Lecture –demonstration by Dr. Mannu Yadav, celebrated folk singer from Uttar Pradesh who is a recipient of the prestigious Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar as well as the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award. Dr. Yadav will present a flavour of the various folk music traditions of his region with a special focus on songs of Basant, such as Hori, Jogira and Phaag

The foremost proponent of Birha, a much-loved genre of folk singing from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, Dr. Yadav sings primarily in Bhojpuri and Awadhi. Apart from the traditional repertoire, Dr. Yadav has also composed a number of original songs that use Birha as a medium to create awareness about contemporary social issues.

(Collaboration: Nayi Dhara Bhakha)
 

Keynote Address: Shri Vijay Ramachandran, storyteller and knowledge navigator

Welcome and Introductory Remarks: Smt Reena Ramachandra, former CMD, Hindustan Organic Chemicals Ltd.

(Collaboration: IC Centre for Governance)
 

A concert presenting Latif Bolat, Turkish singer, composer and scholar of Turkish music and folklore
With Deepak Castelino, accomplished guitarist and banjo artist; and Amjad Khan on the tabla  

Stout and Tender: A Collection of Poems Pure and Impure
By Badri Raina (AuthorsUpFront: 2024)

Discussants: Dr. Shashi Tharoor,  writer and diplomat; Shri Mani Shankar Aiyar, former Minister, Member of Parliament, writer and former diplomat; Prof. Ratna Raman, Professor, Dept. of English, Sri Venkateswara College, University of Delhi; Dr. B. Mangalam, Professor of English, Aryabhatta College, University of Delhi; and Prof. Badri Raina, well-known commentator on politics, culture and society, former Professor of English, Kirori Mal College, University of Delhi and author of the anthology
 

Kathak Recital
By Ravi Prakash from Chhattisgarh, disciple of Pt. Rajendra Gangani

At 19:00 
Bharatanatyam Recital
By Sudipta Chakraborty from Delhi, NCR disciple of Guru Jayalakshmi Eshwar

Accompanists: Guru Jayalakshmi Eshwar (nattuvanagam); K. Venkateshwaran (vocals); Manohar Balachandran (mridangam); and Raghavendra Prasath (violin)

 

Recitation by Prof. Kesavan Veluthat, formerly Professor of History, Delhi University; and Dr. Sudha Gopalakrishnan, Executive Director, IIC-International Research Division

Moderator: Dr. Naresh Keerthi, Dept. of Sanskrit, Ashoka University

(Organised by the IIC-International Research Division)

Presented by Nobuto Yamanaka, leading soloist and national champion of Tsugaru-shamisen

The shamisen is a three-stringed Japanese instrument played by striking the strings with a plectrum, known as bachi. It is sometimes compared to the guitar or banjo. Originally derived from the Chinese sanxian lute, the shamisen was brought to Japan by way of the Ryukyu Kingdom (modern-day Okinawa) many centuries ago. The instrument used for Tsugaru shamisen differs slightly in shape from those used for other shamisen genres, with a thicker neck and strings and a smaller bachi plectrum. However, the most striking difference is actually in how it is played.

(Collaboration: The Japan Foundation)
 

Unpolitically Correct: The Politics and Economics of Governance
By Satya Mohanty (Rupa Publications India: 2024)

Discussants: Prof. Ashutosh Varshney, political scientist, Sol Goldman Professor of International Studies and the Social Sciences, and Professor of Political Science at Brown University, USA; Shri Nitin Desai, distinguished economist and former Under Secretary General for Economic and Social Affairs, UN; and Dr. Satya Mohanty, poet, playwright, novelist and writer, former Union Secretary of Education and Secretary General, National Human Rights Commission; and author of the book

Chair: Dr. Shashi Tharoor, MP