Day of Mindfulness: The Way Out is in
Speakers: Pháp Hữu, Abbot of Plum Village; Jo Confino, Author and Journalist; Monastics and teachers from Thich Nhat Hanh’s Plum Village tradition
Chair: Dharmacharya Shantum Seth
This Programme is grounded in the teachings of Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh and offers participants an opportunity to engage with contemplative practices that cultivate awareness, compassion, and insight. The programme will include guided mindfulness meditation, reflections by Plum Village monastics, and periods of dialogue and inquiry.
Participants are requested to register in advance at www.ahimsatrust.org or by writing to ahimsatrust@gmail.com
(Collaboration: Ahimsa Trust)

Echoes of the Mandala

The exhibition unveils the reflections of Nepali artists, channelling their imagination through ingenious impressions in paintings that connects the ancient civilization of Nepal & India. These artworks masterfully capture the coexistence of the sacred and profane, inviting viewers to ponder the eternal fusion of tradition and modernity in a shared cultural tapestry.

Participating Artists: Ajit Shah Krishna Mahato , Balaram Nhisutu , Bidhyaman Tamang , Binod Pradhan , Chirag Bangdel , Hari Baidhya , Jeevan Rajopadhyay ,  Kailash Shrestha , Krishna Lama ,  Kunti Shree Thapa , Laya Mainali , Lok Chitrakar ,  Manasi Bhatt ,  Manish Shrestha ,  Mukti Singh Thapa ,  Narendra Malla , Naresh Sainju, Pramila Bajracharya , Prithivi Shrestha , Priyanka Singh Shrestha ,  Rabin Ghatuwa , Rajan Pant , Rajani Sinkhwal ,  Ranju Yadav , Rashmi Manandhar ,  S C Suman ,  Sagar Manandhar , Samjhana Rajbhandari , Sangee Shrestha ,  Seema Shah ,  Sujan Dangol ,  Sunil Ranjit ,  Sushma Shakya ,  Ujay Bajracharya ,  Uma Shankar Shah , Utsab Sthapit , Wang Lama, Prachanda Shakya

Inauguration of the exhibition on 13 Feb at 16:30 hrs by Honorable Dr. Karan Singh

Guests of Honour: H.E Dr. Shankar Prasad Sharma, Ambassador of Nepal to India and Shyam Saran, President, IIC

on 20th February, 2026 at Main Art Gallery:-

A curatorial walkthrough of the art exhibition ‘Echoes of the Mandala’ led by curator Swosti R. Kayastha providing insights into the artworks, themes, and curation choices. An engaging event for attendees to gain deeper context beyond a self-guided visit.

The exhibition will remain open daily from 11:00 to 19:00 hrs

(Collaboration: Nepal Embassy, BPKF, India, Everest Chamber of Commerce and Industry)
 

Soorma 
(131 min;2018; Hindi with English subtitles)
Director: Shaad Ali

Based on the life of Sandeep Singh, the film chronicles the remarkable rise of a gifted young hockey player from Punjab to the Indian national team. At the peak of his career, a tragic gunshot accident leaves him paralysed from the waist down, seemingly ending his future in the sport. Defying medical odds through extraordinary grit and determination, Singh stages a dramatic comeback, returning to international hockey and eventually leading India as captain.

(Collaboration: Jaipur International Film Festival (JIFF)

Dr. Kotnis Ki Amar Kahani
(124 min; 1946; Hindi with English subtitles)
Director: Shantaram Rajaram Vankudre

Set against the backdrop of World War II, the film narrates the extraordinary true story of Dr. Dwarkanath Kotnis, an Indian doctor sent to China to treat soldiers fighting the Japanese invasion. Based on a story by Khwaja Ahmad Abbas, it follows Kotnis’s tireless medical service in war-ravaged Yan’an, his personal bond with a Chinese woman, his success in containing a devastating plague, and the ultimate sacrifice of his own life in the cause of compassion and international solidarity.

(Collaboration: Jaipur International Film Festival (JIFF)

Aaj Kavita 
Poetry readings by Pankaj Rag, Gaurav Pandey, Amrit Ranjan and Hemant Devalikar

(Collaboration: Raza foundation)

Hidden in Plain Sight: Clay Sculpture in South Asia

Speaker: Susan Bean curates, writes, and consults on the visual arts and culture of modern South Asia, she Chairs of the Advisory Committee of the Art & Archaeology Centre of the American Institute of Indian Studies and Associate of the Peabody Museum at Harvard University.

Chair: Naman P Ahuja, Professor, Indian Art and Architecture, Jawaharlal Nehru University

Air-dried clay (a.k.a. terracruda), along with stone, metal, wood, and fired clay, stands among South Asia’s oldest and most widely used mediums for sculpture. This presentation brings together some of the most prominent practices across the region to consider why painted air-dried clay has been so valued as medium for figural sculpture, and what its side-lining reveals about the study of art and visual culture.

(Collaboration: American Institute of Indian Studies, Center for Art and Archaeology)
 

THE IIC DOUBLE BILL: MUSIC AND DANCE RECITALS 
Kathak Recital
By Badal Bariha from Delhi, disciple of Guru Malti Shyam
Accompanists:  Amaan Ali (Tabla); Jaywardhan Dadhich (Vocal and Harmonium)
Ashish Gangani (Pakhawaj) & Harshita Sharma (Padhant) 
    
At 18:30

Kuchipudi Recital
By Rajashree Holla, from Bengaluru, disciple of Guru Dharani T Kashyap

ZIKR
Zikr is a contemplative exhibition that turns its gaze toward the quiet, often unseen dimensions of human presence. Through intimate portraiture rendered in pencil and charcoal, the exhibition reflects on stillness, vulnerability, resilience, and the unspoken emotional lives that shape everyday existence. 
Shikha Sheoran works primarily with pencil and charcoal, using portraiture as a means to document inner reflections and human presence with restraint and honesty. Her ongoing series, Zikr, functions as a visual record of these contemplations, seeking to give form to emotions and human stories that resist verbal expression.
Inauguration on 10th February 2026 at 17:00 hrs
The exhibition will be on view daily from 11:00 to 19:00 hrs
 

BOOK DISCUSSION GROUP

Signing in the air: Poems
By Malashri Lal

Discussants:Namita Gokhale, writer, editor, and Festival Director, Jaipur Literature Festival;Dr Rakhshanda Jalil, writer, translator, and literary historian; Prof. Malashri Lal, writer and academic. Convenor, English Advisory Board, Sahitya Akademi

Theatrical interpretation of selected poems by Ms. Annu Priya, Film Actress and NSD Alumna (Batch: 2023)

Moderator: Dr. Kiriti Sengupta, Poet, Editor, and Director, Hawakal Publishers

Concert 
Piano recital by Marouan Benabdallah, well-known pianist from Morocco, and faculty at the Budapest Liszt Academy of Music

(Collaboration: Embassy of the Kingdom of Morocco in New Delhi)