Programme Details

Speaker: Prof. Sachidananda Mohanty, Member, University Grants Commission and former Vice-Chancellor, Central University, Odisha

Chair: Dr. Karan Singh

Opening Remarks: Shri K.N. Shrivastava, Director, IIC

Sri Aurobindo’s reputation as a poet, patriot, revolutionary, mystic, exponent of integral yoga and the future evolution of Man, has eclipsed for long, his socio-cultural and intellectual vision. His pivotal role in the intellectual history of ideas, more fundamentally, his contributions to the making of the Indian nation, and his relevance to modern India, have not been sufficiently recognized in the academic world and public culture.

Citing instances from his multivolume work, this talk will argue that Sri Aurobindo’s thought vision is central to understanding the crisis of the contemporary world

Speaker: Gaitri Issar Kumar, Former High Commissioner of India to the United Kingdom, (2020-2022) 

Panelists: Ronen Sen, Former Ambassador of India to the USA (2004-2009) and High Commissioner to the UK (2002-2004); and   Raj Chengappa, Group Editorial Director, India Today group. 

Chair: Shri Shyam Saran, President, IIC

Heartstrings: A Tapestry of Prose and Poetry

Edited by Sanjula Sharma (Authorspress: 2023)

The Nepal Cookbook: 108 Regional Recipes

Discussion based on the new book by Rohini Rana (Viking: 2024)

Speakers: Rohini Rana, author of the Book; Suvir Saran, culinary maestro and Michelin-starred chef; and Alka Pande, art consultant and writer.

Embark on a culinary journey through Nepal with Rohini Rana, discovering 108 regional recipes that capture the unique culinary legacy of each community.

Celluloid to Digital: India’s Film Society Movement

By V.K. Cherian (Atlantic Publishers and Distributors (P) Ltd: 2024)

Discussants: Shri John Dayal, Writer Activist; Shri. Monojit Lahiri, Film Writer; and Shri V. K. Cherian, Journalist and Author of the Book

Moderator: Shri Suhas Borker, Editor, Citizens First TV, Filmmaker and Trustee, IIC

The book is the first comprehensive account of the seven-decade-long journey of the Film Society Movement in India and how it helped Indian cinema come into its own as a global entity now. The massive transformation is credited to Indian film policies, new film institutions and the Film Society movement. But do such policies and movements have a future in the digital era? Celluloid to Digital: India’s Film Society Movement delves into this question in the OTT age.

The Fall of Kabul: Despatches from Chaos

By Nayanima Basu (Bloomsbury India: 2024)

Discussants:  Amb. T C A Raghavan, former High Commissioner to Pakistan & Singapore and former DG, Indian Council of World Affairs; Amb. Rakesh Sood, former Ambassador to Afghanistan and Nepal; Dr. Raghav Sharma, Director, Centre for Afghanistan Studies, O P Jindal Global University; and Ms Nayanima Basu, senior Journalist & author of the book

Moderator: Shri. R Prasannan, Resident Editor, The Week

Transformation – Emergence of Bangladesh and Evolution of India-Bangladesh Ties

By Pinak Ranjan Chakravarty (K V Publishers Pvt. Ltd.: 2024)

Discussants: Amb. Pankaj Saran, former Deputy National Security Adviser, Govt. of India and former High Commissioner to Bangladesh; Dr. Smruti S. Pattanaik, Research Fellow (SS), Manohar Parriker Institute of Defence Studies and Analyses; and Amb. Pinak Ranjan Chakravarty, former Diplomat and author of the book

Chair: Amb. Shyam Saran, President, IIC

Negotiating the New Normal: How India Must Grow in a Pandemic-Ridden World

By Saurav Jha (Hachette India: August 2022)

 Discussants: Shri V. Srinivas, Secretary, Dept. of Administrative Reforms & Public Grievances and Dept. of Pension & Pensioners Welfare, Govt. of India; Ms. Sheela Bhatt, senior journalist and commentator; Prof. Santosh Mehrotra, economist and former Professor & Chair, Centre for Labour, Jawaharlal Nehru University; and Shri Saurav Jha, commentator on Geostrategic Affairs, Director, Delhi Defence Review and author of the book

Chair: Dr V.K Saraswat, Distinguished Scientist, Member, Niti Aayog & former Secretary, DDR & D and former chairman,DRDO

Moderator: Ms Ankita Mukherji, communicator, media consultant and former Deputy Executive Editor (New Desk), NDTV

Panchkanya (Pauranik Katha Aakhyan) 
By Madhu Chaturvedi and Eika Chaturvedi Banerjee (Motilal Banarsidass Publishing House: April 2024)

Discussants:  Dr. Vibha Chaturvedi, Former Professor of Philosophy, University of Delhi; Dr. Geetesh Nirban, Associate Professor of Philosophy, Kamala Nehru College,Delhi University ; Ms. Radhika Jha, Secretary, Government of Uttarakhand; Dr. Madhu Chaturvedi and Eika Chaturvedi Banerjee co-authors of the book 
 

Moderator : Ms. Eishita Chaturvedi, Journalist & Anchor 

Alignment
By Neerada Suresh (D.C. Books: January 2024)

Discussants: Amb. T.P. Sreenivasan, former Ambassador and Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations, Vienna, Governor for India of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna, and Director General, Kerala International Centre;  Prof. Swati Pal, Principal, Janki Devi Memorial College, University of Delhi; and Ms Neerada Suresh, educator, translator, poet and author of the book

Moderator: Dr. Kavita A. Sharma, former President, South Asian University and former Director, IIC