Outlook on Food Security in India – The Future Scenarios to 2033
Speaker: Prof. Parmod Kumar, Professor, Agricultural Development and Rural Transformation Centre (ADRTC), Institute for Social and Economic Change, Bengaluru

Moderator: Shri Siraj Hussain, Visiting Senior Fellow, ICRIER 

The talk will cover food security – past history, present and future scenarios as well as the reforms required to strengthen agriculture in India
    

Welcome: Shri K.N. Shrivastava, Director, IIC; and Dr. Shekhar Shah, Director-General, NCAER To be presented by Dr. Sudipto Mundle, Distinguished Fellow, National Council for Applied Economic Research (NCAER); Dr. Bornali Bhandari, Senior Fellow, National Council of Applied Economic Research; and Dr. Rudrani Bhattacharya, Assistant Professor at the National Institute of Public Finance and Policy 
Discussant: Ms Aditi Nayar, Principal Economist, ICRA

Chair: Dr. Shekhar Shah

The Mid-Year Review 2020 comes at a critical juncture. The Covid-19 pandemic led to an unprecedented contraction of the economy by nearly 24% in Q1 of 2020-21. Though the pandemic is still continuing, progressive unlocking of the economy, supported by stimulus policies has led to a strong recovery during Q2 2020-21. The challenge now is to sustain and accelerate the pace of this recovery over the medium-long term. This will require wide ranging structural reforms in addition to conventional macro-economic stimulation policies.

(Collaboration: National Council of Applied Economic Research)

The Future Perfect (Argentina) | (65 min; 2016; Spanish with English subtitles)
Director: Nele Wohlatz

Multiple award winner including New Auteurs Grand Jury Prize, AFI Fest 2016;Grand Prix & ZINEBI First Film Award, Bilbao International Festival of Documentary and Short Films 2016; Best First Feature, Locarno International Film Festival 2016; among others

German director Nele Wohlatz’s The Future Perfect addresses the increasingly complicated challenges of intercultural communication. Divided into three parts with each meant to correlate with the linguistic structure of past, present, and future, the film chronicles Xiaobin, a Chinese teenager trying to learn enough Spanish to hold a job in Buenos Aires.

Organised in collaboration with Indo Cine Appreciation Foundation, and Embassy of the Argentine Republic, Embassy of Chile, Embassy of Guatemala and Embassy of Mexico present a Latin American Festival of Films on Migration. The festival presents films that engage with the complex phenomenon of international migration and brings to light the challenges and opportunities that it entails; and focuses on the experiences of migrants across the region of Latin America.

Screenings will be held 26th and 27th December 2020 with each film accessible for a 24 hour period (IST). The schedule and vimeo links of each film is given below. The password for accessing each film will be shared by email on 24th December 2020 

AbUSed: The Postville Raid (Guatemala) | (96 min; 2011; Spanish with English subtitles)
Director: Luis Argueta

The film is at once an epic story of survival, hope, and humble aspirations, of triumph, defeat, and rebirth. The face of immigration is revealed through the gripping personal stories of the individuals, the families, and the town that survived the most brutal, most expensive, and the largest immigration raid in the history of the United States.
 

Christmas at Home

A collection of Christmas carols, favorite songs and spoken words by friends and family. 
Performers: 
Prabhat Chandola - An avid western classical singer and a church choir member. 
Aching Shaiza - Music educator, Pianist and Vocal instructor. She is the founding Director of Delhi Genesis Choir and is the Head of Department for Voice at THEME Music Institute NCR. https://www.iofc.ch/aching-shaiza 
Aalaya Chandola - A grade 7 student of Aching Shaiza who is discovering her own playing and singing style. 
Mene Chandola - A collector of historical stories and traditions of the Nagas and loves to sing hymns and carols. 
Temsunaro Rongsen Chandola - A senior scientist at CHRD-SAS who enjoys listening to music more than singing. 
Songs and Christmas Carols 
The Prayer / The Christmas Song/Have yourself a Merry Little Christmas/ O little town of Bethlehem/ O Holy Night/ Stars/ White Christmas/ O come all ye Faithful/Silent Night. 

Celebrating Poetry

Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee was not only a highly respected national leader but was also a well-known Hindi poet. His book of poems, “Atal Bihari Vajpayee ki Nazme” was translated into Urdu by the renowned Urdu poet, Shri Krishna Mohan. The book of translations was presented by Shri Krishna Mohan to Shri Vajpayee on his birthday. Shri Krishna Mohan is credited with 27 books on Urdu poetry and 4 books in Hindi; he was a recipient of the prestigious All India Hindi Urdu Sangam Award and was a member of the Urdu Academy, Delhi 

Smt Meera Bhatia and Shri Sunit Tandon will recite Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s and Shri Krishna Mohan’s poems in Hindi Introduction by Shri Satish Jacob

V.P.Menon: The Unsung Architect of Modern India

Illustrated lecture by Narayani Basu, historian and foreign policy analyst and author of the recently published book of the same title
 V.P. Menon was unarguably the architect of the modern Indian state and yet startlingly little is known about this bureaucrat, patriot and visionary. Narayani Basu, speaks about V.P., his story, life and her own personal journey chronicling his life as his great-granddaughter. Illustrated with rare archival photographs from family albums, the talk explores not just the man behind the public figure, but also the author's discovery of her great-grandfather as one of India's top civil servants at a crucial historical crossroads. 

Screening of NHK documentary films on Japan’s history, literature, art, culture and heritage. Organised with the support of NHK World and Embassy of Japan, New Delhi 

Satoyama Living: Country Customs Sustaining the Ancient Capital |(28 min; 2018; English and with subtitles)

In the mountains north of central Kyoto, the “Satoyama" style of living in harmony with nature, and the customs that influenced life in the ancient capital survive to this day. An old inn in the town of Hanase continues to serve the local specialty Tsumikusa, a cuisine of seasonal food foraged from the wild. Miyama is famous for its thatching tradition, and the local artisans use skills passed down for generations to re-thatch Kyoto's many temples and shrines. 

Fragrant Clouds: A Tryst with Words
Discussion based on the books Fragrant Words (New Delhi: Bloomsbury Prime, 2019) and Clouds End and Beyond (New Delhi: Wisdom Tree, 2016) by Rajni Sekhri Sibal
 
Discussants: Amb. Kanwal Sibal, former Foreign Secretary, Govt. of India; Ms Richa Mishra, Sr. Asst. Editor and Bureau Chief, The Hindu-Businessline; and Ms Rajni Sekhri Sibal, poet, writer and Civil Servant

 Moderator: Ms Mandira Ghosh, poet and author
 Chair: Shri K. Jayakumar, former Chief Secretary, Govt. of Kerala
 
(Collaboration: The Poetry Society, India)