Kamalini Samārādhanam
 

Smt. Kamalini Nagarajan Dutt, a pioneer in intangible heritage archiving, creating the Doordarshan Central Archives and also a reputed dancer, choreographer, guru, scholar, television producer and mentor to many. This programme is a tribute to her enduring legacy on the first anniversary of her passing.

Choreographies mentored by Kamalini Nagarajan Dutt and performed by Guru Sharon Lowen, Hemanta Kumar Kalita, Divya Goswami and Dr. S.Vasudevan of Manasa-Art Without Frontiers Dancers

(Collaboration: Manasa-Art Without Frontiers Dancers)
 

Manipuri Workshop: Yangshak Movement; In continuation

Facilitator: Surjit Nongmeikapam, choreographer and contemporary performing artist

Open to dancers of all classical styles

C.D. Deshmukh Auditorium

At 16:00

AI & Dance: Challenges and Opportunities
Curator; Dr Anita Ratnam, Artpreneur and SNA Awardee

Keynote Speaker: Madhu Nataraj, Director, STEM Dance Kampni, Bangalore

At 18:30 Young Dancers Festival

Odissi Recital

By Vrinda Chadha, New Delhi

At 19:45
Kuchipudi recital

By Avijit Das, Bengaluru

 

WORLD DANCE DAY

Manipuri Workshop: Yangshak Movement; 25th and 26th April 2026
Facilitator: Surjit Nongmeikapam, choreographer and contemporary performing artist

Open to dancers of all classical styles

Yangshak Movement is an exploration into ‘Lairen Mathek’ — a philosophy that has evolved from the movements and stories of the Manipuri martial art form, Thang-Ta (Khuthek Lal Thek) and dance, Jagoi.  The workshop on choreographing Yangshak, focused on an in-depth understanding of the body with the help of Yangshak movements.

C.D Deshmukh Auditorium
At 16:00 
PRAVAAHITA (Marathi and Hindi Repertoire)
Illustrated Lecture/Performance by Dr. Sucheta Bhide Chapekar (Pune), accompanied by Arundhati Patwardhan and Sagarika Patwardhan

At 18:30 Young Dancers Festival
Bharatanatyam Recital
By Karuna Sagari (Chennai) Followed by Kathak RecitalBy Ameera Patankar, Pune
 

Bandung to BRICS: Women, War and Peace

Chair: Prof K Srinath Reddy, President, Council for Social Development

Welcome Address: K.N. Shrivastava, Director, IIC

Introductory Remarks: Prof Rama Baru, Jindal Global University, Former Professor of JNU; Prof Manoranjan Mohanty, Former Professor, University of Delhi

Speakers: Prof. (Dr.) Anuradha Mitra Chenoy, Adjunct Professor, Jindal School of International Affairs & Dean and Professor in the School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University; Meera Shankar, Former Indian Ambassador to the United States of America and Germany; Prof Uma Chakravarti, Former professor, Department of History, Miranda House, University of Delhi; Rita Manchanda, Independent consultant on Gender, Peace and Security on Southeast Asia; Prof Vasanthi Raman, Social Scientist, Feminist Activist; Ambassador Ruchira Kamboj, formerly India's Permanent Representative at the UN

Discussant: Dr Rityusha Mani Tiwary, Bhagat Singh College, DU, Convener, Bandung India Network

Vote of Thanks: Dr Sourindra Mohan Ghosh, Assistant Professor, Centre for Social Development

Keeping the Bandung Principles of 1955 in mind, as India prepares to host the 18th BRICS Summit later this year, the discussants would address, from the vantage point of women, issues that have led to recent wars and how to build conditions of peace in contemporary times.

