Love is… A musical clown show!

A new musical clown show!!  Mary is a cleaner, who happens to be a clown. As she heads to work a strange little tune pops into her head. ‘Love is a stranger to me…’

Join Mary on her journey as she mulls over this question and you might end up with some

questions of your own:

‘Will she meet a stranger?’

‘Will she find love?’

‘Will she ever get all that cleaning done?’

Using music and clown through mask, the performers explore all types of love. Not just romantic love, but every kind of love: familial, friendship and self-love included. Mary, the clown engages with her audiences, inviting them to travel with her through layers of music, theatre, and a little mischief, discovering together what

love is

Director: Tamar Keane, Dublin-based theatre-maker, currently associated with the Centre for Excellence in Universal Design, Ireland’s National Disability Authority and Founder and former Creative Producer of SQUAD Productions.

Performers: Aching Shaiza, pianist and mezzo-soprano, former music faculty member, The American Embassy School, The British School and The Delhi School of Music, currently she is Voice Faculty at the Caux Artist Program, Switzerland, and Head of the Voice Department at THEME Music Institute, Delhi NCR; Caitríona Ní Threasaigh, Irish actor and visual artist

IIC Film Club

Windows into the Northeast

Presents a curated selection of contemporary films from Northeast India, bringing together distinctive cinematic voices from the region. Spanning diverse languages, landscapes and lived experiences, the films offer intimate reflections on identity, memory, community and change.

Karken, Arunachal Pradesh
(2024; Galo with English subtitles)
Director: Loder Nending

A rural medical officer leaves behind the security of his profession to pursue his long-cherished dream of becoming an actor. Set within the social and cultural landscape of Arunachal Pradesh, the film reflects on ambition, personal sacrifice and the uncertainties of choosing an unconventional path.

(This month’s film club films are open for all)

(Collaboration: Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER)
 

Women in Station level Ranks of the Police Forces of India

Speakers: Nuzhat Khan, Former IPS Officer; Amod Kanth, Former IPS Officer, Founder, Prayas JAC; Rashmi Anand, Founder, Women of the Elements; worked with women in Tihar Jail; K. N. Shrivastava, Director IIC; Representative of the National Commission for Women (TBC)

The seminar proposes to examine the role, status and representation of women in the station level ranks of police forces in India. The focus will be on exploring the main factors responsible for the slow pace of increase of women’s representation in the police forces. It will present diverse perspectives to support future national-level research on increasing women’s participation in the police forces.

LIVING LANDSCAPES
Conceptualized by Anuj Srivastava

Mangar Bani: The Sacred Native Forest of the Aravalis

Speaker: Sunil Harsana, Researcher, Conservationist

The talk will be followed by a panel discussion
Moderator: Anuj Srivastava, Architect, Writer and Photographer

Discussants:  Amit Yadav, Ex-Civil Servant, Nature lover, Photographer; Neha Sinha, Conservationist and Author of Wild Capital

Nestled in the ancient Aravali hills along the Delhi–Haryana border, Mangar Bani is a sacred forest and archaeological landscape of immense ecological and cultural significance. Sunil Harsana of Mangar has been at the forefront of conservation efforts, with vital community involvement, to save this vital native forest. In this talk, he shares his inspiring and deeply personal journey of conservation — a story of resilience, collective action, and hope for endangered ecosystems everywhere.

(The seventh talk in the Series on Living Landscapes)
 

Artistic Explorations of the Himalaya

Speaker: Dr Vladimir Zaitsev, art historian, curator and museologist
The talk traces the centuries-long history of visual artists’ engagements with the mountainous regions of northern India, Nepal and Tibet, including early European efforts to visually document borderland terrains, flora, fauna and cultures.

Himalayan Landscapes as Portals to Transcendence: A Personal Account of Sublime Visuality in Geographic Exploration
Speaker: Dr Vaibhav Kaul, mountain geographer and multidisciplinary artist
Drawing from two decades of visual and audiovisual documentation in the Himalaya, the talk explores the aesthetic, emotional and contemplative dimensions of geographic field research in remote mountain landscapes.

Followed by a Film Screening 
Mountain, Priest, Son
(27 minutes; 2018; Hindi with English subtitles)
Directed by John Seddon and Vaibhav Kaul

Set in one of India’s most sacred and geologically fragile mountain regions, the documentary explores vulnerability, resilience and changing belief systems through the lives of a priest and his family who survived a devastating flood.

