Memory and Magic: Literature as familial and historical testimony

The House of Spirits

On the novel by Isabel Allende, Chilean-American writer

Discussants: H.E. Mr. Juan Angulo, Ambassador of Chile to India, with concurrent accreditation to Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, and the Maldives; Mani Shankar Aiyar, Indian politician, former diplomat, and public intellectual; Dr. Vibha Maurya retired as a professor of Hispanic Studies in the Department of Germanic & Romance Studies, University of Delhi; Omair Ahmad, writer and journalist.; and   Prof. Noorin Khan, Professor and In-Charge, Spanish and Latin American Studies, Jamia Millia Islamia

A story where the magical and the political intertwine. In ‘The House of the Spirits’ by Isabel Allende, we follow the Trueba family across several generations in a country shaped by social and political changes. The novel portrays inequality, power struggles and the rise of a dictatorship. Through magical realism, the everyday coexists with the supernatural: spirits, premonitions and unexplained events create a world where the extraordinary feels natural. 

 

SUMMER SONATA – A FESTIVAL OF OPERA, BALLET AND CONCERT FILMS 
Curated and Introduced by Sunit Tandon

BALLET
Léo Delibes: Sylvia
Ballet in three acts
(94 min; 2005; dvd)

From The Royal Ballet, London, with Darcey Bussell (Sylvia); Roberto Bolle (Aminta); Thiago Soares (Orion); Martin Harvey (Eros); Mara Galeazzi (Diana); etc.

Choreography: Frederick Ashton
Production Realization and Staging: Christopher Newton
Original Designs: Robin Ironside, Christopher Ironside
Additional Designs: Peter Farmer
Stage Lighting: Mark Jonathan
Directed for the Screen by: Ross MacGibbon
Orchestra of The Royal Opera House
Assistant Concert Master: Melissa Forshaw
Conductor: Graham Bond

Sylvia is a mythological ballet about a nymph devoted to Diana (goddess of the hunt) who falls in love with the shepherd Aminta after being shot by Eros's arrow. She is kidnapped by the evil hunter Orion, but eventually escapes with help from Eros to reunite with Aminta.

Delibes’ brilliant score is justly admired, not least by Tchaikovsky, who enthused, “It is the first ballet in which the music constitutes not just the main but the only interest.”
 

BOOK DISCUSSION GROUP

From Dynasties to Democracy: Politics, Caste and Power Struggles in Rajasthan 
by Deep Mukherjee & Tabeenah Anjum (Macmillan, 2025)

Speakers: Mr. Aditya Menon,Political Editor, The Quint (Moderator); Mr. Akhil Chaudhary,Lawyer and human rights activist ; Mr. Bhanwar Meghwanshi, Writer and social activist;  Ms. Seema Chishti,Editor, The Wire;
Mr. Deep Mukherjee, Author of the book;  Dr. Tabeenah Anjum, Author of the book

SUMMER SONATA – A FESTIVAL OF OPERA, BALLET AND CONCERT FILMS 
Curated and Introduced by Sunit Tandon

CONCERT
Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
New Year’s Eve Concert 1988
Sergei Prokofiev: Symphony No. 1 “Classical”
Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No. 1
(60 min; 1988; dvd)

Evgeny Kissin, piano
Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
Conductor: Herbert von Karajan

The 1988 Berlin Philharmonic New Year's Eve Concert was a historic performance conducted by Herbert von Karajan at the Berlin Philharmonie, featuring the debut of 17-year-old pianist Evgeny Kissin. It was one of Karajan's final concerts before his death in 1989 and is widely regarded as a landmark event that launched Kissin's international career.
 

The Luminous 
A Solo Exhibition by Dr. Touhidul Islam  

The exhibition presents a contemplative body of work by Dr.Touhidul Islam, where light emerges gradually through layered textures, atmospheric colours, and intuitive gestures. Moving between darkness and illumination, his abstract paintings evoke memory, transformation, and quiet resilience. 

