An evening of poetic expressions by Lavlin

Readings of poems in Hindi and English, dialogue between the bench and the lamp-post, fables and stories

The festival is an attempt to demonstrate selected musical instruments in the Indian system that have become out of vogue if not rare in the concert circuit, which one sees played occasionally by perhaps the last artists competent to do so. The programme is structured to be informative.

MONDAY 9
Jaltarang Recital by Shri Anayampatti S. Ganesan, accompanied on the violin by Anayampatti G. Venkatasubramanian and on the mridangam by Shri Kumbakonam N. Padmanabhan

Esraj Recital by Janab Arshad Khan

TUESDAY 10
Surbahar Recital by Shri Jagdeep Singh Bedi

Carnatic Percussion led by Shri Unnikrishnan on Edakka

WEDNESDAY 11
Rabab Recital by Shri Somjit Dasgupta

Performance on Aerophonic Instruments from Rajasthan, curated and conducted by Dr Suneera Kasliwal

Fractured Freedoms: Chronicles from India's Margins

Discussion of Shri Harsh Mander's latest book, a selection of articles written over 2004-11

Speakers: Prof Ashis Nandy, Senior Fellow, CSDS; Prof Zoya Hasan, Centre for Political Studies, JNU; Prof Mridula Mukherjee, Centre for Historical Studies, JNU; Indrajit Hazra, Senior Editor, The Hindustan Times

Worming up the Urban Greens
Workshop on Vermicomposting

Inauguration by Shri Praveen Tripathi, Chief Secretary of Delhi

Core presentation: Dr Deleep Kumar, IFS, Conservator of Forests, Gwalior
Chair: Shri Suhas Borker, Founder Member, Green Circle of Delhi

Participants will include horticulturists from NDMC, MCD, CPWD, DDA, Indian Agricultural Research Institute and the Delhi Agri-Horticulture Society

An exhibition of paintings by mentally challenged children from NGOs all over India to celebrate their ability to shock "˜normal' people with the intensity of their artistic creations

Inauguration by Prof M.G.K. Menon, Life Trustee, India International Centre, on Saturday, 7th  April, at 11:30

Reflective Prose: Writings by Bengali Women of the 19th Century

Release of book authored by Smt Sutapa Bhattacharjee and translated by Smt Sheila Sengupta (New Delhi: Sahitya Akademi, 2011)

This compilation of women's letters from 19th- and early-20th century Bengali literary journals is testimony to how women invented themselves and responded to the interaction with the West. Carefully researched, it brings out the intellectual world of authors and early activists like Krishanbhabini Das, Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain, Manmohini Dasi, and offers insights into how feminist consciousness first started taking shape.

Panel discussion on Women's Writing
Speaker: Professor Gurpreet Mahajan, Centre for Political Studies JNU
Chair: Shri Agrahara Krishna Murthy, Secretary, Sahitya Akademi

Readings of excerpts complemented by scenes recreated by Smt Averee Chaurey

Judicial Reforms

Speaker: Justice J.S. Verma, former Chief Justice of India

Chair: Shri Soli J. Sorabjee, President, India International Centre

Participants: Shri B.G. Verghese, Centre for Policy Research; Prof Nandini Sundar, Dept. of Sociology, Delhi School of Economics; Shri E.N.  Rammohan, Member, National Security Council, and former Director-General, Border Security Force

Hon'ble Speaker of the Lok Sabha, Smt Meira Kumar, will release R. Venkataraman: A Centenary Tribute (New Delhi: Rupa Publications, 2012), and Dr Karan Singh, M.P. and President, ICCR, will release Reflections of a Statesman (New Delhi: National Book Trust, India)

Tributes by Shri Soli Sorabjee, President, India International Centre; Shri Gopalkrishna Gandhi, former Governor, West Bengal, and Shri Venkataraman's private secretary; Dr R.K. Pachauri, Director-General, TERI; Smt Lakshmi Venkataraman Venkatesan, Executive Vice-President, Bharatiya Yuva Shakti Trust

Thakur (112 min; dvd; English)
Director: Rajiv Mehrotra

Explores the challenge and the riddle presented by the great mystic who more than a century after his death continues to dominate secular Hindu consciousness. Sri Ramakrishna brought a new vitality not only to the practices, rituals and symbols of the Hindu heritage, but also to the celebration of divinity in diverse forms, and reinforced the underlying possibility of a real harmony between all religions.