BOOK DISCUSSION GROUP

Is This the Time for the Indian Elephant and the Chinese Dragon to Dance Together?
Edited by Surendra Kumar (Har-Anand Publications, 2026)

Chair: K. N. Shrivastava, Director, IIC

Discussants: Dr. Shashi Tharoor, MP & Chairman, Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs; Amb. Ashok Kantha, Former High Commissioner to Malaysia and Sri Lanka; Prof. Raja Mohan, Writer and Professor at Jindal University

DIALOGUES IN HEALTH AND WELLNESS
Conceptualised by Dr. Ashwani Kumar

Talk & Workshop from 10:00 to 13:00
Short Talk: Pulmonary Functions
By Dr. Anant Mohan

Followed by clinical assessment which includes respiratory screening, checking of vitals such as BP, oxygen saturation, lung function testing with diagnosis and appropriate counselling.

(Strictly for IIC members and staff members only)

At 16:00
Short Talk on Allergies in Everyday life: Recognition, Prevention and Management!

Allergies are exaggerated immune responses to substances that are usually harmless, such as pollen and dust mites. Allergic reactions can cause sneezing, a runny or blocked nose, and coughing. In more severe cases, allergies may trigger asthma, a chronic condition in which the airways become inflamed, making breathing difficult. Proper diagnosis and avoiding known allergens can help manage symptoms effectively. Early management improves respiratory health and overall quality of life.

Speaker: Dr Anant Mohan

Followed by a panel discussion on ‘Simplifying the Enigma of Allergies’                                                    

Moderator: Dr. Anant Mohan

Discussants: Dr. Rakesh Kumar, Professor & Head, Department of E.N.T., and Head & Neck Surgery, A.I.I.M.S., New Delhi; Dr. Binod Khaitan, Former Professor, Department of Dermatology, A.I.I.M.S., New Delhi.
                      
Followed by interactive Q & A session with the audience

Chair: Dr. Ashwani Kumar

Outsider. Freud

(2025; 66 mins.; Hebrew, English, German & French with English subtitles)
Director: Yair Qedar

Recipient of the 2025 Gradiva Award for Best Documentary, Movie, or Play; Best Feature Documentary/Animation at the Jaipur International Film Festival (2025)

Blending documentary, animation and dream sequences, Outsider. Freud offers an intimate portrait of Sigmund Freud, exploring how his experiences as a Jewish outsider in Vienna shaped both his personal life and the development of psychoanalysis.

MOUNTAIN DIALOGUES 

Lighting Up the Himalayas: When Adventure Creates Lasting Change

Speaker: Paras Loomba, Founder, Global Himalayan Expedition (GHE).  Recipient of UN Global Climate Action Award at COP26 and WTTC Tourism for Tomorrow Award

Chair: Brigadier Ashok Abbey, a veteran mountaineer with over four and a half decades of climbing experience in the Great Ranges.

Can an expedition leave behind more than memories? This talk explores how Global Himalayan Expedition (GHE) transformed adventure travel into a platform for creating lasting impact in some of India's most remote mountain communities. The speaker reflects on how adventure tourism can become a catalyst for climate action and inclusive rural development.

(Collaboration: Himalayan Club and the Himalayan Environment Trust)
 

Book Discussion Group  

CHINDIA: Journey to an Asian Century.

By Shastri Ramachandaran (AuthorsUpFront, 2026)

Chair: Shyam Saran, President, IIC

Discussants: V Srinivas, Chief Secretary, Govt of Rajasthan; Dr Rityusha Tiwary, Faculty of Chinese Studies, DU; Santosh Pai, Honorary Fellow, Institute of Chinese Studies and member, Confederation of Indian Industry’s core group on China; Shastri Ramachandaran, Journalist & Author of the book

BOOK DISCUSSION GROUP

Raag Darbari: Polity as Fiction, Fiction as Reality 
Edited by Satyajit Singh (Orient Blackswan, 2026)

Moderator: Dr. Balveer Arora, Former Professor, Centre for Political Studies, JNU

Discussants: Dr. Yogendra Yadav, Former Professor, Centre for the Study of Developing Societies; Dr. Sekhar Bonu, retired ADB & Visiting Professor, Ashank Desai Centre for Policy Studies, IIT Bombay; Dr. Rekha Saxena, Professor and Head, Department of Political Science, DU  and Satyajit Singh, Editor of the book.
 

Sculptor's Lens: Isamu Noguchi and Premodern India

Speaker: Kalyani Madhura Ramachandran, art historian, currently a postdoctoral fellow, NYU Shanghai and previously worked at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Moderator: Parul Pandya Dhar, Art Historian. Professor, Department of History, University of Delhi

This talk highlights the modernist sculptor Isamu Noguchi's interest in the stonework of premodern India—including ancient sites such as Sanchi, Elephanta, Ajanta, and Mahabalipuram, the early medieval Qutb complex and late medieval Mughal structures—and traces the centrality of the "matter of sculpture" in his distinctive artistic philosophy and practice. 
 

Raseedi Ticket – A Journey into the Soul of Amrita Pritam

(Inspired by the autobiography, stories, and poetry of Padma Vibhushan Amrita Pritam)

Design and Direction: Dr. Savita Rani; Writer: Sudha Adukula; Actor: Shalom Sannutha; Art: Khaju Guttal 
Music: Munna Mysore

Inspired by Amrita Pritam's autobiography, stories and poetry, Raseedi Ticket is a one-woman play that traces the life and literary journey of one of India's most celebrated writers. The play explores themes of love, rebellion, freedom and the resilience of women, offering an intimate portrait of the woman behind the words.
 

Afsaana Hui Shaam: Dramatized reading of short stories of Begum Masroor Jahan

Performers: Saira Mujtaba; Sunita Singh; Tariquee Haameed

The play is an endeavour of promoting intimate literary ‘mehfils’ where the storyteller/raconteurs present short stories through voice acting alone. Four stories would be read – Lootera, Kunji, Khoye Huye Lamhe and Jilawatan.

(Collaboration: Wings Cultural Society)

अंदरूनी सरहदें (Inner Frontiers)

Solo exhibition by Namita Prakash, visual artist and interior designer. The artist has exhibited at World Art Dubai, India Art Festival and Qatar International Art Festival

The artworks explore the invisible emotional and spiritual boundaries that shape our identities. Through layered mixed-media paintings inspired by nature, memory and the feminine experience, the exhibition reflects on resilience, transformation and the quiet landscapes within.

The exhibition will be inaugurated on Wednesday, 5th August’26 at 16:00 hrs by Aloka Guha, Former Chairperson, National Trust, Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment, Govtof India.

The exhibition will remain open daily from 11:00 to 19:00 hrs