Coordinated by Maj. Gen. (Retd.) Ashok K. Mehta

India-Nepal Relations Post the Elections

A discussion with Amb. Manjeev Puri, former India Ambassador to Nepal; Ms Akanshya Shah, Nepali journalist and researcher based in Delhi; Dr. Nihar R. Nayak, Research Fellow, MP-Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses; and Lt. Gen. P.J.S. Pannu, former Deputy Chief of Army Staff

Chair: Maj. Gen. Ashok K. Mehta

Provincial and national elections in Nepal will be held on 20 November 2022. Going by results from local elections held earlier this year, the Nepali Congress-led alliance of Prime Minister S.B. Deuba is likely to be the winners with the K.P. Oli led UML Alliance giving a tough fight. The border dispute with India including Kalapani will be a key issue and focus on nationalism.

Her Voice: India @75 - Affirmative Legislation for Equitable Women’s Representation

Speaker: Rami Chhabra, pioneer woman journalist and columnist of women’s issues in the national press; former administrator, Member, National Population Commission; Founder-President, STREEBAL

Introduction: Dr. S.Y. Quraishi, former Chief Election Commissioner of India and author of An Undocumented Wonder – The Making of the Great Indian Election

Concluding Remarks: Gopalkrishna Gandhi, Life Trustee, IIC and former administrator, diplomat and Governor

Chair: Dr. Meenakshi Gopinath, Life Trustee, IIC and Chairperson, Centre for Policy Research

India@ 75 with a mere 15-per cent women in Parliament - less in State Legislatures- is a travesty of the Constitutional promise of gender-equality. The controversial Women’s Reservation Bill (WRB) featuring rotational-constituencies lies moribund in Rajya Sabha. But the soon-to-be-inaugurated-new-Parliament- building with ample space -and the General Election scheduled in 2024 - make it imperative to examine women’s political representation issues anew: for alternatives to harmoniously, seamlessly, assure equity to women. Rami Chhabra had earlier fielded an alternative that merited serious consideration by the Parliament Standing Committee examining WRB. She updates the facts and arguments to urge policy-makers across the political spectrum to unite and fulfill the overdue Constitutional obligation – one that could hopefully also recalibrate the country’s politics to greater accountability.

( Collaboration: WISCOMP )

To be presented by Dr. Poonam Gupta, Director General, National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER); and Dr. Mridul Saggar, Investor Education and Protection Fund Authority (IEPF) Chair Professor, NCAER

Discussants: Prof. Arvind Panagariya, Columbia University and Visiting Distinguished Professor, NCAER; Shri Amitabh Kant, India’s G-20 Sherpa; and Dr. V. Anantha Nageswaran, Chief Economic Adviser to the Govt. of India

Chair: Dr. Poonam Gupta

(Collaboration: Malcolm and Elizabeth Adiseshiah Trust; and National Council of Applied Economic Research)
 

Coordinator: Maj. Gen. (Retd.) Ashok K. Mehta
 
Altered Status Quo in Ladakh: Securing a Better Deal

Panelists: Amb. Ashok K. Kantha, Honorary Fellow, Institute of Chinese Studies, Distinguished Fellow, Vivekananda International Foundation and former Ambassador to China; Lt. Gen. (Retd.) P.J.S. Pannu, former General Officer Commanding, 14 Corps Ladakh and former Deputy Chief of Integrated Defence Staff (Operations); Amb. P. Stobdan, former Ambassador to Kyrgyzstan; and Shri Sushant Singh, Senior Fellow, Centre for Policy Research and writer-journalist
 
Chair: Maj. Gen. Ashok K. Mehta
 
The Chinese have shut the door on the disengagement process in Ladakh. The altered status quo with a DMZ replacing LAC is the new normal. The Indian military commanders are seeking restoration of the status quo ante as before the stand-off. The panelists will discuss these and other issues

India’s Trade Policy in the 21st Century

By Amita Batra (Routledge Taylor & Francis; 2022)
 
Discussants: Dr. Shankar Acharya, economist and Member Board of Governors and Honorary Professor, ICRIER; Shri Ashok Bhattacharya, Editorial Director, Business Standard; Dr. Harsha Vardhana Singh,; and Dr. Amita Batra, Professor of Economics, Centre for South Asian Studies, School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University and author of the book
 
 

Bombay Imagined: An Illustrated History of the Unbuilt City

By Robert Stephens (‎Edicions Altrim S.L.: 2022)

The author, Mr. Robert Stephens, Principal Architect, RMA Architects will be in conversation with Shri R. Srinivas, former Town and Country Planner, TCPO, MoHUA and former Director, Ahmedabad Smart City Development Limited

Speaker: K. Jaykumar

Chair: Smt Chuden Misra, Member-Secretary, INTACH

The talk will explore the spiritual, psychological and social dimensions of the conduct of women mystics saints like Lal Ded and Rupa Bhavani of Kashmir, Akka Mahadevi of Karnataka, Meera of Rajastam, the Buddhist women ascetics in Theri Gatha,  Andal of Tamil Nadu,  Mukta Bai of Maharashtra, and several others who  lived lives as dictated by their clear inner urge in India. What makes them so audacious that even nudity is of no consequence to some of them. The exploration will also lead towards that inner sun of realization.

K. Jayakumar is a poet writing in both Malayalam and English. Author of 45 books, including ten anthologies of poems and an equal number of translations. 
 

Akbar of Hindustan
By Parvati Sharma (Juggernaut: 2022)

Discussants: Amb. T.C.A. Raghavan, former High Commissioner to Pakistan and Singapore and former Director General, ICWA; Dr. Anubhuti Maurya, Associate Professor & Head, Dept. of History and Archaeology, Shiv Nadar Institute of Eminence; and Ms Parvati Sharma, author of the book

Chair: Amb. K.P. Fabian, former Ambassador to Italy and Distinguished Fellow, Symbiosis University
 

Coordinator: Maj. Gen. (Retd.) Ashok K. Mehta
 

The Rise of Bangladesh: Partnership with India

Panelists: Amb. Pankaj Saran, former Deputy NSA and High Commissioner to Bangladesh; Lt. Gen. (Retd.) Satish Nambiar, former Deputy Chief of Army Staff and Director, United Services Institute; Amb. Pinak Ranjan Chakravarti, former Secretary, Ministry of External Affairs and former High Commissioner to Bangladesh; and Dr. Sreeradha Dutta, Senior Fellow, Vivekanand Foundation and Centre Head, Neighbourhood Studies

Chair: Maj. Gen. Ashok Mehta

Bangladesh, one of the youngest countries, after some glitches, is making rapid progress in political and security stability, enabling stunning economic growth and rise in human development indices. Relations with India have seen highs and lows but are now on a positive trajectory. The panel will discuss the rise of Bangladesh

Conscience, Creativity and Courage: Response to Crisis

Speaker: Ashok Vajpeyi

Moderator of the series: Suhas Borker

Introduction: Vinay Kumar, Secretary General, Press Club of India (PCI)

The series ‘Conversations with Media’ is jointly organised by IIC and PCI and is hosted by them alternately every month