DR. C.D. DESHMUKH MEMORIAL LECTURE 2026
India in a New Asia
Speaker: Mr. George Yong-Boon Yeo, former Cabinet Minister in Singapore Government and currently Visiting Scholar at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, NUS, Singapore

Chair: Shyam Saran, President, IIC

In the coming decades, there is a fair chance that Southeast, East, Central and West Asia will all see major transformation for the better. South Asia with India at its core should do well too. By 2050, India’s economy in PPP terms will likely be the second largest in the world. The lecture will discuss the hopes and challenges of this future.

The talk will be live on IIC Youtube channel
https://youtube.com/live/iYaXm7cD72M?feature=share

https://youtu.be/iYaXm7cD72M

World Peace is Most Desirable but Why is it so Difficult to Achieve?
As part of the International House Association’s Global Forum series on “Pathways to Peace: Lessons in Reconciliation,” this panel session will explore how communities and nations rebuild trust and understanding after conflict. The programme will also highlight emerging opportunities for collaboration within the expanding International House network.

Panellists: Dr. Shashi Tharoor, MP and Chairman, Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs; Author, Columnist and former UN Under-Secretary-General; Amb. Shyam Saran, President of the India International Centre; former Foreign Secretary; ex-Chairman of RIS and NSAB; and Prime Minister’s Special Envoy on Climate Change and Nuclear Affairs; Dr. Anil Sooklal, The High Commissioner of South Africa to India (2024), and a former academic and diplomat with extensive multilateral postings; Amb. Vijay Nambiar, A former Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations and Chief of Cabinet to the UN Secretary-General; Kenneth Felix Haczynski da Nobrega, A Brazilian career diplomat and economist, currently serving as Ambassador of Brazil to India and Bhutan; Amb. Surendra Kumar, Founder and President IAFA; former High Commissioner to Kenya and former Permanent Representative to UNEP and UN-Habitat

Register here:
https://ihouse2025-worldpeace.eventbrite.com

(Collaboration: International House Association (IHA), Indo-American Friendship Association (IAFA), University of Chicago Center in Delhi)

Art Matters CVI
Book Discussion on The Joint Indian Family Album: Portraits of a Visual Arts Community by Ajay Shanker

Followed by a panel discussion: Ram Rahman, Meera Menezes and Gary Reid

(Collaboration: Raza Foundation)
 

Five Years On: Mapping the New Terrain of Indian Publishing
Keynote Speaker: Gaëlle Bohé, Director of Fontaine O Livres and President of the Académie Hors Concours, which awards the annual Prix Hors Concours to francophone authors from independent publishers.
Five years on, Indian publishing is still reshaping itself in response to the disruptions of the pandemic. This session takes a broad, stock-taking view of the industry, exploring how shifts of the past decade – political centralisation, market consolidation, and rapid technological change – have intensified in the post-pandemic period. From the growing power of conglomerates and global platforms to the pressures on independent publishers and the expanding role of AI, we examine the forces that are defining Indian publishing’s next phase and what they mean for the future of books in the country.
The keynote address will be followed by a Panel Discussion and Awards.
(Collaboration: Publishing Next)
 

Menace
(2025; 42 min; English & Hindi)
Directed by Vishal Bhutani

This documentary examines the debate around stray dogs in Delhi–NCR in the wake of the 2025 Supreme Court order. Through perspectives spanning law, veterinary practice, governance, rescue work, and citizen experience, it explores compassion, public safety, and the complexities of humane coexistence.

Post-screening discussion with the director and Ayesha Christina Benn, Founder, Neighbourhood Woof; and  Jasmine Damkewala, Advocate-on-Record, moderated by Vineet Bhalla, senior legal correspondent, The Indian Express

Expert Talk and Assessment:

Impact of Air Pollution on health and how Ayurveda can help
This talk explores air pollution and its impact on human physiology through an Ayurvedic lens, explaining how pollutants affect the body, lifestyle-based preventive measures, and Ayurvedic approaches to managing severe conditions such as acute asthma.

By Dr Adarsh T, Consulting Physician, Apollo Ayurvaid Hospitals, with expertise in metabolic disorders, dermatology, male infertility, and integrative Rasayana- and Panchakarma-based care

Followed by expert Ayurved consultation camp where Dr Adarsh T, Consultant Physician and Dr Tinkle Rani, Senior Physician-Apollo Ayurvaid Hospitals will examine patients

You may register by clicking anywhere on the document attached in the link given below

https://aws-static.iicdelhi.in/s3fs-public/2025-12/10%20JAN%20IIC%20Eve…

Book Discussion Group

History of A Tomorrow: The Knowledge Revolution

by Upendra Kachru (White Falcon Publishing, 2025)

Discussants: Prof. Yash Gupta, Plastic Surgeon from London and author of Science in Sanskrit literature; Prashast Kachru, Transdisciplinary Conceptual Interventionist; Dr. A K Merchant, General Secretary of Temple of Understanding India Foundation; Upendra Kachru, Author of the book

Moderator: Veena Baswani, Publishing consultant, Author, Editor

 

The Forgotten History of French Imperialism in India 
Speaker: Prof. Robert Ivermee, historian of British and wider European colonialism in South Asia, an Associate Professor at Sciences Po Grenoble – UGA, France. He is the author of Glorious Failure: The Forgotten History of French Imperialism in India (Context, 2026) and a wide range of other publications.

Chair: K.N.Shrivasatava, Director, IIC
 

Moderator: Zohra Chatterji, IAS (retd.) Former Secretary, Govt of India, scholar, writer and Vice-President, Alliance francaise de Delhi 
For 150 years, from the reign of Louis XIV to the downfall of Napoleon, France was an aggressive imperial power in South Asia. Through their East India company and state, the French established a far-reaching empire in India.This talk will recover and reflect on the largely forgotten history of French imperialism in India. In doing so, it tackles topics like great power rivalry and entrenched inequalities that remain vital and urgent today.
(Collaboration: Alliance Française de Delhi)
 

The Bibek Debroy Memorial Lecture
Speaker: Shaktikanta Das, Principal Secretary-2 to the Prime Minister of India. Previously, he was a noted policy maker, has served as Governor of the Reserve Bank of India. He was also a member of the Fifteenth Finance Commission and India's Sherpa to the G20.

The inaugural Bibek Debroy Memorial Lecture honours the life, work, and legacy of one of India's foremost intellectuals, the Sanskrit scholar, economist, and policy expert, the late Dr. Bibek Debroy (1955-2024).  Awarded the Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri for his work, Bibek Debroy's last held position was chair of the Prime Minister's Economic Advisory Council. Dr. Debroy wrote and translated more than 100 books including the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. 
 

Salsabil: Photographs and Videos by Saba Hasan 
Salsabil presents a meditative selection of photographs and videos by acclaimed artist Saba Hasan, drawn from an international project shaped by her travels and walks through cities, rivers, lakes, and natural landscapes. Through abstract photography and award-winning videos, Hasan explores the ephemeral nature of time, the quiet power of the natural world.

Saba Hasan is a leading contemporary multimedia artist whose works have been exhibited internationally, including at the 55th Venice Biennale, Bilbao Arte Foundation, National Gallery of Art Colombo, and the Kiran Nadar Museum of Art, New Delhi.

The exhibition will be inaugurated on 8th January 2026 at 18:30 hrs.

The exhibition will be on view daily from 11:00 to 19:00 hrs.