Indian Political Theory: Possibilities and Challenges

The Inaugural Session and Panel Discussion

Debating Indian Political Theory: Political Theory in India

Coordinator: Savita Singh

Discussants: Prof. Rajeev Bhargava, Prof. Pratap Bhanu Mehta, Yogendra Yadav, Prof. Gopal Guru, Prof Gurpreet Mahajan

Chair: Prof. Manoranjan Mohanty

Followed by an Open Discussion with the audience

(Collaboration: Association of Creative Theory & Foundation for Creative Social Research; International Herbert Marcuse Society, USA; The Raza Foundation; and Shanti Sahyog)

By Mahati Kannan, a Bharatnatyam dancer from the family of film director K. Subrahmanyam, and a disciple and grand-niece of Dr. Padma Subrahmanyam, will perform under the Sanskriti-Madhobi Chatterji Memorial Fellowship.

(Collaboration: Sanskriti Pratishthan)

From Isolation to Integration: Navigating the Geopolitics of India's Northeast (1990-2023)

By Patricia Mukhim (Martin Luther Christian University Press, 2025)

Discussants: Ms. Vrinda Grover, Senior Advocate ; Prof. Tiplut Nongbri, Former Professor, Jawaharlal Nehru University ; Sh. Shekhar Gupta, Editor, The Print ; Ms. Patricia Mukhim, Social Activist, Journalist and Author of the book

Chair : Sh. Shyam Saran, President, IIC

Moderator: Sh. G K Pillai, Former Union Home Secretary

Business Strategies and Public Policies in India and Europe: Ideas for a Sustainable, Inclusive and Resilient Society

Edited by Bidisha Banerji and Sheetal Sharma (Springer, 2025)

Discussants: Prof. Rumki Basu, Former Professor, Jamia Millia Islamia ; Shri Narayanan Madhavan, Senior Journalist, Columnist and Editor ; Dr. Bidisha Banerji, Deputy Director, Amity University & Editor of the book; Dr. Sheetal Sharma, Associate Professor, Jawaharlal Nehru University & Editor of the book

Chair : Shri V. Srinivas, Secretary, DARPG

(90 minutes, 2024, English with subtitles)

Directors: Philip Delaquis and Barbara Miller

Wisdom of Happiness is a deeply intimate and highly cinematic documentary featuring the Dalai Lama, who, at nearly 90 years old, offers practical advice for navigating the 21st century's challenges. The film captures the Dalai Lama speaking directly to viewers, creating a sense of a private audience, and shares his timeless wisdom on achieving inner peace and happiness for everyone.

Introduction to the film by Richard Gere, American actor, Student of the Dalai Lama and Chairman of International Campaign for Tibet

(Collaboration: International Campaign for Tibet)

Images in ‘Handbreak’ explore the interplay of factors influencing choices between personal and societal spheres and how control shifts like shapeshifters. Different situations present various dynamics of control, highlighting that control is always with someone outside oneself.

Rhimon Bose is a visual artist who explores symbolism and iconography, drawing from his roots in fashion photography and the vibrant world of fashion. His work focuses on blending art and fashion to narrate his stories.

Inauguration on Thursday, 4th September 2025 at 18:30 hrs.

The exhibition will be on view till 11th September from 11:00 to 19:00 hrs.

At War with the Single Strand : How Indian Science Fought the Covid-19 Pandemic

Edited By Renu Swarup, Govindarajan Padmanaban and Narendra Kumar Arora

Discussants: Dr. Vinod Paul, Member (Health) NITI Aayog ; Prof. A K Sood, Principal Scientific Adviser to Govt. of India ; Dr. Renu Swarup, Former Secretary, Govt. of India ; Prof. G. Padmanabhan, Former Director Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru; Dr. N. K. Arora, Executive Director, The INCLEN Trust International

How is India fairing in achieving a just and equitable energy transition that benefits both the environment and its people? How is India addressing the socio-economic dimensions of the energy transition? Are ecological impacts, community participation and nurturing local adaptability also being kept in mind? These are question the discussion aims to discuss at the public lecture

Speakers: Dr Atul Kumar, Professor, Energy Studies Programme, Jawaharlal Nehru University. Mr Karthik Ganesan, Fellow and Director, Strategic Partnerships, Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW); Dr Debajit Palit, Centre Head- Centre for Climate Change & Energy Transition, Chintan Research Foundation; and Dr Anil Gupta, Project Director, Adapt DMIR (MOEFCC/NDMA/UNDP), ICARS IIT Roorkee campus;

(Collaboration: Toxics Link)

Trial by Water : Indus Basin and India–Pakistan Relations

By Uttam Kumar Sinha (Penguin, 2025)

Discussants: Sh. Arvind Gupta, Author and Director, Vivekanand International Foundation ; Sh. T C A Raghavan, Author, Historian and Former High Commissioner to Pakistan ; Ms. Shalini Chawla, Distinguished Fellow, Centre for Aerospace Power and Strategic Studies (CAPSS) ; Sh. Amitabh Sinha, Senior Editor, Indian Express ; Sh. Uttam Sinha, Senior Fellow, MP-IDSA

Chair: Sh. Gurcharan Das, Author, Commentator and Public Intellectual

Speaker: Lakshmi Sharma, Senior Producer at Khabar Lahariya (KL) and Chambal Media (CM)

Khabar Lahariya, is India’s only women-led rural news network. With grassroots women reporters across Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar and Chhattisgarh, It started in 2002? And reaching 10 million viewers every month. It runs a hyperlocal, video-first channel with over 600,000+ YouTube subscribers. Chambal Media is a digital media social enterprise working to center the voices of women on the margins of India’s digital revolution.

Chair: Ravneet Pawha, VP, Deakin University

Moderator: Prof. Archana Kumar, Lady Irwin College

24th BCF Annual Lecture

(Collaboration: Business and Community Foundation)