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

Elections in Bangladesh: Again a Walkover for Sheikh Hasina?

 Panelists: Amb. Veena Sikri, former Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh; Dr. Smruti S. Pattanaik, Senior Fellow, Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses; and Ms Nayaima Basu, Defence and Diplomatic Editor, ABP News

Chair: Maj. Gen. Ashok K. Mehta

Elections in Bangladesh are slated for 7^th January 2024, and for the third time, not under a caretaker government, a provision removed from the constitution by the ruling government Sheikh Hasina government attracting widespread protests. The 2024 election is a matter of political survival for both the ruling Awami League and the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party. Will Sheikh Hasina win the elections for a fifth term and other associated issues of government and economy will be discussed.

India’s Vaccine Growth Story: From Cowpox to Vaccine Maitri

By Sajjan Singh Yadav (Penguin Ebury Press: 2023)

A Conversation with the author, Dr. Sajjan Singh Yadav, Additional Secretary, Department of Expenditure, Ministry of Finance, Govt. of India; and Shri Lav Agarwal, Resident Commissioner, Andhra Pradesh Bhavan and former Additional Health Secretary

Moderator: Shri Manish Khurana, Senior Commissioning Editor, Penguin India

Speaker: Prof. Carol Rovane, Violin Family Professor of Philosophy; Chair, Contemporary Civilization, Department of Philosophy, Columbia University, New York

Chair: Dr. Kranti Saran, Associate Professor of Philosophy and Head, Department of Philosophy, Ashoka University

Carol Rovane will argue that debates about relativism ought not to proceed without first arriving at an adequate formulation of the doctrine, and clarifying what most fundamentally divides relativists and their opponents.  After offering the needed formulation and clarification, she will go on to explore arguments for and against embracing relativism in the domain of morals — eventually coming down in favour of it.  
 

Edited by Madhavi Desai (South Asia Press: 2022)

Discussants: Ms Mukta Naik, Fellow, Centre for Policy Research, architect and urban planner; Dr. Rukmini Sen, Dean,
School of Heritage Research & Management, Director, Outreach and Extension Division, Director, Centre for Publishing,
& Professor, School of Liberal Studies, Ambedkar University; Shri Aravind Unni, urban rights researcher, Urban Poverty Thematic Lead at Indo-Global Social Service Society; and Ms Madhavi Desai, architect, researcher and teacher, and editor of the book

Moderator: Shri Rohit Raj Mehendiratta

Ms. Vandini Mehta (Vote of Thanks)

Indo-Aryan and the Linguistic History and Prehistory of North India

By Claus Peter Zoller (Harrassowitz Verlag: 2023)

Discussants: Prof. Anvita Abbi, linguist and scholar of minority languages; Dr. Peggy Mohan, Writer, Visiting Professor, Ashoka University; Dr. Ayesha Kidwai, theoretical linguist and Professor, Centre for Linguistics, School of Language Literature and Culture Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University; and Dr. Claus Peter Zoller, linguist and Professor of South Asian Studies, Department of Culture Studies and Oriental Languages, University of Oslo and author of the book
 

Chair: Prof. Anvita Abbi, linguist and scholar of minority languages.

A Multilingual Recitation by Dr Karan Singh

Chair: Shri Muzaffar Ali, filmmaker, designer, poet, artist, cultural revivalist, and social worker

(Organised by IIC-International Research Division in collaboration with The Poetry Society, India)

Speaker: Prof. Arogyaswami J. Paulraj, Professor Emeritus, Department of Electrical Engineering, Stanford University.  
Prof. Paulraj is the inventor of MIMO wireless communications, a technology break through that enables improved wireless performance. MIMO is now incorporated into all broadband wireless systems. He also pioneered MIMOOFDMA that is now the core physical layer technology for 4G, 5G mobile, and WiFi networks

Moderator: Ms Aruna Sundararajan, IAS (retd.) former Secretary Telecom and Chairperson, Telecom Commission

Chair: Cmdre C. Uday Bhaskar

Prof. Paulraj will offer his views on the criticality of semiconductors, the structure of the global industry, its competitive dynamics, and then focus his talk mainly on its huge entry barriers.

India’s Foreign Policy in Changing Times

By D.K. Giri (Global Books Organisation: 2018)
 

Discussants: Prof. Mahendra P. Lama, former Vice Chancellor, Sikkim University; Prof. Ajay Darshan Behera, Academy of International Studies, Jamia Millia Islamia University; and Prof. (Dr.) D.K. Giri, columnist and author of the book

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

Guilt Trip and Other Stories

By Lakshmi Kannan (Olive Turtle: 2023)

Discussants: Prof. Malashri Lal, author and Convenor, English Board, Sahitya Akademi; Prof. Anisur Rahman, academic critic and translator; Prof. Payal Nagpal, academic; and Dr. Lakshmi Kannan, poet, novelist and author of the book

Chair: Ms Mridula Garg, writer and poet

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

The Return of Nawaz Sharif: How it will change Election Scene in Pakistan

Panelists: Dr. Shalini Chawla, Distinguished Fellow, Centre for Air Power Studies; Amb. Sharat Sabharwal, former Ambassador to Pakistan; and Lt. Gen. (Retd.) Kamal Davar, President, Delhi Forum For Strategic Studies (DFFSS) 

Chair: Maj. Gen. Ashok K. Mehta