Paka and Ahara: Everyday Stories of Food and Nutrition

Speakers: Prof. Gopal Guru, Former Professor, Centre for Political Science, JNU; Dr. Ishita Dey, Department of Sociology, South Asian University; Dr. Neha Vermani, Honorary Fellow, Durham University, UK

Chair: Dr Gurmeet Singh, Professor & Dean (Research & Outreach), TDU

Food has always occupied a central place in South Asian thought—not merely as sustenance, but as a medium through which ideas of health, wellbeing, ethics, labour, ecology and community are articulated. In manuscripts, memories and everyday kitchens, food emerges as a language of balance and belonging. The SAMHiTA- Bharat ki Soch Food Colloquium brings together noted scholars to trace India’s rich heritage and explore how historical and contemporary food practices shape community life. Through conversations that move between scholarship and lived experience, the colloquium traces how food practices in South Asia have shaped ideas of health, wellbeing and nutrition.

The colloquium will be followed by a curated dinner, inspired by traditions of health, wellness and nutrition, available to on a payment basis. Attendance is strictly limited to IIC members and will be by prior registration only.

Kindly register using the following link: https://forms.gle/mLYx9uY1QWXGQLes6

Curatorial note: Prof Kiranmayi Bhushi, Department of Sociology, IGNOU

Eternal Sky
(108 minutes;2022; English)
Directed by Debra Kellner

HOW DID TIME BEGIN?
Did the big bang happen, or did something else occur?
Humanity has searched for the answer to this question since time immemorial.
‍Six years in the making, the movie Eternal Sky was filmed over three continents. It follows science's most ambitious quest: how did time begin? Set in the remote Andes in the Chilean Atacama Desert, the documentary reveals an intimate story behind one of science's most competitive races by merging ancient wisdom and modern science. Eternal Sky follows in the footsteps of some of the world's leading astrophysicists as they seek to unravel the origins of time, space, and matter. The film follows the lives of several Atacameno elders who take the viewer on a soulful vision of the cosmos. The coexistence between scientists and the local Atacameno culture is a confrontation between the mystical and the existential.

(Collaboration: Foundation for Universal Responsibility of His Holiness the Dalai Lama)
 

From Amazon to Ganga: A celestial journey
(90 minutes; 2025; English)
Directed and written by Sehdev Kumar
 

This film is a deeply personal meditation on the nature and expression of the spiritual quest, envisioned as a celestial journey. Drawing upon the filmmaker’s life it reflects experiences and inspired by the visions of Sri Aurobindo, Kabir, and Albert Einstein. An evocative interplay of light and water, the film contemplates creation as a cosmic womb, exploring how elemental forces weave together a longing for renewal and new birth.
Sehdev Kumar, Professor Emeritus of Bioethics and Environmental Studies at the University of Waterloo, Canada

The screening will be followed by a Q&A with the director of the film.
 

SAMHiTA-Bharat ki Soch Public Lecture Series

Diurnal Medicine: The Rajballabhiya Drabyaguna and the Making of a Regional Medical Tradition in Bengal, 18th to 20th Centuries
 

Speaker: Dr. Projit Bihari Mukharji, Professor of History, Ashoka University, recipient of the Pfizer Award, Guggenheim Fellowship and grants from National Science Foundation of the USA, and the Social Science & Humanities Research Council of Canada. He is the author of Nationalizing the Body: The Medical Market, Print, and Daktari Medicine (2009); and Brown Skins, White Coats: Race Science in India, 1920-66 (2022).

Chair: Dr. Burton Cleetus, Centre for Historical Studies, JNU

The Sanskrit Dravyaguna genre, which developed from earlier Nighantu texts, catalogued medically significant substances (dravya) along with their uses. Focusing on Bengal, the lecture traces the transition from a widely used Dravyaguna attributed to the 11th-century physician Chakrapanidatta to an 18th-century work ascribed to Raja Rajballabh, a Baidya courtier in the court of Bengal’s post Mughal Nawabs. By tracking the evolution of this text, particularly through the early print editions, the lecture revisits the dynamics of the transition from manuscript to print in the context of medical knowledge.

