BOOK DISCUSSION GROUP

Kama: The Riddle of Desire

By Gurcharan Das (Gurgaon: Penguin Random House, 2018)

Discussants: Prof. Malashri Lal, Professor of English, University of Delhi; Prof. Rukmini Bhaya Nair, Professor Emeritus (Literature), IIT Delhi; and Ms Poonam Saxena, The Hindustan Times

Chair: Dr. Karan Singh

ICS-IIC Roundtable on China in the Indian Ocean: Evolving Doctrine, Presence and Prospects

Speakers: Cmde. Gopal Suri; Vice-Admiral Pradeep Chauhan; Vice-Admiral Anil Chopra; and Ambassador Ashok K. Kantha

(Collaboration: Institute of Chinese Studies)

CULTURE AND HERITAGE

ulture and Heritage

Coordinated by Ms Amita Baig

People, Heritage & The Future: The Chandernagore Initiative

Speaker: Ms. AishwaryaTipnis, Architect and recipient of the Chevalier des Arts et des Lettre (Knight of the Arts and Letters); recipient of the UNESCO Award for Heritage Conservation in the Asia-Pacific Region; and recipient of the Commonwealth Professional Fellowship 2011. Her work is largely centred on shared built heritage

Chair D r. Bertrand de Hartingh, Ph.D., Counsellorfor Education, Science and Culture, French Embassy and Country Director, French Institute in India.

An erstwhile French settlement of Chandernagore, 40 kms north of Calcutta with a unique history of its own, lies in neglect, threatened to disappearance by the pressures of modern development. How do we preserve this important slice of Indo-French history? In a scenario where cultural value is embodied in layered histories and narratives, and while built heritage is defined by non-monumental buildings, the challenges of urban conservation become far more complex. While experts at conferences and seminars romanticise about the glory of the past, ordinary citizens have to deal with the everyday issues of health, sanitation, property disputes and economics making heritage conservation an elitist dream. The fundamental question that one needs to answer is whose heritage is it anyway? The talk will outline almost a decade of work on experimenting with new methodologies for conservation of this unique heritage as part of the Chandernagore Initiative

Body and Spirit: Women’s Wisdom and the Thumri Tradition

A performance by Vidya Rao

In conversation with Seema Kohli, a contemporary artist

(Collaboration: Studio 365)

Mental Health: Fighting the Stigma

Details will be announced later

The Evolution of the Spirit: From Greece to the West, From India to the East

A discussion on a book by Dr. Julio Ozan, Argentinian author and award winning filmmaker for the documentary series, The Hindus

Speakers: Prof. Bharat Gupt; Prof. Ramin Jahangbegloo; Dr. Julio Ozan; and Dr. Come Carpentier de Gourdon

(Collaboration: Har-Anand Publishers)

Matteo Fraboni Jazz Trio (Italy and India; 90 min)

By Matteo Fraboni on Drums & Percussion

Abhinav Khokhar on Bass & Double Bass

Rythem Bansal on Piano

The leading name of the band Matteo Fraboni is a jazz musician well known in Europe and USA jazz scene as a drummer and composer, with an incredible sense of interplay and to create extemporary fashionable music, with incursions mainly in many styles of jazz music

(Collaboration: Recalling Roots)

True Colours (40 min; 2018; dvd; English)

Directed by Vijay S. Jodha who will introduce the film

Screening will be followed by a discussion

True Colours is a film that shatters common assumptions about disability. It features some of the world’s most accomplished and inspiring performing artists, who happened to be differently abled. Produced with support from UNESCO, the film highlights how encouraging talent across disciplines and abilities can make the world a more beautiful place

(Collaboration: UNESCO)

YOUNG PROFESSIONALS’ FORUM

Artificial Intelligence and National Security

Speakers: Dayanidhi Krishna, Chennai based software professional who has aided several legislators in leveraging technology for public sector projects. He has previously undertaken projects for U. Chicago and GIZ among other institutions. He has studied public policy at the Takshashila Institution, Center for Civil Society and Internet Society. Upon graduation from VIT, Chennai, was awarded the Best Outgoing Student Award; and SaiSugun, presently a research associate at JNTU Hyderabad. He is enabling the building of an online presence for the World Youth Council against Terrorism. He has also worked for the Government of Andhra Pradesh as well as several legislators from Telangana and Rajasthan. In the last two years, he has actively contributed to the National Mission on Education through ICT, an initiative of the Ministry of Human Resource Development

Chair: Cmdre C. Uday Bhaskar

(Collaboration: Society for Policy Studies)

Roundtable: Countering Internal Security Challenges in Xinjiang: Rise of Surveillance State?

Panelists: Prof. K. Warikoo, former Professor at Centre for Inner Asian Studies, SIS, Jawaharlal Nehru University; Dr. Mahesh R. Debata, Director, UGC Area Studies Programme, Jawaharlal Nehru University; Dr. Debasish Chaudhuri, Adjunct Fellow, Institute of Chinese Studies; Dr. Shagun Sharma, Assistant Professor, PG Govt. College for Girls, Chandigarh

Chair: Ambassador Ashok K. Kantha, Director, Institute of Chinese Studies

In the face of series of violent incidents and unrest in Xinjiang between 2013 and 2015, the present Chinese leadership appears to have realized that the dual strategy of overall regional development and coercion could neither ensure much coveted social order and regional stability nor accelerate the process of national blending between the Han and local ethnic minorities. The panel discussion will deliberate on China’s policy in Xinjiang and lessons for India in Kashmir, ‘external involvement’ in the internal challenges in Xinjiang and state’s responses, assimilationist approach to the local unrest, new surveillance system and ‘de-radicalization’

(Collaboration: Institute of Chinese Studies)

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