A Star named Arundhati

This centenary exhibition celebrates the life and legacy of Arundhati Devi (1924–1990), a multifaceted figure in Bengali cinema—actress, director, producer, singer, and writer, whose career spanned four decades. Drawing from rare family archives and private collections in Kolkata, the exhibition presents an intimate portrait of her world through photographs, diaries and other film memorabilia.

Curated by Mrinalini Vasudevan and Tapati Guha-Thakurta

Inauguration by Shri Ashwajit Singh, Trustee on 11th October 2025 at 11:30

Special Invitees: Professor Kaushik Bhowmick, Department of Film Studies, School of Arts and Aesthetics, JNU; and Professor Bishnupriya Dutt, Department of Performance Studies, School of Arts and Aesthetics, JNU

The exhibition will remain on view until 25 October 2025, 11 am to 7 pm

Guided tour of the exhibition by curator Mrinalini Vasudevan on October 18 , 19  and 25 at 17:00 Hrs

Forms in Continuum: Narratives in Modern Indian Sculpture

This exhibition brings together works by S. Dhanapal, K. S. Radhakrishnan, Navjot, Kiron Sinha, and Latika Katt, artists who have each reshaped the possibilities of sculptural practice.

Inauguration by Shri Shyam Saran, President, IIC 

The exhibition will remain on view until 14 October 2025, 11:00 to 19:00

(Collaboration: DAG)

Ink and Eternity, Priceless Collections of Nalanda and Darbhanga 

This exhibition presents Bihar’s rich heritage of learning through collections from libraries. On display are rare manuscripts, facsimiles, texts, and photographs that reflect centuries of scholarship and the continuing tradition of knowledge in the region.

Inauguration by Dr Meenakshi Gopinath, Life Trustee, IIC 

The exhibition will remain on view until 14 October 2025, 11:00 to 19:00

(Collaboration: Lalit Narayan Mithila University, Darbhanga; Kameshwar Singh Darbhanga Sanskrit University; Nalanda University, Nava Nalanda Mahavira)

Depth Sounding Our Unseen Histories

Keynote Address

By Smt Mrinal Pande, Eminent Writer, Journalist and Ex-Chairperson of Prasar Bharati

The lecture explores how women’s identities have been reduced to motherhood, and how social structures often bind individuals to biology.

Chair: Shri Shyam Saran, President, IIC

Shunya: The Power of Zero

The concept of Zero has shaken up and transformed the world from its very inception. Scholars have applied Zero in mathematics, revolutionizing the field through calculations in algebra, geometry and arithmetic, in scientific disciplines like astronomy, physics, medicine and architecture, and also in all other areas like sculpture, music, and dance.

Inauguration by Shri Vivek Aggarwal, Secretary, Ministry of Culture 

The exhibition will remain on view until 16 October 2025, 11:00 to 19:00

FILM FESTIVAL: WOMEN AT THE CENTRE

Curator: Shivendra Singh Dungarpur, award-wining filmmaker and Archivist, Director, Film Heritage Foundation

Bhumika(India)

(142 mins; 1977; Hindi)

Director: Shyam Benegal

(Remembering Smita Patil on her 70th Birthday)

Please click here for complete film schedule

Curated by Jyoti A Kathpalia

Participating Author: Ajeet Cour

Participating artists: Anupam Sud, Aparna Anand Singh, Aradhna Tandon, Arpana Caur, Bula Bhattacharya, Durga Kainthola, Gogi Saroj Pal, Hemavathy Guha, Jayasri Burman, Kanchan Chander, Manmeet Devgun, Nitasha Jaini, Shivani Aggarwal, Shubhika Lal, Vasudha Thozhur

This exhibition explores the weaving of text and art focussing on how eminent women artists engage with their lived experiences their struggles and societal oppression. Anchored in Ajeet Cour’s autobiography Weaving Water: An Autobiography, the exhibition brings these narratives into dialogue with the visual expressions of leading women artists of India.

Inauguration on 30 October at 17:00 hrs

The exhibition will be on display till 10 November from 11:00 to 19:00 hrs

Keynote Speaker: Shri Ajit Doval, National Security Advisor, India

Presidential Address by Dr Harivansh, Hon’ble Deputy Chairman, Rajya Sabha

Vote of thanks by Shri Shanti Narain, former member Traffic Railway and Secretary General, IC Centre for Governance

For complete schedule please click here

(Collaboration: IC Centre for Governance)

Talk by Prof. Joachim Bautze

Prof. Bautze will speak about the remarkable murals of the Badal Mahal, first brought to light in 1986 and now recognized as the earliest and most innovative of all Rajasthani schools of painting. Dated around 1610–20, these jewel-like wall paintings stand out for their vivid naturalistic depictions and historical significance, often compared to the Sistine Chapel in their importance for Rajasthan’s art history.

Prof. Joachim Bautze, Scholar of Rajasthani wall and miniature paintings, taught Indian art history at the Ruperto Carola in Heidelberg, the Wakō and Chūō Daigaku in Tokyo and the Freie Universität in Berlin.

Moderator: Prof. Jyotindra Jain, Indian Art Historian

Nepal 2043: The Road to Prosperity

By Sujeev Shakya (Penguin, 2025)

Speakers: Amb. Juan Antonio March Pujol, Ambassador of Spain to India; Amb. Shankar Sharma, Ambassador of Nepal to India; Shamika Ravi, Member of the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister and Secretary to the GoI; Suhasini Haidar, Diplomatic Affairs Editor, The Hindu; Sujeev Shakya, Author of the Book