Speaker: Professor Robert Yelle, Professor and Chair of Religious Studies, Ludwig Maximilian University, Munich; author of several books including: Explaining Mantras: Ritual, Rhetoric and the Dream of a Natural Language in Hindu Tantra

Chair: Dr. Ananya Vajpeyi

 

The lecture will address some of the parallels, as well as the differences, between Hindu mantras (especially those of the Tantric variety) and Christian prayers. Like prayers in many other cultures, each of these has been used historically for a range of purposes: to worship gods and goddesses, of course, but also to perform magic. The first part of the lecture will examine how, through the use of poetry in particular, such formulas are converted into powerful speech, supposed to be capable of achieving their objective. The second part of the lecture will trace the polemics against poetic and magical prayers that originated in the Puritan critique of “vain repetitions.” For several centuries, this polemic was directed against first Roman Catholic chants, then Hindu mantras

Chair: Dr. Ananya Vajpeyi, Fellow and Associate Professor, Centre for the Study of Developing Societies

 

 

By Sriram Krishnan from Delhi, disciple of Guru Dr K Vageesh

 

 

Sugamya Pustakalaya: Enabling Libraries to Meet the Needs of Persons Who Cannot Read Normal Print

Speaker: Shri Dipendra Manocha, Director of the Regional Resource Centre, New Delhi, DAISY for All and Developing Countries Coordinator and Head of Training and Tech support with the Daisy Consortium

 

Shri Manocha will speak on India’s first and largest collection of accessible books which is a collaborative effort of several organisations to end the book famine faced by people with print disabilities. He will also address the issues related to accessibility of resources for visually impaired people

 

In addition, Dr. Ramesh Gaur, University Librarian, Jawaharlal Nehru University and a Representative from Delhi University Library System will speak on the facilities and services given by their respective libraries to visually impaired students 

 

FRIDAY 6

 

CONCERT ? FOUNTAIN LAWNS AT 16:00

 

By Fiddlers Green Band of Kolkata

 

Arko Mukherjee (Vocals, Guitar, Ukulele, Kazoo); Shamik Chatterjee ( Guitar, Bass, Ukulele); Diptanshu Roy (Mandolin, Tenor Guitar, Dotara); and Ritoban Ludo Das (Indian & Afro Latin Percussions)

 

Fiddler's green talks about folklores of the world through songs of the south Asian subcontinent, sonically connecting them with humane stories of the shires in middle earth, running through the deserts of West Africa, merging with the streets of Havana and Puerto Rico or the wild trekking trails of Nepal or the Appalachian mountains

 

(Collaboration: Rasaja Foundation)

 

 

Golden Ratio, Fibonacci Sequence and Fractals in Mathematics, Nature and the Arts 

Speaker: Balan Nambiar

 

Moderator: Ashok Vajpeyi

 

(Collaboration: Raza Foundation)

 

 

Noise and Health – How Sound?

Series Moderator: Dr. Naresh Gupta, Director-Professor, Maulana Azad Medical College, New Delhi

 

Keynote Speaker: Dr. Naresh Gupta, Director-Professor, Maulana Azad Medical College, New Delhi
 

Panelists: Dr. M.P. George, Scientist `D', Pollution Control Committee; Dr. A.K. Agarwal, Former Dean MAMC and ENT Specialist; Dr. Roopa Vajpeyi, Academic and Consumer Activist and Dr. A.K. Tewari, Ministry of Railways, Govt. of India

 

(Collaboration: Health Environment Foundation in association with Consumers India)

 

 

SPEAKER: PROFESSOR SHIN KAWASHIMA, SENIOR RESEARCH FELLOW, IIPS, DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF CSIS-NIKKEI VIRTUAL THINK-TANK

 

DISCUSSANTS: MS TITLI BASU, ASSOCIATE FELLOW, EAST ASIA CENTRE, INSTITUTE FOR DEFENCE STUDIES AND ANALYSIS (IDSA) AND MS. SHAMSHAD AHMAD KHAN, PHD, FORMER SENIOR RESEARCH FELLOW

KEI UNIVERSITY, TOKYO

 

CHAIR AND MODERATOR: MR.VIJAY NAIK, CONVENER, IAFAC

 

 

 

 

 

(COLLABORATION: EMBASSY OF JAPAN AND IAFAC)

Thursday 29

 

 

 

Talk ■ Conference Room I at 18:00

 

 

 

Speaker: Dr. Martin Kaempchen, renowned Tagore scholar

Chair: Dr. Rimli Bhattacharya

 

 

(Collaboration: Social Science Press)

 

 

(Collaboration: Society for Indian Ocean Studies)

 

 

By Mohsen Mirza Ali and Ali Nari

 

Naqqali - professional storytellers who perform the Iranian epic, Shahnama (Book of Kings) written by Ferdowsi (900 AD – 1020 AD). Traditionally performed in the Qahvekhane or coffee house or on special occasions such as during Ramazan, Noruz or during the winter months. It is the oldest form of dramatic performance in Iran and the stories are narrated in verse or prose accompanied by gestures and movements, sometimes instrumental music and painted scrolls. Naqqali is on the Intangible Heritage list of UNESCO

 

In keeping with the Iranian tradition, the performance of Naqqali is being held on the Winter Solstice

 

(Collaboration: Iran House of Culture)