Think Smart

Thinking Strategies

Introductory Remarks: K.N Shrivastava, Director, IIC

Chair: Dr Karan Singh, statesman, philosopher and thinker

Speaker: Mala Varma Thapar; Writer and Poet

Vote of Thanks: Usha Munshi, Chief Librarian, IIC

The discussion will examine the importance of reflective thinking in an increasingly complex world, with a focus on education and culture. Exploring thirteen modes of creative and critical thinking, it will consider how different ways of thinking can enrich decision-making, public discourse and interpersonal relationships, while fostering understanding and peace.
 

1. Senior Research Fellow
2. Junior Research Fellow

3rd All India Conference of East Asian Studies (AICEAS)
Dissonances in the World Order: Implications for Indo-Pacific & East Asia

Keynote Address by Prof. Kan Kimura, Graduate School of International Cooperation Studies, Kobe University

Followed by Thematic discussions and a Special Panel by eminent academicians, policy experts and researchers on contemporary issues in East Asian Studies, international politics, regional security, technology, economics and the environment.

The conference will examine the evolving geopolitical, economic and strategic landscape of East Asia and the Indo-Pacific, with a particular focus on Japan's role in shaping a free, open and rules-based regional order. Discussions will explore regional security, economic resilience, technology, climate and multilateral cooperation.

This conference is in continuation to the 31st July’26 programme.

For the detailed programme, please click here

(Collaboration: Institute of Chinese Studies and Japan Foundation)

Rang Mela

Solo exhibition by Anup Shrivastava, artist from Dhar, Madhya Pradesh. Rang Mela celebrates the cultural traditions and festive spirit of the tribal communities of the Malwa and Nimar regions. Inspired by the Bhagoria festival, the exhibition captures the energy of tribal fairs, folk traditions and everyday life.

The Exhibition Will Be Inaugurated on Tuesday 1st September’26 At 18:00 hrs By K.N. Shrivastava, Director, IIC, Akhilesh, Eminent Artist; R. N. Singh, Director, Progressive Art Gallery, Delhi; Ashok Singh Thakur Chairman, INTACH Delhi; Shruti Lakhanpal Tandon, Founder, Ushaarth Art Foundation

A poetry reading session by Siraj Saxena, Poonam Arora and Vazda Khan on Sunday, 6 September 2026 at 17:00 hrs.

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

Woman| Life| Freedom

In Conversation: Swara Bhaskar, acclaimed actor and advocate for gender justice, civil liberties and democratic rights with Sujata Prasad, author, curator, founder, Ahad Anhad and works across heritage education and the arts and Oroon Das, designer, curator and theatre artist.

This is the 22nd Conversation in this Series
(Collaboration: Ahad Anhad)

INDIAN ARCHAEOLOGY

Buddhist Monasteries in Rock Art Sites of Central India

Speaker: Dr Shyam Sharan Gupta, rock art expert and former Superintending Archaeologist of Archaeological Survey of India (Bhopal).

Chair: K. N. Shrivastava, Director, IIC

Moderator: Pratap Bhanu Singh Sengar, former Director (Monuments) Archaeological Survey of India

The session will examine the transformation of prehistoric rock shelters in the Vindhyan plateau of Central India into Buddhist hill monasteries during the early centuries of Buddhism. Drawing on recent archaeological surveys and research, it will examine how these shelters were adapted for monastic life, the architectural and the religious features associated with them.

Book Discussion Group  

Migrants and other poems: A Collection of Reflective Poetry on Loss, Migration, and Displacement

By Prasenjit Mukherjee (Penguin Random House, 2026)

Chair: Parimal K. Brahma, Poet, Author and Former Comptroller and Auditor General of India

Discussants: Ashok Lavasa, Former Election Commissioner of India; Amb. T C A Raghavan, Former High Commissioner to Pakistan; Dr. Meeran Chadha Borwankar, Writer & Former Police Commissioner, Pune; Dr. Prasenjit Mukherjee, Author of the book

(Collaboration: Poetry Society of India)

Architecture and Art – Processes, Products and Perceptions

Speaker: Rajesh Luthra, Principal of Development Consortium – Architecture & Urban Design, Visiting Professor at the School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi

Moderator, Mr Partho Dutta, Professor in the School of Arts and Aesthetics, JNU 

The talk would be a fascinating foray through what are often blurred lines between art and architecture as read via a reading of movements and individuals over time. It intends to explore the processes behind the canvas and the constructed even as it attempts an understanding of societal perceptions and responses. This, while contrasting within realms that may be seen as symbiotic or alternately, parasitic.
 

China’s Grand Strategy: India’s Long-Term Response in an Asymmetric Strategic Environment

Chair: Amb. Shivshankar Menon, former NSA and Foreign Secretary

Discussants: Rear Admiral K. Raja Menon (Retd.), former Indian Navy. Author and Expert on Maritime and Nuclear Strategy, and on defining Emerging Geostrategic Scenarios; Amb. Ashok Kantha, Subhas Chandra Bose Chair Professor of International Relations, Chanakya University, Bengaluru, former Indian Ambassador to China and former Secretary, Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India; Prof. Srikanth Kondapalli, Professor of Chinese Studies, Centre for East Asian Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, and Dean, School of International Studies.

The discussion examines the concept of grand strategy in circumstances where war is not the preferred instrument of national policy. Drawing upon official Chinese documents and strategic writings, it explores the long-term objectives that underpin China’s grand strategy and assesses their implications for India.
 

Book Discussion Group

Design your thinking

By Pavan Soni (‎Penguin Portfolio, 2020)

Discussants: Anil Sachdev, Founder and Chairman, SOIL Institute of Management; Rajarshi Chakravorty, Centre Head, Amdocs, Gurgaon; Manjima Misra, Educator, Author, IB Educator and Literary Commentator; Dr. Pavan Soni, Author of the book