Talk by Naman P. Ahuja, Professor of Art History, Jawaharlal Nehru University and General Editor of MARG.

Chair: Amb. Shyam Saran, President, IIC

The ongoing attempt to sell the relics of the Buddha excavated from the ancient stupa at Piprahwa has raised several questions at the heart of which is how Indian and international imperatives around sacred remains have changed since their discovery. In this illustrated lecture, Prof. Ahuja will explain how relics are defined, the ethical issues they raise, changes in the law, and how these shifts impact museology.

Speakers: Lt. Gen. Syed Ata Hasnain, PVSM, UYSM, AVSM, SM, VSM & Bar, Defence Analyst and former GOC, XV Corps and Chancellor Central University of Kashmir; Amb. Pankaj Saran, Former Dy NSA, Amb to Russia and HC to Bangladesh and Convenor, NatStrat; and Prof. Amitabh Mattoo, Dean, School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University and former Vice Chancellor, Jammu University.

Chair: Amb.  Y.K. Sinha, Former CIC, High Commissioner to the UK and Sri Lanka and Head of the Pakistan- Afghanistan- Iran Division in MEA

CANCELLED

Gandhi and Music
An illustrated lecture by Dipankar De Sarkar

Concert presented by Chitra Srikrishna, Carnatic vocalist, writer and teacher of music appreciation

Chitra Srikrishna (vocal & narration) 
Accompanists: Arvindd Narayanan (violin) and Vignesh Jayaraman (mridangam).

Udaan explores the melodic realm of Indian poetry, focusing on birds as literary symbols. From the common crow to the partridge, Indian poets through the ages, have used birds as literary devices to compose captivating melodies. The concert will explore these themes through bhajan, classical and folk music compositions in Bengali, Kannada, Hindi, Marathi, Sanskrit, Tamil and Telugu. With live accompaniment in the Carnatic idiom, the music is interspersed with short narrations in English
 

No. Join us for an evening of an enchanting story that travels across Vietnam, China and Japan. An ancient Asian Epic written between1766-1820. And with this a chance to rediscover our Asian neighbours, their culture, their politics and some of their policies. An initiative in soft diplomacy…

Storytelling by Neha Bansal, Founder Director ‘Asianism-Retold’ – an initiative in preventive diplomacy and new models of development based on the influence that Asian values including China have in shaping global geo-politics, development frameworks and international concepts

Introduction: Akshay Mathur, Senior Director (Head), Asia Society Policy Institute, Delhi

Programme Details

Workshop on “Familiarization with Quantum Sciences and Technology”
Opening Remarks: Dr. D. Shailaja Donempudi, Vice Chairman, Zaheer Science Foundation (ZSF), New Delhi, Distinguished Scientist BD Group, CSIR HQ and former Chief Scientist and Head, BDRM, CSIR-IICT, Hyderabad

About the Workshop: Dr. Zahid H. Khan, Advisor, ZSF, UNESCO- National Node for India for IDL2025 and former Professor of Physics, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi

Keynote Address: “Quantum Light: Celebrating the International Day of Light and the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology” By Prof. John M. Dudley, International Day of Light 2025 Steering Committee Chair; Professor, University of Franche-Comté, France

(Collaboration: Zaheer Science Foundation, New Delhi)

Curated and introduced by Sunit Tandon

CONCERT
Gustav Mahler: Symphony No. 3 in D minor
(106 min; 1991; dvd)

Florence Quivar, contralto
Tölzer Knabenchor
Chorus Master: Gerhardt Schmidt-Gaden
Women of the Enrst-Senff-Chor
Chorus Master: Hellwarth Matthiesen
Berliner Phlharmoniker
Conductor: Bernard Haitink

Mahler's Third Symphony is one of his sunniest, most extrovert scores. It is also his longest symphony, lasting at least an hour and a half. It needs large-scale performing forces and is, indeed, unconventional and all-encompassing. It ended up being six movements but started out as seven. Perhaps most interestingly, the Third Symphony also offers one of the most complete musical statements of Mahler's world view that the composer ever penned. Mahler used the sounds of nature to represent the "worldly tumult," a tumult not only of birdcalls, rustic dances, military marches, and other mundane sounds, but also of emotions. For Mahler, nature meant everything; it was the world. Jean Sibelius recalled Mahler saying something similar to him when the two met in 1907: "The symphony must be like the world. It must embrace everything."
 

Viksit Bharat @2047: Governance Transformed
Edited by C.K. Mathew, Surendra Nath Tripathi, C. Sheela Reddy and A.P. Singh (2025)

Discussants: Shri V. Srinivas, Secretary, Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances and Department of Pension and Pensioners Welfare, Government of India; Shri Surendra Nath Tripathi, Director General, Indian Institute of Public Administration, co-editor of the book; Dr. A.P. Singh, co-editor of the book; and Shri Alkesh Kumar Sharma

An intimate journey through the narrow streets and quiet corners of an old city as seen through the eyes of the artist
Exhibition of watercolour, ink and charcoal by Mohd. Israr

Inauguration on Tuesday, 24 June 2025 at 18:30 by Sh.Rajesh Mehra, eminent artist; Guest of honour Prof Gazanfar Jaidi, art educationist and photographer