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.

The Art of Living and Dying: The Heart Essence of the Tibetan Book of Living and Dying 

Speaker: Sogyal Rinpoche

A glimpse of the Buddhist wisdom of Tibet and its vision of life and death

Odissi Recital

By Smt Bidya Das from Cuttack, disciple of Guru Kumkum Mohanty

Tarang: Fusion Music Concert
Led by Saraswati Rajagopalan (veena), Narendra Pal Tony (saxophone), Saeed Zafar Khan (sitar), Kailash Sharma (flute)

This Ensemble brings out aspects of Indian music which harmonize with Western, while retaining their elegance, grace and traditional character. The finer aspects are embellished by blending the technical intricacies, the tones and the colours of different instruments, which include the veena, flute, sitar, saxophone, guitar, keyboards, Indian percussion instruments and drums

FRONTIERS OF HISTORY

When is the Right of Secession Justified?

Speaker: Prof Neera Chandhoke, Department of Political Science, Delhi University, and author of Contested Secessions: Rights, Democracy, Self Determination and Kashmir  (New Delhi: Oxford University Press, 2012)

Chair: Shri Srinath Raghavan, Senior Fellow, Centre for Policy Research, Delhi