

Venue:  India International Centre, Multipurpose Hall and Seminar Halls

Day & Date: Saturday & Sunday, 25th and 26th December 2021

Venue:  India International Centre, Main Lawn

HYBRID  PROGRAMME

Ganga: Reimagining Rejuvenating Reconnecting
By Rajiv Ranjan Mishra and Pushkal Upadhyay 

Speakers: Ms Yamini Aiyar, President and Chief Executive, Centre for Policy Research; Shri Rajiv Ranjan Mishra, Author of the book and Director General National Mission For Clean Ganga (NMCG), Ministry of Jal Shakti; and Shri Pushkal Upadhyay, Author of the book and former Additional Mission Director, National Mission for Clean Ganga; Dr. Vibha Dhawan, Director General, TERI; Shri Abhay Mishra, Writer; Prof. Birgit Vogel, GIZ, India EU Water Partnership.

Chair: Shri Bibek Debroy

Moderator: Dr. Victor Shinde, Lead-Water and Environment, National Institute of Urban Affairs

PHYSICAL PROGRAMME

Contested Lands: India, China and the Boundary Dispute
By Maroof Raza (Westland Non-Fiction: 2021)

Discussants: Amb. Sujan R. Chinoy, Director General of the Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defense Studies and Analyses; Prof. Alka Acharya, Professor, Centre for East Asian Studies, School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University; and Shri Maroof. Raza, strategic analyst and author of the book 

Chair: Shri K.N. Shrivastava, Director, IIC

PHYSICAL PROGRAMME

An exhibition of photographic panels to mark the 50th anniversary of Bangladesh’s war of liberation. The photographs traces the history of the Liberation War starting with the peoples’ movement against the military regime that culminated in the transformation of East Pakistan to Bangladesh.

The Discovery and Dispersal of Relics: The Modern History of Buddhism
Illustrated lecture by Prof. Himanshu Prabha Ray, author and historian who is currently affiliated to the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies, Oxford

Chair: Prof. Madhavan K. Palat

The relics of the Buddha are said to have been divided into eight soon after his parinirvana or passing away in the 6th century BCE. Textual accounts mention a second redistribution by the Mauryan king Ashoka in the third century BCE when 84,000 stupas were built over the Buddha’s relics across the Buddhist world. This talk shifts the focus to the nineteenth and twentieth century dispersal of relics, as these were discovered through archaeological excavations at stupa site. These sacred objects often became pawns in cultural diplomacy as colonial officials sought to cement ties with Buddhist countries through presentation of relics.