(Collaboration: Council for Social Development)

Q In The Garden of Grammar Learn Grammar: Learn Grammar through this Amazing Story!
 By Amal Fabian (Konark Publishes, 2025)

Discussants:  Neelesh Kulkarni, Author of the book' In the Footsteps of Rama: travels with the Ramayana’ ;Swati Rai, English language teacher and Amal Fabian, Author of the book
 

Basant Sandhya
 

By Mukul Kulkarni, Hindustani music-vocalist specialising in Khayal, tappa and tarana. Disciple of Guru Pt Sharad Sathe (Gwalior Gharana) and Pt Arun Kashalkar (Agra Gwalior and Jaipur Gharana)

Accompanists: Vedang Kshirsagar on Tabla and Rishit Honnavarker on Harmonium
 

Mission Life and Ocean Ecosystem
 

Talk by Dr. R. Venkatesan, Gujarat Maritime University, Gujarat and Indian Institute of Technology, Mandi

Introduction: Dr. Malti Goel, President and Chief Executive, Climate Change Research Institute

Special Remarks: Prof. D. P. Agrawal, Chairman, Governing Council, CCRI and Ex-Chairman UPSC

Guest of Honour: Andreas B. Schei, Counsellor for Climate and Environment, Royal Norwegian Embassy in New Delhi

Chief Guest: Dr. M. Ravichandran, Secretary, Ministry of Earth Sciences, Govt of India

(Collaboration: Climate Change Research Institute)
 

An Ecosystem Approach for Restoration of Riverine floodplains

Speaker: Dr. Faiyaz A. Khudsar, Senior Scientist, Biodiversity Parks Program, CEMDE, University of Delhi

Discussants: Mr R. Srinivas, Former Town and Country Planner, TCPO, MoHUA; Prof. Meenakshi Dhote, Professor, Department of Environment Planning, SPA, New Delhi.

Moderator: Anuj Srivastava, Architect, Writer and Photographer

Rivers have supported human civilization for centuries and continue to shape our lives. Urban river ecosystems suffer from unplanned development, floodplain encroachment, and sewage discharge, turning many rivers into open sewers. Restoration efforts now prioritize ecosystem approaches, such as the Yamuna Bio-diversity Park. Dr. Faiyaz Khudsar leads this initiative, sharing his expertise in treating rivers as living landscapes.

(The sixth talk in the Series on Living Landscapes)
 

Himalayan encounters - Hidden Views from 170 year ago
The Schlagintweit drawings in India
 

For the first time the Schlagintweit drawings based on mid-19th century recordings are shown in India. The presentation of the paintings covers views of the Himalayan belt from Assam to Kashmir, from Ladakh to Bhutan and the Khasi Hills. Most of the drawings are based on rough sketches made during the expedition by Adolph, Hermann and Robert Schlagintweit, German geographers and geologists in the employ of the East India Company. Their scientific recordings are perceived as pieces of art that were elaborated on back home and are depicting a world lost and reminding us of the picture of pristine worlds in imagination and reality.

The exhibition will be inaugurated on Tuesday, 21 April 2026 at 17:00 by K.N. Shrivastava, Director, IIC and Ashok Bhowmick Painter, sculptor and writer
 

A talk as part of the exhibition by Prof. Dr. Hermann Kreutzmann, Geographische Wissenchaften Freue University Berlin, Germanyat in the Annexe Lecture Room II on Wednesday, 22nd April at 17:30

(Collaboration: People's Association for Himalaya Area Research (PAHAR), Freie Universität Berlin (Free University of Berlin)
 

Manodharma Sangeeta: Scope and Expression within the compositions of Dr. Balamuralikrishna in Carnatic Music
Presentation by Prof P. B. Kanna Kumar

M. Balamuralikrishna was a legendary musician known for his remarkable creativity and versatility. This lecture will highlight the many dimensions of his musical contributions, including his excellence in composing padavarnams with rich sahitya and linguistic brilliance in languages such as Sanskrit and Telugu. It will discuss his innovations in creating new ragas, exploring varied talas, and composing different musical forms in multiple languages, including distinctive tillanas. The lecture will mainly focus on the elements of manodharma (the creative improvisational aspects) found in his compositions.

Prof. P. B. Kanna Kumar is a distinguished Carnatic classical vocalist and Professor in the Department of Music at the University of Delhi