Speakers: Prof. Deepak Pental, former Vice Chancellor of the University of Delhi; Prof. A. K. Gosain, Professor of Civil Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi; Dr. Asad Rahmani, former Director Bombay Natural History Society; Justice Swatanter Kumar, former chairperson of the National Green Tribunal and former judge of the Supreme Court of India; and Ms Reena Mahajan, founder Studio DiverCity, Paris; architect, urban planner and advocate of sustainable cities

Chair: Suhas Borker, Founder Member, Green Circle of Delhi

The city of Delhi alone continues to contribute more than 70% of the pollutant load (untreated sewage and industrial effluents) in river Yamuna. The Yamuna floodplain ecosystems along its 22-kilometer stretch through Delhi is highly degraded and lost in some stretches. Expanding and upgrading sewage treatment plants (STPs) is essential; stringent measures are required to stop industrial pollutants from entering the river system.  Maintaining minimum river flow is critical as the river's reduced flow during the dry season spirals the concentration of pollutants. The idea of riverfront development which concretizes the floodplains and permits construction at the edge of the main channel has to be avoided at all costs. Maintaining a high level of ecological integrity of the river ecosystem has to be a critical part of the rejuvenation strategy. A concerted action needs to be taken at the national level to save river Yamuna.

NDMC Horticulture Department shall present a sapling to each participant; please bring a cloth/jute carry bag.

(Collaboration: Green Circle of Delhi)

Programme Details

Interplay, Impact, Policy Framework and Way Forward

Full day seminar based on the Report on Climate Change, Land Use & Biodiversity prepared by Dr. P.S. Roy, Dr. Swati Basu and Dr. Sanjay Kumar as part of the IIC Sectoral Policy Group on Science & Technology under the Convenorship of Dr. Renu Swarup

Inauguration
Welcome Address: Dr. P.S. Roy
Context setting and about the monograph: Dr. Renu Swarup, former Secretary, Department of Biotechnology

Address about SPGs: Shri K.N. Shrivastava, Director, IIC

Under the S&T Policy group, there have been detailed discussions on S&T interventions for important issues of relevance to Civil society. A very detailed monograph has been prepared by the group of experts on the important issue of Climate change: Land use and Land cover and Biodiversity including Agrobiodiversity. The discussions have focussed on the current landscape, the challenges, the science and technology component and the policy framework for actions which need to be taken

Conceptualised by Dr. Ashwani Kumar

To Mark World Health Day 2025

Workshop from 10:00 to 13:00
Special session on Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) Techniques
A training session on CPR techniques as well as Automated External Defibrillator (AED), a medical device designed to analyse the heart rhythm & deliver an electric shock to the victims of ventricular fibrillation to restore the heart rhythm to normal. The session will also include First Aid in Common Emergencies (F.A. C.E.) – an evidence based first response to acute health emergencies and how to avoid common myths and mismanagement in these situations

Conducted by Dr. Nitish Naik and Dr. Ambuj Roy and associates

Open to IIC members and staff members of IIC

At 16:00
The Ten Commandments for Nurturing Heart
Speaker: Prof. Ambuj Roy, MD, DM, FACC, FAMS, FRCP, FNASI, Professor, Dept. of Cardiology, Head, Skill, e-learning & Telemedicine Facility, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi

Panel Discussion on Heart Attack: How do we prevent and abort?
Panelists: Dr. Nitish Naik, Prof. of Cardiology, A.I.I.M.S. New Delhi; Dr. Ambuj Roy; Dr. Yashdeep Gupta, Addl. Prof. of Endocrinology A.I.I.M.S, New Delhi; and Dr. Suparna Ghosh Jerath, Program Head,Nutrition, The George Institute of Global Health, India

Chair: Dr. Ashwani Kumar
 

Illustrated lecture by Nandini Purandare, writer and editor, President, The Himalayan Club, editor of The Himalayan Journal; and Deepa Balsavar, writer, award-winning illustrator, Adjunct Professor, IDC School of Design, IIT – Bombay; co-authors of the internationally acclaimed book The Sherpa Trail: Stories from Darjeeling and Beyond (Roli Books) which received the Climbing Writing Award at the Banff Mountain Film and Book Festiva, Canada and the Boardman Tasker Award at the Kendal Mountain Festival, UK.

