Where I am From
By Shyla Kumar Sapra ( Har Anand Publications, 2026)

Discussants: Dr Shovana Narayan, Padma Shri, Kathak Guru ; Prof. Radha Chakravarty, Former Professor & Poet and  Amb. Amarendra Khatua, Poet & Former Director General, ICCR

Chair : K N Shrivastava, Director, IIC 
 

Speaker: Roberto Tottoli, Rector, University of Naples “L’Orientale”, scholar of Islamic studies. He has held academic appointments at Princeton Institute of Advanced Study, Harvard, Princeton University, University of Tokyo, Paris EHESS and the University of Pennsylvania

Moderator: Dipanjan Roy Choudhury, Diplomatic Editor, Economic Times

As global mobility accelerates and migration corridors increasingly shape geopolitics, Europe stands at a critical juncture in managing immigration and redefining multiculturalism. In this lecture, drawing on his extensive work on Islam in Europe, Tottoli examines how the growing presence of Muslim communities has transformed debates around integration, secularism, citizenship, and social cohesion, balancing openness with security, rights with responsibilities, and diversity with shared civic frameworks.
 

Rising Ambition: Carving New Pathways- India’s Energy Transition

By Ajay Shankar (The Energy and Resources Institute, TERI, 2024)

Discussants:  Amitabh Kant, Former sherpa G20 and CEO,Niti Ayog;Dr Sanjaya Baru, Former Media Advisor to PMO,Commentary and Policy Analyst; Ajay Shankar, Distinguished fellow, TERI and Author of the book.

Chair: Shyam Saran, President, IIC

Moderator: Dr Ipshita Mitra, Manager, Communication and Stakeholder Engagement

VASANT UTSAV: A FESTIVAL OF FOLK ARTS – 19 AND 20 MARCH 2026

A two-day festival of folk music,dance and art, celebrating contemporary narratives in traditional folk art. The festival includes performances, exhibition and demonstration.  

On 19 and 20 March 2026 from 11:00 to 17:30

Phulkari Embroidery Demonstration and Exhibition

An exhibition by the women artisans from Nabha, Punjab will exhibit traditional Phulkari embroidered textiles and conduct live-demonstrations and workshops. The Nabha Foundation launched the ‘Nabha Phulkari,’ the Foundation supports over 300 women artisans through the Nabha Phulkari Mahila Industrial Cooperative Society Limited.

The artist will continue to demonstrate and sing on the second day of the festival also.

On 19 March 2026 at 18:00 in the Fountain Lawns

Basant in the Land of Five Rivers: Dance and Songs from Punjab

By the artists of Universal Art and Culture Welfare Society, Mohali, who shall be performing Jundua, Gidha, Bhangra ; Folk singing by Garry Gill and Sukhbeer Pal Kaur.

On 20 March 2026 at 18:00 in the Fountain Lawns

Rhythms of Chhattisgarh: Folk Dances of the Heartland

By the artists of Indira Kala Sangit Vishwavidyalaya, Khairagarh performing Gedi Dance, Karma Dance, Sarhul Dance and many more from the region.

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

Paka and Ahara: Everyday Stories of Food and Nutrition

Speakers: Dr. Kalyan Sekhar Chakraborty, Department of History, Ashoka University and postdoctoral fellow at the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History; Dr. Ishita Dey, Department of Sociology, South Asian University; Dr. Neha Vermani, Honorary Fellow, Durham University, UK

Chair: Dr Gurmeet Singh, Professor & Dean (Research & Outreach), TDU

Food has always occupied a central place in South Asian thought—not merely as sustenance, but as a medium through which ideas of health, wellbeing, ethics, labour, ecology and community are articulated. In manuscripts, memories and everyday kitchens, food emerges as a language of balance and belonging. The SAMHiTA- Bharat ki Soch Food Colloquium brings together noted scholars to trace India’s rich heritage and explore how historical and contemporary food practices shape community life. Through conversations that move between scholarship and lived experience, the colloquium traces how food practices in South Asia have shaped ideas of health, wellbeing and nutrition.

Curatorial note: Prof Kiranmayi Bhushi, Department of Sociology, IGNOU

On the occasion of International Women’s Day

An Evening of Women’s Poetry and Prose

This thoughtfully curated evening will bring together poets, authors, scholars, and young voices to reflect upon women-centric themes through poetry, fiction, and expressive readings. The event seeks to create a vibrant intellectual space where words become instruments of reflection, dialogue, and progressive thought

Speakers: Ms. Sagari Chhabra, Writer and film director; Ms.K.E. Priyamvada, Author, Poet and Deputy Editor, India International Centre; Ms. Bindiya Bedi Charan Noronha, Writer, Social Worker, Educationist, Bibliotherapist; Ms. Sangeeta Gupta,  Artist, Bilingual Poet, and Filmmaker; and Ms. Achla Bansal, Writer and Prof. Payal Nagpal, Professor, Dept of English, Janki Devi Memorial College University of Delhi

Whispers of The Sky
 

By Abhishek Kumar is a wildlife photographer focusing on birds and their relationship with natural habitats, grounded in patience, close observation, and an ethical, field-based practice.

The exhibition presents photographs made in quiet moments — early mornings, long pauses, and stretches of waiting where nothing seemed to happen. Standing still, watching a bird settle into a branch, listening to the wind, and noticing how light slowly changed the sky, these images are drawn to moments of rest and watchfulness. The act of waiting becomes a way of seeing and learning patience, sharing a sense of calm, attention, and connection where the boundary between earth and sky briefly dissolves.

The exhibition will be inaugurated on Monday, 30 March 2026 at 17:00 hrs

Cracks in the wall: stories 
By Neera Kashyap (Niyogi Books, 2025)

Discussants: Prof. Malashri Lal, Author, Poet, anthologist; Former Professor, Department of English, University of Delhi; Deepa Agarwal: Author, Poet, Translator.; Dr. Payal Nagpal: Poet; Professor, Dept of English Literature, Janki Devi Memorial College, University of Delhi; Neera Kashyap: Poet & Author of the book.

Chair: Nirmal Kanti Bhattacharjee, Director, Niyogi Books