Japanese Art through the Ages - I: The Esoteric Brush of Japanese Painting
Illustrated lecture by Ms Anu Jindal, art historian and artist

With an introduction by Prof Sushama Jain, Professor of Japanese, JNU

The first of two lectures introducing Japanese aesthetics

Speaker: Shri Sankar Sen, IPS (retd.), former Director General, National Human Rights Commission, and former Director, National Police Academy

Chair: Shri G.C. Saxena, former Governor, Jammu & Kashmir

Speaker: Ms Uzramma, Director, Malkha Marketing Trust

Chair: Shri Aseem Shrivastava, co-author of Churning the Earth

Tracing the history of Indian cotton textiles, which once dominated world trade, the speaker will explain how when spinning was mechanized and centralized, cultivators were restricted to one variety of cotton and the interdependence of farmers and weavers was severed. She will share her experience of developing the fabric malkha by combining traditional with cutting-edge technologies, sustained by a series of village-based, field-to-fabric production chains

By Douglas Amrine and Justin McCarthy

Much 18th century harpsichord music was written in suites, and for this recital two large suites have been created by mixing pieces by Bach and by Forqueray, Balbastre, Duphly and Marchand. Though the tendency today is to view Bach as monumental, it is also interesting to view him as one of a group of very competent composers, who when he chose might write music not far from that of his French counterparts.

The duo will play one suite each on a harpsichord modelled after Flemish instruments of the period

Dr Kavita A. Sharma, Director, IIC; Dr Ramesh Bijlani, Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Delhi; and Ms Rukmini Sekhar, Director, Viveka Foundation, discuss Acts of Faith: Journeys to Sacred India by Prof Makarand R. Paranjape (New Delhi: Hay House, 2012)

Chair: Dr Karan Singh, M.P.

Towards Growing Links between the Supreme Court of India and the High Court of Australia
Speaker: The Hon. Michael Kirby, AC, CMG, former Justice, High Court of Australia

Chair: Shri Soli Sorabjee, President, IIC

By Shalini Gupta from Jaipur

Inauguration by Shri Keshav Malik on Thursday, 4th October, at 18:30

Did Rains do the Harappans In?
Speaker: Dr Shereen Ratnagar, Professor of Archaeology and Ancient History (retd.), JNU

Chair: Dr Uma Chakravarti, Professor of History (retd.), Miranda House, DU

The title refers to the headline of a recent newspaper report on a research hypothesis which will be examined in this talk. A wider perspective will be attempted, touching on summer inundations, flashflood harvesting, stormwater drains, and winter showers, even the possible symbolic importance of the buffalo, all constituting  bronze-age monsoon management

Peace and Security in a Changing World

Speaker: Dr Louise Arbour, President and CEO, International Crisis Group

Chair: Amb.Naresh Chandra, former Ambassador to the USA