Chair: Brig. Ashok Abbey

The story of a fast-disappearing community of Sherpa climbers without whom any exploration in the Himalaya would have been impossible. Nandini and Deepa set out on an adventure that began in 2012 and culminated on a book ten years later. The book focused on the Darjeeling Sherpas, who, centuries ago, first migrated from Tibet to Nepal and then to the foothills of the Himalaya in northern India, becoming renowned for their skills as expedition porters from the turn of the 20th century

(Collaboration: The Himalayan Club)
 
 

Speakers: Sreemati Chakrabarti, former Professor, Dept. of East Asian Studies, University of Delhi; Chairperson and Honorary Fellow, Institute of Chinese Studies; Ashok K. Kantha, former Ambassador to China; Honorary Fellow, Institute of Chinese Studies; Distinguished Fellow, Vivekananada International Foundation, New Delhi; Ritu Agarwal, Associate Professor, Centre for East Asian Studies, School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University; Rityusha Mani Tiwary, Dept, of Political Science, Shaheed Bhagat Singh College, University of Delhi; Honorary Fellow, Institute of Chinese Studies, New Delhi; Associate Editor, China Report: A Journal of East Asian Studies; Usha Chandran, Assistant Professor, Centre for Chinese and South East Asian Studies, School of Language, Literature and Culture Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University; Honorary Fellow, Institute of Chinese Studies, New Delhi; and Anand P. Krishnan, Fellow, Centre of Excellence for Himalayan Studies, School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Shiv Nadar University; Adjunct Fellow, Institute of Chinese Studies, New Delhi

Chair: Manoranjan Mohanty, former Professor of Political Science and Director, Developing Countries Research Centre, University of Delhi; Distinguished Professor, Council for Social Development; Emeritus Fellow, Institute of Chinese Studies, New Delhi

(Collaboration: Institute of Chinese Studies)
 

Curated by Kiran Man Chitrakar, Cristeena Chitrakar

The exhibition showcases a remarkable collection of photographs from four generations of photographers. An exhibition of archival photographs that captures the rich and intricate history, cultural exchanges, and enduring partnership between the two countries. The exhibition brings to light the significance of this connection through a curated collection of photographs from four generations of the Chitrakar family spanning over a hundred years

Inauguration by H.E. Dr. Shankar Prasad Sharma, Ambassador of Nepal to India on Friday, 4 April 2025 at 18:30

As part of this exhibition on 5 April 2025 at 17:00: Curated Walkthrough conducted by Cristeena Chitrakar

On Monday, 7 April 2025 at 18:30
Nepal Remembered: Historical Images from Dirgha Man and Ganesh Man Chitrakar
Illustrated lecture by Cristeena Chitrakar

(Collaboration: Embassy of Nepal, New Delhi; B.P. Koirala India-Nepal Foundation; and B.P. Koirala India-Nepal Foundation Embassy of India)

By Dr. Gaurav Sood, disciple of Pt. L.K. Pandit. Dr. Sood also specialises in songs of the Golden Era of Hindi films

The concert will be preceded with a tribute to K.L. Saigal and Pran Nevile by Shalini Bhargava

Organised to mark  K.L. Saigal’s 121st birth anniversary and Pran Nevile Centenary Celebrations

(Collaboration: K.L. Saigal Memorial Circle)

Curator: Prof. Himanshu Prabha Ray

The Harappan Civilization and Gujarat
 

Illustrated lecture by Prof. P. Ajithprasad, formerly with the Dept. of Archaeology and Ancient History, Maharaja Sayajirao University, Baroda, presently Guest Professor, Archaeological Science Centre, IIT, Gandhinagar, Gujarat

Chair: Dr. Y.S. Rawat, Director-General, Archaeological Survey of India

Being the southern frontier of the Indus Civilization, Gujarat had an important role in the overall cultural and economic development of the Civilization. Recent studies have shown well-documented Early Harappan cultural developments going back to c 3500BCE, as well as unique cultural traits peculiar to Gujarat forming a part of the Urban phase of the Indus civilization. The studies have helped to understand the resource management strategies and economic production network of the Harappans. The new excavations also show the resilience of Harappans in the face of adverse climatic events and their gradual cultural transformation into the Post-Urban/Late Harappan stage. The presentation covers details of the new discoveries.  
 

