Indian Nationalism and Economic Development
 

Speaker: Dr. Amit Bhaduri, well-known Economist

 

Introduction: Suhas Borker, Convener, Working Group on Alternative Strategies

 

Indian nationalism, never a unified stream, assumed greater coherence through the anti-colonial struggle. Independence required redefining it as a ‘nation-building’ state-led project of economic development through industrialization which started changing course gradually as the anti-colonial nationalism began losing steam. A distinct break came with economic liberalization and globalization. The private corporations became increasingly important in this process. Output growth increased dramatically and then slowed, while employment growth went down equally dramatically. Indian democracy began shifting its centre of gravity.  The way out is being sought increasingly in the attempt at redefining nationalism in majoritarian cultural terms. While the control of the corporations over the economy continues to increase and there is rising economic, political and social inequality, popular resistance is also getting greater coherence. The jury is still out, but early signs indicate that cultural majoritarianism itself is undergoing mutation

 

The talk marks the 28th Anniversary of the Working on Alternative Strategies

 

(Collaboration: Working Group on Alternative Strategies)

 

30th Padmapani Lecture 2020

Body, Mind and Purification: Reflections on the Body Factor in the Path

 

To be delivered by Prof. Asanga Tilakaratne, formerly Senior Chair Professor of Pali and Buddhist Studies and Founder Head, Department of Buddhist Studies, University of Colombo, Sri Lanka. His recent publications include Theravada Buddhism: The view of the Elders (2012, University of Hawaii Press) and co-edited with Prof, Oliver Abenayaka 2500 Years of Sambuddhatva: Global Journey of Awakening (2012)

 

(Collaboration: Tibet House)

 

To Mark International Women’s Day 2020

 

The 16th IAWRT Asian Women’s Film Festival: 5 to 7 March 2020

The 16th edition of the festival brings together a collection of 52 films from 15 countries, directed by women filmmakers of Asian origin. This edition of the festival seeks to reflect on the idea of claiming democracy and the many claims on democracy. Women use multiple strategies to claim democratic spaces while being painfully aware of the many ways in which they are made invisible by majoritarian claims. The festival brings together women artists working in films and photographs to both document and intervene in these processes. The festival includes animation, short fiction, documentary and feature films as well as a section on Her Upside Down Gaze – the myriad ways in which women filmmakers are re-imagining the craft of filmmaking; and a special focus on films from the UAE. Women and Photography brings together the work of women photographers and collectives with a photographer/curator speaking about their project and an exhibition of photographs. Filmmakers from Bangladesh, India, Turkey and UAE will be present to introduce their work 

 

Organised in collaboration with International Association of Women in Radio &Television, India Chapter; UN Women; Friedrich Ebert Stiftung; Sangat; Marwah; and with the support of Jamia Bank; and Canon

 

Screenings will be held in the Auditorium on 5, 6 and 7 March 2020 from 09:00 onwards. Filmmakers from India, 

 

For detail screening schedule, kindly please log onto www.iawrtindia.blogspot.in and www.iicdelhi.in

 

DERAKHT-E-DOOSTI – TREE OF FRIENDSHIP

Celebrating 70 Years of Indo-Iran Friendship

 

Mirza Ghalib: The Simorgh of Indo Persian Literature

Speaker: Prof. Syed Akhtar Husain, Professor, Centre of Persian and Central Asian Studies, School of Languages, Literature and Culture Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University

 

(Collaboration: Parzor; and Institute of IndoPersian Studies)

 

 

Roundtable on Contribution of Parsis in the Development of India
 

Speakers include: Mobed Pedram Suroosh, Iranian Zoroastrian Member of Mobed (Priest Society); Dr. Mojtabie, Indologist; H.E. Dr. Ali Chegeni, Ambassador of Iran; and others

 

Hindustani  Classical Vocal Recital

By Ustad Shaukat Hussain Khan from Ahmadabad of the Agra-Atrauli gharana,  recipient of the Sanskriti – Pt. Vasant Thakar Memorial Fellowship 2019

 

Accompanists: Shri Vinod Lele on the tabla and Shri Vinay Mishra on Harmonium 

 

(Collaboration: Sanskriti Pratishthan)

In Conversation
 

With Ms Kalpana Palkhiwala: Project Bapu Geetika

An audio compilation of 108 songs/poems on Mahatma Gandhi

 

Bapu Geetika – Songs for the Mahatma is a platform for disseminating songs of and for Mahatma Gandhi. A compendium of 108 songs that celebrate Gandhiji, its intention is to take this music and connect people with Gandhiji’s life and message across India and beyond. It comprises the work of 100 luminary poets in 14 Indian languages set to music, spanning 70 years from Gandhiji’s life time to the present.

 

 

Ms Kalpana Palkhiwala will be in conversation about this project

 

Ms Kalpana Ben Palkhiwala, is a Gandhian who retired as Deputy Director, Ministry of Information & Broadcasting. She has translated many books, written a number of articles and is a Guest Lecturer at Gujarat Vidyapeeth and is also associated with the L.J. Institute of Media and Communication, Ahmedabad

 

(Collaboration: Gujarati Club, New Delhi)

GANDHI MATTERS

 

Ahinsak Bhasha ki Talash

By Prof Apoorvanand, Delhi University 

 

(Collaboration: The Raza Foundation)

Films of the Spirit

Curated by Rajiv Mehrotra

 

Ghatashraddha, (Kannada)

(144 min; 1977; dvd; English subtitles)

Director: Girish  Kasaravalli

 

Set in a rural orthodox Brahmin Karnataka village, Kasaravalli’s first feature film tells the story of a child widow through the eyes of a young boy. Yamuna a young widow stays in an agrahara with her father Udupa, who runs a Veda Pathshala. Nani, the new entrant to the school likes her. Yamuna befriends the village school teacher and becomes pregnant. Soon the villagers find out and terming it “immoral” they decide to outcast her by performing the Ghatashraddha ritual

 

(Collaboration: Foundation for Universal Responsibility; and National Film Archive, Pune)