A Symphony of Discordant Notes: Navigating Evolving Technologies, Copyright Law, and Age-Old Indian Music

Moderator: Saikrishna Rajagopal, Managing Partner, Saikrishna & Associates

Discussants: Justice (Dr.) S. Muralidhar, Former Chief Justice (Orissa High Court) and Sr. Counsel, Supreme Court of India; Swathi Sukumar, Sr. Counsel, Delhi High Court and Supreme Court of India; Neel Mason, Counsel, Delhi High Court and Supreme Court of India; Adarsh Ramanujan, Counsel, Delhi High Court and Supreme Court of India; Ranjani-Gayatri, Carnatic Vocal and Violin Duo and Padma Shri Awardee 2026 (Online)

This session fosters a cross-disciplinary dialogue involving Indian music and legal experts to deconstruct the friction between modern studio practices and the demands of the evolving copyright framework. The panel will attempt to identify, simplify, and possibly solve the complexities of copyright law when dealing with the uniqueness and centuries-old heritage of Indian music.

(Collaboration: Saikrishna & Associates)
 

ART MATTERS CXI
 

Protest and the Arts

Discussants: Ananya Vajpeyi, Veer Munshi, Aditi Mangaldas 
 

(Collaboration: Raza Foundation)

Decoding Bangladesh

Inaugural Remarks: Anindita Ghoshal, Professor of History at Diamond Harbour Women’s University, Kolkata

Moderator: Rajarshi Dasgupta, Assistant Professor, Centre for Political Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University

Discussants: Smruti Pattanaik, Research Fellow, MP-IDSA; Dr. Prabir De, Professor, Research and Information System for Developing Countries (RIS); Subhajyoti Ghosh, Senior Journalist and head, BBC Bangla

The discussion covers a long period in the prehistory and evolution of Bangladesh, from the 1947 partition of India to present times. Examining the country’s evolution through the lenses of political transitions, institutional change, democratic aspirations, economic reforms, governance challenges, and rising radicalism. Exploring how socio-economic realities continue to shape Bangladesh's political trajectory and regional geopolitics

(Collaboration: @Crossroads)
 

IIC/Media Dialogues

Digital News Media: Easy to Set Up, Difficult to Sustain?

Moderator: Dr. Vibodh Parthasarathi, Centre for Culture, Media and Governance, Jamia Millia Islamia

Discussants: Ritu Kapur, Co-founder & Managing Director, The Quint;  M.K. Venu, Founding Editor, The Wire; Rahul Kotiyal, Founder Editor, Baramasa.in; Priyanshi Sharma, Co-founder, Peek TV

(Collaboration: The Media Foundation)

IIC MONSOON FESTIVAL OF MUSIC

Hindustani Vocal Recital 
By Siddharth Sahai from Delhi, disciple of Guru Sanjeev Jha
Accompanist: Roman Das (Pakhawaj)

Dhrupad Bandhu 
By Sanjeev Jha and Manish Kumar from Bihar, disciple of Gundecha Brothers.
Accompanists: Pandit Dalchand Sharma (Pakhawaj)

IIC MONSOON FESTIVAL OF DANCE: 20 & 21 AUGUST 2026

Odissi Recital
By Geetanjali Acharya from Gurugram, disciple of Late Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra & Guru Sujata Mohapatra

At 19:00

Bharatanatyam Recital
By Apeksha Kamath from Bangalore, disciple of Acharya Smt. Indira Kadambi  

Book Discussion Group

The Immortal King: Yama

By Sudhamahi Regunathan (Bloomsbury, 2026)

Moderator: R Sivapriya, Publishing Director, Bloomsbury, India

Discussants: Narayani Ganesh, Former Editor, The Speaking Tree and Sacred Space, Times of India; Sudhamahi Regunathan, Former Vice Chancellor, Author and Translator
 

Vaccines: Emerging Viral Outbreaks

Speaker: Dr. Virander Singh Chauhan, distinguished scientist, Chancellor of GITAM Deemed to be University, Rhodes Scholar and recipient of the Padma Shri awardee (2012). He is known for his contributions to the development of a recombinant vaccine for malaria and for synthetic structural peptides with biological functions.

Moderator: Prof. (Dr.) Narendra Kumar Arora, Professor, Chief Scientist & Mentor, The INCLEN Trust International, New Delhi and President, AIIMS Bilaspur, Himachal Pradesh.

The talk will explore the growing importance of preventive vaccines in addressing emerging viral threats such as Ebola, hantavirus and Nipah virus. It will examine the scientific and economic challenges of vaccine development, recent advances in vaccine technology, and issues of affordability, access, public trust and equitable distribution, highlighting the need for preparedness against future outbreaks.
 

Book Discussion Group

The Quiet that Remains: A poetic mapping of memory and emotion

By Usha Mujoo Munshi (‎Vitasta, 2026)

Chair: K. N. Shrivastava, Director, IIC

Discussants: Dr Lakshmi Kannan, Poet, Novelist, Bilingual Writer; Mridula Garg, Writer & Poet; Sunit Tandon, President, Delhi Music Society; Amb Amarendra Khatua, Poet & Former Director, ICCR; Jayashree Misra Tripathi, Poet & Writer; Dr. Usha Mujoo Munshi, Author of the book

Readings by  Prof. Sukrita Paul Kumar; Prof. Swati Pal; Prof. Nandini C Sen; Gauri Shankar Raina; Dr Payal Nagpal; Mandira Ghosh; Achla Bansal; Sangeeta Gupta

Introduction: Dr Maya ‘Parijat’

 

Building Resilient Relations: People as Stakeholders

Speaker: H.E. Riaz Hamidullah, High Commissioner of Bangladesh to India

Moderator: Dr Ashok Behuria, Chairman, Centre for Peace Studies, New Delhi.

People are central to bilateral relations. Bound by centuries of shared history and culture, human connections give depth, resilience, and direction to enduring ties between nations.

(Collaboration: Centre for Peace Studies)