Second lecture of the series on “Health, Wellness and Nutrition”, organised by IIC- International Research Division and Bharat ki Soch Foundation
 

Mindfulness for All

An immersive mindfulness programme with cross-sector panel discussion with experiential practice, exploring stress, emotional balance in life. The session offers practical tools to cultivate mindful awareness in everyday living.
The programme will begin with a flute recital by Pankaj Mishra, flutist-vocalist, direct disciple of late Jagannath Ghoshal and bansuri-shehnai maestro Pandit Rajendra Prasanna followed by a panel discussion. 
Discussants: Dr. Sanjiv Saigal, Principal Director & Head of Hepatology and Liver Transplant Medicine at Max Super Speciality Hospital, Saket; Anuradha Joshi, senior educationist, National Teacher Awardee (2015); Pallavi Singh, Vice President–Human Resources at a global multinational bank; Narender Singh Rawat, Vice President and Chairman of the Umpire Committee, Taekwondo Association of India; Debika Mitra, Co-Founder, Escapades for the Soul, and a Certified Mindfulness Coach. 
Moderator: Nidhi Jarwal, faculty at Miranda House, University of Delhi, and Program Coordinator at the National Campaign on Dalit Human Rights (NCDHR)
 

And the alley she whitewashed in light blue 
(72 minutes; 2023; Hebrew with English subtitles)
Directed by Nili Portugali

The film was premiered at the Mumbai International Film Festival

In this cinematic presentation, architect Nili Portugali revisits intimate childhood memories of the Kabbalistic city of Tsefat in the Galilee through her poetic, meditative lens. From a holistic and Buddhist perspective, she reflects on what makes certain places feel timeless and “at home,” and on the ‘pure art of making’ that shapes architecture and the arts across cultures. She also recalls the quiet influence of her grandmother, whom she regarded as a “Zen Master.”

The film screening will be followed by a Q&A with the Director, Nili Portugali.( On-Line)
 

Orange: A Short Documentary on Mental health
(15 min; English)
Directed by Suchita Bhatia 
 

Orange is a human rights and social impact documentary that explores mental health and caregiving with sensitivity and emotional depth. Through themes of dignity, resilience, and care ethics, the film highlights the invisible labour of caregiving and asks urgent questions about how society understands, supports, and honours care. The film has been screened at the premiere institutes like IIT, JNU etc for students to a deep emotional response.
The film screening will be followed by a panel discussion moderated by Suchita Bhatia, director of the film and a mental health advocate. The panel will feature Madhavan Narayanan—editor, journalist, writer, and columnist—and Prof. Sanghamitra Acharya, Chairperson and Professor at the Centre of Social Medicine and Community Health, School of Social Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi.

Gail & Bharat
(2025; 80 min; Marathi & English)
Directed by Somnath Waghamare, documentary filmmaker and researcher whose work focuses on Dalit histories and social justice. 
This documentary traces the life and work of sociologist and Dalit rights activist Dr Gail Omvedt and Dr Bharat Patankar, capturing their shared journey through India’s anti-caste and social justice movements. Avoiding academic jargon, it offers an accessible and important record of their enduring contributions.
 

The screening will be followed by a discussion with Prof. Smita Patil (IGNOU); Dr. Rahul Dev (art historian) and the director, Somnath Waghamare.

Chowk University ka Vice Chancellor – Padmabhushan Amritlal Nagar
(90 minutes; 2025; Hindi with English subtitles)
Directed by Savita Sharma Nagar & Rajesh Amrohi
Produced by Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA)

From the bustling lanes of Chowk to the vast landscape of Hindi literature, this documentary traces the extraordinary journey of Padmabhushan Amritlal Nagar—writer, thinker, chronicler of everyday India. Through rare archival material, intimate interviews, and evocative AI recreations, the film explores his evolution from cinema and journalism to becoming one of the most influential literary voices of the 20th century.

A discussion with directors; Savita Sharma Nagar and Rajesh Amrohi will follow the screening
 

BOOK DISCUSSION GROUP 
Sita’s Yoga: The Yoga of Awakening
By Dena Merriam (Motilal Banarsidass, 2025)

Chair: Dena Merriam, International Advisory Council of the Auroville Foundation in India & Author of the Book

Discussants:  Dr. A. K. Merchant, General Secretary, Temple of Understanding India Foundation; Major General (Retd.) G. D. Bakshi, Strategic Expert & Writer

Moderator: Soniya Sharma, Founder, Phoenix Health Academy