Speakers: Shri A.K. Shukla, I.F.S., Chief Conservator of Forests, Govt. of NCT of Delhi; Smt Padmavati Dwivedi, Team Leader, Citizens' Tree Census, Sarvodaya Enclave; Shri S.D. Singh, I.F.S., and CEO, Delhi Parks and Gardens Society; and Shri Subhash Chandra, I.F.S., D.I.G. Forests, Ministry of Environment and Forests

Chair: Shri Suhas Borker, Founder Member, Green Circle of Delhi

Participants will include horticulturalists from land-owning agencies of Delhi, RWAs, schoolteachers and students

VEDANTA TODAY

Speaker: Dr Karan Singh, M.P.

Chair: Shri Rajiv Mehrotra, Trustee, Foundation for Universal Responsibility of His Holiness the Dalai Lama

An overview of the six orthodox schools, with special reference to the Vedas

The first in a series of monthly lectures on Indian spiritual thought that will explore some of the principal schools of Indian philosophy, their impact on Indian civilization, and contemporary relevance  

The story of a city through the eyes of young photographers from Srinagar - photographs of its architectural heritage, everyday life, and people of the city

Inauguration on Tuesday, 29th January, at 18:30 by H.E. Shri N.N. Vohra, Governor of Jammu & Kashmir

As part of this exhibition, there will be two other programmes

Film screening on Friday, 1st February, in the Multipurpose Hall, Kamaladevi Block, at 18:30
Mann Faqeeri
(52 min; 2012; dvd; English subtitles)
Director: M.K. Raina

With the advent of Islam in Kashmir, an inter-cultural confluence took place between Central Asia, Persia and India. From these exchanges emerged a new syncretic mosaic in the Valley, containing the essence of Islam, Shaivism and Buddhism. The film explores this syncretic tradition, both past and present, through the Sufiyana kalam of the Valley. It traces its long tradition of singing verses, from Lal Ded in the 13th century to contemporary poets, in the context of the unbroken relationship between music, poetry and the changing landscape of the valley

Shri Raina will introduce the film and lead the discussion that follows

Panel discussion on Monday, 4th February, in Conference Room - I at 18:30
Kashmir: Dimensions of Intangible Heritage
Lead presentation by Prof Riyaz Punjabi

Speaker: Dr Daryoosh Akbarzadeh, former Director of the National Museum of Iran, and author of many scholarly works on ancient and medieval Iran

Chair: Prof N.C. Shukla

The speaker will argue that the "Maha-Raja" referred to in Persian texts may be identified as Raja Raja the Great or more probably as Rajendra Chola I, present a comparative study of the birthplaces of Zoroaster and the Buddha, and discuss Indian tales in the Shah-nameh of Firdowsi

(45 min; 2012)
Director: Ruchi Saini

A disciple's tribute to Kathak maestro Guru Shri Munna Shukla of the Lucknow Gharana, in which his personality, philosophy and views on various matters unfold through interviews with critics, scholars, his guru and disciples, friends and family

(95 min; 2012; dvd; English subtitles)
Director: Ajay Bhardwaj

The idea of Punjabiyat continues, in ways seen and unseen, to inhabit the average Punjabi's culture and consciousness. This is the universe that the film stumbles upon in the countryside of east Punjab"”where gods and gurus share space with lovers, singers and wrestlers. Yet there are other memories which have become a second skin"”of violence, separation and loss. And  accompanying this caravan of seekers and lovers are the ascetic non-believers in whom a yearning for love and harmony turns into poetry against war and aggression

"Close to a million people lost their lives and several million lost their homelands forever when India and Pakistan were partitioned. In the midst of the horror that Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs inflicted on each other there were also redeeming stories of the love that bound these communities together"”stories we cling to, so we may retain our faith in the human spirit.  "˜Milange Babey Ratan De Mele Te' is one such story. It is the story of how love survived a holocaust" (Arundhati Roy)

The director will introduce the film, and the screening will be followed by a discussion

Speaker: Prof Arjun Appadurai, Senior Fellow, Institute of Public Knowledge, and Goddard Professor of Media, Culture, and Communication, New York University

Chair: Dr Kapila Vatsyayan, Chairperson, IIC-Asia Project

Prof Appadurai's publications include Fear of Small Numbers: An Essay on the Geography of Anger (2006), and Modernity at Large: Cultural Dimensions of Globalization (1996)