Guardians of the Grasslands: Pastoralism, Mobility and Ecology

Chair: Ravi Singh, Secretary General and CEO of WWF-India

Panellists: Sushma Iyengar, Lead curator, Living Lightly Exhibition of Centre for Pastoralism (CfP); Ajay Dandekar and Anita Sharma, Assistant Professors, School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Shiv Nadar University and Sunil Harsana, environmental activist.

Architecture, Urban Landscapes and the Future of Cities

Chair: Ashok Lall, Eminent architect and educator
Moderator: Ratish Nanda, CEO, Aga Khan Trust for Culture, India

Panellists: A.G.K. Menon, urban planner and architect and Shruti Narayan, Managing Director of Regions and Mayoral Engagement at C40 cities

The Written Word and Social Progress: How Kerala Achieved 100% Literacy
Keynote Speaker: Aswathi Thirunal Gowri Lakshmi Bayi of the Travancore Royal Family

Speakers: Venu Vasudevan, Former Chief Secretary, Kerala; T.K Manoj Kumar, former Secretary, Govt of India; Resmi R., Registrar, University of Kerala; Parvathy S., Director, State Archives of Kerala

The World within the Word
Poetry Reading Session on Nature 
Curated by Malashri Lal and Apoorvanand

Verses from Hindi, English and 6 regional languages

Chief Guest: Ashwajit Singh, Trustee, IIC

TALKS, DISCUSSIONS, POETRY READINGS

Wildlife Conservation in Contemporary India

Panellists: Mike Pandey, Indian Film maker and Conservationist; Dipankar Ghose, Senior Director, Biodiversity Conservation at WWF-India; and Purnima Devi Barman, Wildlife Biologist.

Moderator: Bahar Dutt, Environmental editor and columnist.

This will be preceded by screening of short films by Mike Pandey

The Nature (Prakriti) With Its Five Sensory Attributes and the Emotional World of Raga

Hindustani Vocal Recital by Pt. Ajoy Chakrabarty, renowned Indian classical vocalist, an exponent of the Patiala-Kasur Gharana.

Accompanied with Pandit Yogesh Samsi on Tabla and Ajay Joglekar on Harmonium

(Collaboration: ITC-Sangeet Research Academy)

Chief Guest: K.N Shrivastava, Director, IIC

RAGA, A knot in the air

Rudra Veena recital by Ustad Mohi Bahauddin Dagar, master of rudra veena (‘roaring veena’). Awarded the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award

Accompanied by Pt. Sanjay Agle on Pakhawaj

Chief Guest: N.N Vohra, Life Trustee, IIC

Khon- Classical masked dance drama from Thailand
Adapted from Ramakien, the Thai national epic based on Valmiki’s Ramayana

(Collaboration: Thai-Bharat Cultural Lodge and Emerging North-East Eco Forum (ENEEF))

Chief Guest: P.K Tripathi, Executive Committee Member, IIC

Venue: Fountain Lawns

Classical Vocal Recital
Prakriti ka Sangeet

By Kalapini Komkali, distinguished Hindustani classical vocalist. Awarded the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 2023 for her contribution to Indian classical music.
Accompanied by Shambhunath Bhattacharya on Tabla; Chetan Nigam on Harmonium; Akshay Mohan on Dholak

Chief Guest: Anita Singh, Musicologist and Art Historian.

Nirvana Nataka
An intimate solo recital by Maa Parvathy Baul

The recital offers an immersive journey into the mystical, sacred universe of Bengal’s ancient oral tradition. Nirvana Nataka is a sacred, meditative experience where sound, pulse and breath converge to celebrate the ecstasy of spiritual freedom.

Chief Guest: Shailesh Nayak, Life Trustee, IIC