BOOK DISCUSSION GROUP 

Ashes to Light: Stories of Hope Towards Gender Justice
By Priyadarshini Bhattacharya (Vintage Books, 2026)

Discussants: Prof Dev Nath Pathak, South Asian University ; Prof Pushpesh Pant,  Food Critic and Historian ; Dr. Saswati Bhattacharya, LSR, DU ; Dr. Savita Singh,  IGNOU ; Dr. Sukrita Paul Kumar , Poet and Translator ; Yauvanika Chopra, New India Foundation, Dr. Preeti Vajpeyi, Vinyaas Society; Kabir Vajpeyi, Vinyaas Society; Girija Borkar, Economist and Development Professional; Sushmit Ghosh, Filmmaker; Preeti Sudan, Former Union Health Secretary, Chairperson, UPSC; Kiran Bedi,  Former Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry; Dr. Raviraj Shetty, Therapist and Author, Narrative Practices India; Priyadarshini Bhattacharya, Joint Secretary, Panchayat and Rural Development Department & Author of the Book
 

Connected Histories, Shared Present: Cross-Cultural Experiences between Latin America, the Caribbean and India
Release of the book edited by Sonya Surabhi Gupta (New Delhi: Tulika Books, 2026)

The book will be released by Shri N.N. Vohra, Life Trustee, IIC

Followed by a discussion with Ambassador R. Viswanathan, Latin America expert and former Ambassador to Latin American countries; H.E. Mr Jason Hall, Dean GRULAC and High Commissioner of Jamaica to India; Prof. Sonya Surabhi Gupta, former Professor of Latin American Studies, Jamia Millia Islamia; and Prof. Carlos Frederico Pereira da Silva Gama, School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Shiv Nadar Institute of Eminence

(Organised by IIC-International Research Division)
 

State of the Indian Media
Has social media fundamentally transformed India's media landscape?

Siddharth Varadarajan, Founding Editor, The Wire; Rajdeep Sardesai, Consulting Editor, India Today TV; Vinod Sharma, former political editor of the Hindustan Times; Saba Naqvi, columnist and author of Politics of Jugaad: The Coalition Handbook; Sugata Srinivasaraju, senior journalist and author based in Bengaluru (online) and Navin Kumar, founding editor of Article 19 India In Conversation with Suhas Borker, Convenor, Jan Prasar.

This conversation marks the 36th Anniversary of the Presidential Assent to the Prasar Bharati Act, 1990 and is the 33rd discussion in the annual series that began in 1994.

(Collaboration: Jan Prasar)
 

POSTPONED

BOOK DISCUSSION GROUP 

From Manuscript to Memory, Safeguarding Living Heritage; Tangible and Natural Heritage Sites of Incredible India 
By Ramesh C. Gaur; Mayank Shekhar; Archana Lochan, Ashna Kumar and Mayank Singh; Sadhish Sharma

Discussants: Dr. Arvind Kumar, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Culture, GoI; Dr. Sachchidanand Joshi, Member Secretary, Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA); Yadubir Singh Rawat, Director General, Archaeological Survey of India; Dr. Sandhya Purecha, Chairman, Sangeet Natak Akademi; Tim Curtis, Director and Representative, UNESCO Regional Office for South Asia

The Mecca Pact: Implications and Complications

Chair: Amb. K.P. Fabian, Professor, Indian Society of International Law, New Delhi and Symbiosis University, Pune

Discussants: Amb Dinkar Srivastav, former Ambassador to Iran and Distinguished Fellow, Vivekanand International Foundation; Prof Happymon Jacob, Distinguished Visiting Professor, Shiv Nadar University, Founder & Director, Council for Strategic and Defence Research; Amb. Yashvardhan Kumar Sinha, Former High Commissioner to the United Kingdom and Sri Lanka and Chief Information Commissioner of India.

On 7 August, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey signed a collective security agreement, signalling concerns over Washington’s role in GCC security. The panel will discuss its implications for the region and India, and explore how India can contribute more effectively to security in the GCC and West Asia.

IIC/Media Dialogues

Gen Z Risen: How the Media Reported the Youth Protests

Moderator: Poornima Joshi, Editor, The Hindu BusinessLine

Discussants: Aditya Menon, Political Editor, The Quint; Sarvapriya Sangwan, Editor, Digital Videos (Indian Languages), BBC News; Ayush Tiwari, Special Correspondent, The Scroll; Saurabh Shukla, Co-Founding Editor, The Red Mike

The discussion explores media coverage of the recent Gen Z-led youth protests, reflecting on how mainstream news, social media and independent digital platforms shaped public understanding of the movement and the changing landscape of contemporary journalism.

(Collaboration: The Media Foundation)
 

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)

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)
 

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)
 

LIVING LANDSCAPES 
Conceptualized by Anuj Srivastava

Art as Ecology: Learning from the Ecosystems of the Western Ghats
Speaker: By Arunkumar H G, Artist, Conservationist

The talk will be followed by a Panel Discussion

Moderator: Anuj Srivastava, Architect, Writer and Photographer

Discussants: Vijay Dhasmana, Rewilder and Ecological Restoration Practitioner; Ghazala Shahabuddin, Ecologist and Author

The talk and discussion will focus on how artistic practice can foster ecological consciousness and community engagement, drawing from Arunkumar's conservation work with SARA and its initiatives in ecosystem restoration, biodiversity conservation and environmental education.

(This is the eigth talk in the series on Living Landscape)