The Courtesan – An Enigma
Accompanied by Neesha Singh, who will narrate stories from the lives of well known courtesans
In Search Of Freedom – Journeys through India and South-East Asia
Launch of book by Smt Momota Mehta, freedom fighter and Shri Kuldip Nayar, democratic rights’ activist and eminent journalist
Dr. Vibha Chauhan will be in conversation with the author followed by readings
Operation Meghrahat: A Leap from Despair to Hope (55 min; 2015)
A film produced by General Staff Information Branch of HQ 15 Corps located at Srinagar
The film deals with the September 2014 floods in Kashmir and the relief work done by the Army in conjunction with the Air Force, NDRF and Kashmiri youth in minimising the loss of precious human life
The screening will be followed by a discussion
Celebrating the Legendary Poets
Keynote address by Dr. Sudheer Pratap Singh
Speakers: Shri Upendra Kumar;Dr. Upendra Nath; and Anamika
Chair: Dr. Ganga Prasad Vimal
Vocal Recital
URBAN GOVERNANCE
Urban Sanitation (Swachh Bharat)
Introductory Remarks: Shri Prabhat Kumar, Former Cabinet Secretary & President, IC Centre for Governance
Keynote Speakers: Shri Jalaj Srivastava, Chairperson, NDMC; and Shri K.S. Mehra, Former Municipal Commissioner
Chairman: Shri D.S. Mishra, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Urban Development
Rethinking Disability in India
A discussion around the new book by Anita Ghai (New Delhi: Routledge, 2015)
Main presentation by Dr. Anita Ghai, Dept. of Psychology, Jesus and Mary College
Chair: Smt Brinda Karat
Discussants: Dr. Tanmoy Bhattacharya, Associate Professor, Centre for Advanced Studies in Linguistics, University of Delhi; and Shri Harsh Mander, social worker and writer, Director of Centre for Equity Studies
FILMS ON SPIRITUALITY AND OTHER DIMENSION
The Hidden Art of Islam: Explore the Tradition of Figurative Art at the Heart of Islam
(60 min; dvd; English)
Directed by Faris Kermani
A film hosted by Dr. Rageh Omaar
Muslim belief and tradition specifies that there should be no depictions of God or the Prophet Muhammad. In religious contexts, this constraint on what artists can depict extends to human figures and other living creatures as well. These prohibitions have inspired a rich visual culture based on calligraphy, Arabesque floral designs, and geometry, all of which feature strongly in the art and design found throughout the Muslim world, including mosques.
With the help of fine art and religious experts, host Rageh Omaar traces the effect of these beliefs over the centuries on the art and artists of the Islamic world and considers why depictions of pilgrims taking part in the Hajj pilgrimage have become part of the accepted tradition of Islamic art, including in work exhibited at British Museum
The 7th Destination
Dr. Benazir Patil is a development specialist by profession and has been working with several social development organisations both in India and internationally. Presently Advisor-Urban Health with Save the Children, India
Khudabakhsh, a wanderer at heart, just knew the destination he had to reach. But not knowing how that was to happen, what was the precise motive for his presence in that place, and why it had to be the seventh one, he travels relentlessly. An engrossing account of a young man’s journey, unfolding at each step the eternal verities of humankind, supremacy of the universal power, the commonness in the different religions, and the numerous mysteries that plague everyone’s mind one time or the other
Tajikistan in the 21st Century
Panelists: Professor Devendra Kaushik, former Chairman, Maulana Azad Institute of Asian Studies; Ambassador (Rtd). Vivek Katju; Prof. Riyaz Punjabi, former Vice-Chancellor, Kashmir University; Prof. Khoja Umarov of Tajikistan; and Prof. K. Warikoo, Centre for Inner Asian Studies, School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University and Secretary General (Hony.), Himalayan Research and Cultural Foundation
Chair: Dr. Lokesh Chandra, Chairman, Indian Council of Cultural Relations