Body Transference (Chile)
(45 min; Spanish with English subtitles)
Director: Catalina Bize del Campo

Film that talks about old age as a liminal experience between life and death

Our Tales (Mexico)
(4 min; Spanish with English subtitles)
Director L Flavia Hevia

A short film designed to capture the vital memories held by immigrant women from their homelands and recreate them in Stop Motion Animation

Chiaroscuro (Canada)
(9 min; non-verbal)
Director: Elias Djemil-Matassov

Chiaroscuro…between the light and the dark that life operates in contrasts. Between the puppeteer and the puppet. Between shadow and light

The Room of Forgotten Voices (Ireland)
(19 min; English)
Directors: Emma Fisher-Owen, Ivan Fisher-Owen

A day in the life of Hugh’s brain on a very normal day, but inside his head he encounters hundreds of versions of himself…

Persephone (Canada)
15 min; non-verbal)
Director: Emilie Racine

Created as a palimpsest blending mythical references and personal mythology, the film traces the trajectory of an identity quest through a feminine lens, addressing mother-daughter transmission

AT 16:00
Iniskim-Return of the Buffalo (Canada)
(39 min; 2024; English)
Directors: Leanne Allison, Pete Balkwill, Amethyst First Rider

An intercultural artistic response to the return of the buffalo, as wild animals, to North America. The film is an opportunity to learn about Indigenous ways of knowing as a group of puppeteers are transformed by their experience of ‘being buffalo’ at night under the stars, guided by the stories of the Blackfoot Elders.

AT 18:30: PERFORMANCE
Shadow Puppet Theatre
Presented by UNIMA Puppeteers Trust-India
 

The Lost Glove (UK)
(6 min; 2016; non-verbal)
Director: Lizzie Oxby

It’s that time of the year when gloves get lost, and found…

Planet Utopia – A Possibility (Brazil)
(25 min; 2013; non-verbal)
Directors: Silvana Marcondes, Amanda Viera, Evelyn Cristina, Kika Antunes, Natalia Peixoto, William Simplico

A show without words, with visual and sound dramaturgy, entirely designed for the virtual universe

The Migrants (Retirantes/Brazil)
(13 min; non-verbal)
Director: Maira Coelho

The short film tells the story of a woman traveling through an arid, depopulated region, unable to feed her baby. The film combines “live-motion” and “stop-motion” techniques, visual arts, puppetry and cinema.

The Package (Canada)
(14 min; French with English subtitles)
Director: Lucie Ernard

Intrigued by the delivery of numerous packages at her new neighbour’s house, Jeannette at 80 is getting out of her loneliness to live a last love story

FROM 14:00 TO 17:00
Scribouillis (Canada)
(11 min;  French with English subtitles)
Directors: Noemi Belanger, Maia Menard-Belanger

Scribouillis is a tribute to the imagination of children and a metaphor for our fear of the unknown

Life Cycles (Brazil)
(6 min; Portuguese with English subtitles)
Directors: Thiago Bresani, Maria Soledad Garcia

The story tells the relationship between a granddaughter and a grandmother and the moments of uncertainty in view of the impossibility of meeting

A Treasure (USA)
(6 min; English)
Director: Freddie Levin

With the help of a very large dragon, a poor tailor searches for a treasure and finds it where he least expects it

Valentin, the Puppeteer Puppet (Brazil)
(4 min; non-verbal)
Director: Naiara Parolin

To escape monotony and loneliness, Valentin uses creativity to create a new company

After the Endling (UK)
(15 min; English)
Director: Daniel A. Kelin

This is a story of a pupu kani oe (Hawaiian tree snail) named George and a tiny, yet vital, battle against extinction

The Adventures of Prince Achmed ( Die Abenteuer des Prinzen Achmed/Germany)
(80 min; 1926; German with English subtitles) 
Directors: Lotte Reiniger, Carl Koch

A handsome prince rides a flying horse to faraway lands and embarks on magical adventures, which including befriending a witch, meeting Aladdin, battling demons and falling love with a princess

AT SIDDHARTHA HALL, GOETHE INSTITUT FROM 21:00 TO 06:00: PERFORMANCE
Sita Apaharan: Ram-Raavan Yuddha (Kannada, Hindi)
From Karnataka Shadow puppetry tradition
Presented by Shri Raja Rama Togalu Gombe Mela from Hassan, Karnataka