The exhibition will be inaugurated on Friday, 15 May at 18:00 hrs by Prof. Biman Bihari Das, Padmashree, Former Principal Govt. College of Arts & Craft, President of All India Fine Arts & Crafts Society

The exhibition will remain open daily from May 16 TO May 23 from 11:00 to 19:00 hrs
 

The Thinking Game
(84 minutes; 2024; English)
Director: Greg Kohs

Witness the thrilling highs and crushing lows of scientific discovery in The Thinking Game, a documentary that delves into the brilliant minds at DeepMind. Follow Demis Hassabis and his team as they pursue the quest to unlock the secrets of artificial general intelligence (AGI).

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

CLEAN AIR DIALOGUES
NCR’s Road to Clean Air: Progress, Obstacles and What Lies Ahead

Moderator: Sarika Panda Bhatt, Director, Nagarro and Cofounder, Raahgiri Foundation.

Discussants:  Rajesh Verma, IAS, Chairperson CAQM; Tarun Kumar Pithode, IAS, Member Secretary, CAQM;  Nidhi Madan, Partner - Climate Policy, Energiva Ventures
 

The discussion will detail the regulatory journey to combat air pollution to date. Presentations will cover enacted policies, enforcement challenges, and measurable cross-sector progress. The discussion will highlight implementation successes alongside ongoing pressure points in the region.
This conversation marks the first in a series of dialogues exploring the multifaceted challenges of air pollution, bringing together perspectives from science, policy, health, and civil society.
(Collaboration: Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM), Raahgiri Foundation)

Yatra: Opera Recital by Aastha Mohapatra 
Accompanied on Piano by Anuvrat Choudhary

A voyage through the sanctuaries of dreams and memory. Spanning five languages and multiple eras, the program features monumental works by Verdi, Mahler, Schubert, Puccini, and Rachmaninoff, alongside songs from the east.  
Aastha Mohapatra, an operatic soprano based in New Delhi. Disciple of late Situ Singh Buehler and Prof Jennifer Hamilton at the Trinity Laban Conservatoire, London. She is currently working with opera singer and voice coach Adrienne Chandok. 
Anuvrat Choudhary, pianist, has performed at the National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA), Mumbai. Tata Scholar, he is also a recipient of a bursary from the Inlaks Shivdasani Foundation for his Master’s in Music.
 

IIC DOUBLE BILL: MUSIC AND DANCE RECITALS

Carnatic Vocal Recital

By T K Ramachandran from Delhi, disciple of Sangeetha Kalanidhi Shri T.K Govinda Rao & Kalaimamani Chitravina Shri N. Narasimhan
Accompanists: Delhi R Sridhar (Violin) & M V Chander Sekhar (Mridangam)

At 19:00 
Bharatanatyam Recital

By Sathvikaa Shankar from Chennai, disciple of Guru Smt. Anitha Guha  

SUMMER SONATA – A FESTIVAL OF OPERA, BALLET AND CONCERT FILMS 
Curated and Introduced by Sunit Tandon

OPERA
Giacomo Puccini: La Bohème
Opera in four acts
(136 min; 2008; dvd; English subtitles)

From the Metropolitan Opera, New York, with Angela Gheorghiu (Mimì); Ainhoa Arteta (Musetta); Ramón Vargas (Rodolfo); Ludovic Tézier (Marcello); Quinn Kelsey (Schaunard); Oren Gradus (Colline); Paul Plishka (Benoit and Alcindoro); etc.

The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Chorus
Chorus Master: Donald Palumbo
Conductor: Nicola Luisotti
Production: Franco Zeffirelli
Set Designer: Franco Zeffirelli
Costume Designer: Peter J. Hall
Lighting Designer: Gil Wechsler
Director: Gary Halvorson
Host: Renée Fleming

One of the most often performed and popular of all operas, La Bohème follows four poor, young bohemians living in 1830s Paris and is centred on the romance between the poet Rodolfo and the seamstress Mimì. They fall in love, but their relationship struggles due to poverty and Mimì’s fatal tuberculosis. Despite brief separations, they reunite before she dies in Rodolfo's arms.

All this is captured spectacularly in this highly-acclaimed, grand production for the Metropolitan Opera by the late Franco Zeffirelli.