The talks and film screening are being held in conjunction with the exhibition ‘Glacial Mothers: The Numinous Realms of Annapurna and Nanda Devi’, featuring artworks by Vaibhav Kaul, on view at the Annexe Art Gallery.

Fandi: Experience the Truth Unfold

Written by Shankar Shesh
Directed by Vishaal Vashishtha
Actors on Stage: Vishaal Vashishtha as Advocate; Akbar as Fandi; Dinesh Sharma as Warden

Fandi follows a truck driver imprisoned for the mercy killing of his terminally ill father, who was suffering from advanced throat cancer. Claiming he merely fulfilled his father’s wish to end unbearable pain, Fandi becomes the centre of a legal and moral debate on euthanasia, poverty, suffering, and humanity. Through Vakil Bhagatram’s defence, the play raises difficult questions about dignity, compassion, and the right to die.
 

Gond Pradhans of Patangarh: A Dynamic New Art Taking Roots

This exhibition explores the vibrant artistic practices of the Gond Pradhans of Patangarh, whose visual language emerged through the transformation of oral traditions, songs, myths and musical memories into imagery. Initiated by the pioneering artist Jangarh Singh Shyam, the movement dissolves boundaries between imagination and reality, nature and myth, creating a fluid and deeply rooted contemporary tribal visual tradition.
Featuring work by 21 Patangarh-based Gond Pradhan artists whose practices continue and expand the artistic legacy initiated by Jangarh Singh Shyam.

The exhibition will be inaugurated on Friday, 12 June 2026 at 18:30 hrs

The exhibition will remain open daily from Saturday 13th May TO  Friday 26th May from 11:00 to 19:00 hrs 

(Collaboration: Raza Foundation)

DIALOGUES IN HEALTH AND WELLNESS
Conceptualised by Dr.Ashwani Kumar

Talk & Workshop from 10:00 to 13:00
    Practical Spine Care. 
    Mobility training for Healthy Aging.  
1. Posture Assessment: Stooping, sagittal imbalance, walking pattern.
2. Balance Testing: Single-leg stance, chair rise test, gait observation.
3. Guided Demonstrations: Getting out of bed safely, lifting techniques, sitting posture, walking posture.
4. Simple Spine Exercises: Chair exercises, core activation, stretching, balance drills.
5. Fall Prevention Tips: Footwear, bathroom safety, lighting, muscle strengthening.

Open to IIC members and staff members of IIC

At 16:00
Short Talk on The Aging Spine: How to Stay Upright, Active & Pain-Free
Aging of the spine is one of the common causes of pain, stooping posture, imbalance, reduced walking capacity, and loss of independence in senior citizens. However, many problems associated with the aging spine can be prevented, delayed, or effectively managed with timely awareness and appropriate lifestyle measures.
This interactive public lecture will discuss the common spinal problems seen after the age of 60, including back pain, cervical and lumbar degeneration, osteoporosis, spinal deformity, and balance-related issues.  Practical guidance will be provided regarding posture, spine-friendly daily habits, exercise, fall prevention, bone health, and maintaining mobility in later life.

Speaker: Dr. Bhavuk Garg, Prof., Department of Orthopedics  

Followed by a panel discussion on ‘Spine Care made Simple’

Moderator: Dr. Bhavuk Garg, Prof., Department of Orthopedics  

Panelists: Dr. Rajesh Malhotra, Former Prof. & Head, Department of Orthopedics, A.I.I.M.S., New. Delhi; Dr. Achal K. Srivastava, Prof., Department of Neurology, A.I.I.M.S, New Delhi; Dr. Puneet Khanna, Prof. of Anesthesiology, Pain Medicine & Critical Care, A.I.I.M.S., New Delhi.
                      
Followed by interactive Q & A session with the audience

Chair: Dr. Ashwani Kumar
 

Tashi and the Monk
(152 minutes; 2014; English)
Director: Andrew Hinton and Johnny Burke

Recipient of the 2016 Emmy Award for Outstanding Short Documentary; Recipient of multiple international awards including the IDA Best Short Award and Pare Lorentz Award (2014)

The documentary that follows Buddhist monk Lobsang Phuntsok and the children of Jhamtse Gatsal, a Himalayan community built on love and compassion. Through the story of young Tashi, the film offers a deeply moving portrait of healing, belonging, and the transformative power of care.

(Collaboration: Foundation for Universal Responsibility of His Holiness The Dalai Lama)