(CANCELLED)

GOLDEN JUBILEE LECTURES ON ENVIRONMENT

Economics and the Environment 
Speaker: Prof E. Somanathan, Indian Social Institute

Chair: Prof Mahesh Rangarajan, Director, Nehru Memorial Museum and Library

"Disappearing Sparrows"

The common sparrow, which was ubiquitously seen in our cities, is now increasingly rare. One could not open a door leading to a garden without a sparrow instantly flying into the room. Alongside, over the years, the absence of common bird species has become increasingly noticeable. Does the 'loss' of this and other birds we once took for granted, a sign of other changes in our environment? 

Toxics Link invites you to the film screening and panel discussion in an attempt to understand this question. The film "Beyond The Mirage" directed by Nutan Manmohan, (produced by PSBT), examines the ensuring battle for food and habitat in Delhi's among the small and big birds that throng the city and documents the predicament of smaller birds, like sparrows, which are fast loosing this war against bigger predators.

Program:

Beyond the Mirage, a film by Nutan Manmohan (19"¦., duration "¦. mins)

Panel discussion:

Speakers:

·      Dr. Surya Prakash

(School of Life Sciences, JNU

Member of BNHS, Delhibirds, ButterflyIndia and Indian Wildlife Club)

·      Dr. Koustubh Sharma

(Senior Regional Ecologist-Snow Leopard Trust,

Research Associate, Nature Conservation Foundation &

Co-investigator, BNHS-Citizen Sparrow Foundation)

Moderated by Ravi Agarwal, (Director, Toxics Link)

History of Yoga

(90 min; dvd; 2012; Hindi)
Directors: Ramji Om and Deepika Kothari

Opening with Patanjali's exposition of yoga as a means of achieving mastery over the senses and modifications of the mind, the film traces yoga's development from Harappan times, in Vedic, Jain and Buddhist doctrine, through mediaeval hatha-yogic practices to counter disease, aging and death, up to the point when its potential is acknowledged within the framework of modern science. Observations by scholars and images of archaeological remains, manuscripts, reliefs and murals from 80 sites and 35 museums are interwoven with meditative dance and music.

Education under Fire (34 min; dvd; 2011; English)
Director: Jeff Kaufman

Bahá'ís in Iran are prohibited from attending college and blocked from many professions; many have been subjected to arrest, torture and execution. In 1987, the Iranian Bahá'í community started an informal university which has evolved into the Baha'i Institute for Higher Education (BIHE), which despite raids and arrests created an independent, decentralized university system that reached out to thousands across Iran.In May 2011 the government raided over 30 homes and detained over a dozen people working at the BIHE. Using footage and photographs of two decades of BIHE classes as well as a series of personal testimonies the film brings out what it means to be a Bahá'í in Iran today.

Introduced by Ms Farida Vahedi, Trustee, National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of India 
Followed by a discussion initiated by Shri B.G. Verghese, Centre for Policy Research; and Prof Anwar Alam, Director, Centre for West Asian Studies, Jamia Millia Islamia

Chief Guest: H. E. Dr. Karan Singh President, ICCR

Shehnai Recital

By Ustad Fateh Ali Khan

accompanied by Arun Kumar on Harmonium

and Kubernath Mishra on Tabla

Dhrupad Recital

By Ustad F. Wasifuddin Dagar

accompanied by Mohan Shyam Sharma on Pakhawaj

Presentations by scholars from Afghanistan, Tajikistan and India on ethnicity, religion and nationalism in Afghanistan; the Bamiyan Buddhas in local traditions; and on Tajikistan-Afghanistan relations

Speakers include Mr Syed Raza, Mr Mod. Mansoor Ehsan, Mr Rashid Ahmadi, Mr Bashir Shabir, Prof Kh. Umarov, Prof. K. Warikoo and Dr B.R. Mani

Troyee
Choreographed dance based on the journey of the three women in Tagore's Chitrangada, Chandalika and Shyama

Concept: Late Smt Suchitra Mitra; Choreography: Shri Aditya Mitra; Music Direction: Smt Anita Pal; Recitation: Shri Subir Mitra

Presented by Parampara, Kolkata 

Disappearing Criticism

Panelists: Shri Sadanand Menon, Managing Trustee, SPACES Arts Foundation, Chennai; Shri Kuldeep Kumar, music critic, The Hindu; Ms Anjana Rajan, Special Correspondent, The Hindu

Bahadur: The Accidental Brave 

(54 min; dvd; 2011; English)
Director: Aditya Seth

Labour migration to India has traditionally been an important economic resource for Nepalese households. Migrant workers in Mumbai are prone to high-risk sexual behaviour because of the freedom and the access to intoxicants and sex-workers. Many contract HIV and infect their spouses when they return, and their children are born with HIV. Far west Nepal is reeling under a micro-epidemic with the notorious name, "˜Mumbaiyya rog'. The documentary is an in-depth look into the "˜Bahadur' (brave) Nepalese migrant's life, his struggle for survival, and his helplessness to improve his lot in the socio-economic and political context. 

Followed by a discussion with the film-maker, initiated by Mrs Anjali Gopalan, Executive Director, the Naz Foundation

Book Discussion Group

Shri Jagmohan, former Governor, Jammu and Kashmir; Dr Subhash Kashyap, Centre for Policy Research; and Prof Mridula Mukherjee, Centre for Historical Studies, JNU; and Shri Suhas Borker, Convenor, Working Group for Alternative Strategies, discuss Witness to History: Transition and Transformation of India, 1947-1964, a publication of the Nehru Centre (New Delhi: Oxford University Press, 2011)