A festival of 10 exceptional nonfiction films from South Asia. The festival encapsulates a flavor of the Subcontinent with films from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Burma, India, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. The festival includes the award winners of Film South Asia Festival 2013, Kathmandu as well as other films selected to showcase the variety, treatment and intensity that marks the world of Southasian documentary and non-fiction  
 
Introduction
By Ms Mallika Aryal, Film South Asia, Kathmandu
 
Followed by
My Punjabi Love for You (Pakistan; 17 min; 2013; English subtitles)
Director: Adnan Malik
 
A behind-the-scenes film of a music video shot in the summer of 2012. Both an emotional journey, and an action-based narrative, the film subverts the dominant gender narratives in contemporary Pakistani culture
 
At 19:00                                                                                                                                                                                                           
No Burqas Behind Bars (Afghanistan; 77 min; 2012; English subtitles)                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      Director: Nima Sarvestani
 
This feature-length documentary takes us inside one of the world’s most restricted environments: the Afghan women’s prison

Great Stupa at Amaravati in Coastal Andhra and the Indian Ocean World
Illustrated lecture by Dr. Akira Shimada, State University of New York, New Paltz
 
One of the most important strongholds of Buddhism in early historic India is the Andhra region. Well-known remains include the great stupa at Amaravati (ca. 200 BCE-250 CE and later) and the monastic complex at Nagarjunakonda (ca. 200-300 CE). This talk will explore major examples of “Andhran-style” of Buddhist sculptures; examine the development of various scholarly interpretations, and identify  their problems 

Shri Jagan Shah, Architect, Director, National Institute of Urban Affairs; Shri Ram Rahman, well-known photographer; and Shri Navin Piplani, Principal Director, INTACH Heritage Academy will discuss Srinagar: An Architectural Legacy (New Delhi: Roli Books, 2014) by Feisal Alkazi

 

Chief Guest and Chair: Dr. Karan Singh, MP

 

The author of the book, Shri Feisal Alkazi will also speak

 

Speaker: Mr Adam Szymczyk, Artistic Director of documenta 14 and Director & Chief Curator at Kunsthalle Basel, Switzerland/

Chair: Dr. Geeta Kapur, critic, curator and academic

Quantify to Qualify: The Limitations of Threshold Markers on Social Policy

Speaker: Professor Dipankar Gupta, well-known sociologist

Chair: Shri Soli J. Sorabjee

Illustrated lecture by Mr. Allan Vactor, Founder, Sojourn India – A Travel Help Desk
 
The talk focuses on the rich biodiversity of Rajaji National Park created in 1983 by amalgamation of three sanctuaries - Rajaji Sanctuary; Motichur Sanctuary; and Chilla Sanctuary. The park is spread over an area of 820.42 sq km and has the largest area representing Shiwalik Eco-system which is over 10 million years and is very rich in fossils
 
Followed by screening of
 
God on the Edge (46 min; dvd; English)
Film on the urgent and sensitive issue of wild and domesticated elephants; these gentle giants are dying in captivity and in freedom every day
 

Carnatic Duet Vocal Recital                                                                                                                                                             
  By Usha Shankar and Deepa Namboodiri from Coimbatore, disciple of  the late Shri T K Govinda Rao
 
At 19:00
Hindustani Vocal Recital                                                                               
By Saswati Bagchi from Kolkata, disciple of  the late Pt A  Kanan and Pt Bibhuti Bhushan Acharya            

Carnatic Veena Recital                                                                                                                                                           
 By Gayatri Govindarajan Ajay from New York, USA, disciple of Guru Smt. Bhagirathi Narayanaswamy,                              
Guru Smt. Mangalam Muthuswamy and Guru Smt. Shyamala Sajnani
 
At 19:00
Sarod Recital                                                                                                                                                                            
By Debanjan Bhattacharjee  from Kolkata, disciple of  Ustad Ashish Khan, late Ustad Dhyanesh Khan and    Smt Amina Pareira

Indian Plurality: Indian Aesthetics  
Speakers: Prof. Radha VallabhTripathi, Dr. Kavita Singh and Dr. Naman Ahuja
 
Moderator: Shri Ashok Vajpeyi

By Kalyani Phagre and Vaidehi Phagre from Bhopal, disciples of Guru Bindu Juneja