Chaiti Gaayan: Melodies of Longing and Renewal
By Mamta Sharma from Varanasi

Accompanists: Aarohi Sharma and Rajesh Sharma on Vocals; Sangeet Kumar on Tabla,Ankit on Organ; Brijesh on Octopad and Sunil Kumar on Shehnai.

The performance presents Chaiti singing, a traditional folk form from eastern Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, rendered during the month of Chait to welcome the advent of spring.
Rich in emotion, these songs evoke themes of love, longing, and separation, deeply rooted in the rhythms and sensibilities of rural life.

(Collaboration: NCZCC, Ministry of Culture, Govt. of India)
 

The Gift of Presence

Discussants: Dr. Saroj Dubey, senior consultant gastroenterologist, author, TEDx speaker, and motivational guide; Prof. (Dr.) Charru Sharma, Professor of Psychology at the University of Delhi, Fulbright Academic & Professional Excellence Award at University of Pennsylvania, USA; Ritu Bhardwaj, journalist and storyteller and founder of Connected – Woman for Woman and Connected Minds Wellness.

A seminar to promote awareness about mindfulness and well-being; to introduce practical tools to manage stress and anxiety and to foster a space for dialogue, reflection, and shared experience.

The flow of the session will be as follows:
•    The Dance of Being and Doing – Strategies to Bring Joy and Peace Amidst Activity
•    Building the Mindfulness Muscle and Resilience in Daily Life
•    The Power of Sharing – Healing Through Expression

Artistic Vision: An Art Exhibition of Paintings, Graphics and Sculptures
By Dinesh Kumar Ram, Pavan Kumar D, Pratibha Awasthi, Sham Sunder, Shuchi Kalra Budhiraja, Sujata Agrawal, Dr Sushma Yadav and Suresh Kumar

The group exhibition brings together eight contemporary artists working across painting, graphics, wash, and sculpture, each interpreting diverse aspects of life, nature, spirituality, and human experience. Through varied mediums and styles, the exhibition explores emotion, abstraction, and reality, inviting viewers into a contemplative journey of colour, form, texture, and inner reflection.
 

The exhibition will be inaugurated on Friday, 10 April 2026 at 17:30 by K. N. Shrivastava, Director IIC with Guest of Honour Padma Shri Awardee Nalini – Kamalini Asthana, Indian classical Kathak dancers

 

Harvesting Gods: Poems
By Satya Mohanty (Speaking Tiger, 2025)

Discussants: Anisur Rahman, Former Professor, Dept. of English; Radha Chakravarty, Writer, Critic & Translator; Satya Mohanty, Poet, Playwright and Author of the book.

Chair: Ashok Vajpeyi , Poet, Critic and Essayist
 

The Power of Ayurveda & Yoga
By Anita Dua (Shubhi Publications, 2026)

Discussants: Vaidya Devendra Triguna, Leading practitioner of Ayurveda; Annantharam Sharma, HOD Panchakarma and Former Medical Superintendent, All India Institute of Ayurveda; Bijoylaxmi Hota, Author & Yoga Therapist; Anita Dua, Author of the Book 
 

Himalayan cryosphere: Changes, Disasters and Socio-Hydrological Challenges

Speaker: Prof Marcus Nuesser, Head of Department, Department of Geography, South Asia Institute, Heidelberg University.
It focuses on the rapid shrinkage of the Himalayan cryosphere, highlighting glacier retreat, permafrost degradation, and increasing hazards like floods and landslides. The talk will examine human-environment interactions, the impact of climate change and development, and the need for interdisciplinary approaches to address ecological and socio-economic challenges in the Himalayan region.
 

(Collaboration: Heidelberg University, Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany, and The Indo-German Science & Technology Centre) 
 

Veena Recital  
By Ustad Bahauddin Dagar - Rudra Veena &
Vidushi Saraswati Rajagopalan - Saraswati Veena

Followed by a jugalbandi
 

Carnatic Music Vocal Duet Recital
 

By Vidwan Malladi Sreeramprasad & Vidwan Malladi Dr.Ravi Kumar

To Mark the 90th anniversary of Lodhi Garden (1936-2026)
Aravalli - Sentinel of Delhi NCR Ecosystem

Inaugural Address: Taranjit Singh Sandhu , Lieutenant Governor of Delhi

Chair: Suhas Borker, Founder Member, Green Circle of Delhi

Speakers: Ashok Lavasa, Former Union Secretary of Environment; Prof. C. R. Babu, Professor Emeritus, Centre for Environmental Management of Degraded Ecosystems, (CEMDE), University of Delhi; Dr. Ghazala Shahabuddin, Visiting Professor, Department of Environmental Studies, Ashoka University; Prof. C. P. Rajendran, Professor, National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bengaluru; Neelam Ahluwalia, Founder Member, Peoples for Aravallis; and P. K. Tripathi, Former Chief Secretary of Delhi

On the occasion NDMC Horticulture Department shall present a sapling to each participant; please bring a cloth/jute carry bag.

(Collaboration: Green Circle of Delhi)
 

The War in West Asia: The March of Folly

Discussants: Ambassador Ranjan Mathai, former Foreign Secretary and Ambassador to Israel; Air Vice Marshal (Retd) Kapil Kak, AVSM, VSM, veteran of the 1971 war, distinguished strategic affairs expert and former senior fellow at leading defence and policy institutions; Professor Achin Vanaik, former Professor of International relations and Dean of the faculty of social sciences, Delhi University.

Chair: Amb K P Fabian, Professor, Symbiosis, and World Peace University, Pune.

Poetry Recital by Sagari Chhabra, Writer and film director

The war on Iran initiated by Israel on 28th February, and joined by the U.S. immediately shows no sign of ending though President Trump has claimed that his military objectives have been more or less met. India has 10 million nationals in the region, including more than a lakh in Israel and about 9000 in Iran. The rise in oil and gas prices will adversely impact India and others in the region and the rest of the world.How soon can we expect the end of the war?