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

Broadway, Bars, and Fortune
(39 min; Documentary; English)
Director/Producer: Shuvendu Sen, an award-winning physician, author, and filmmaker.
Co-Producer/Consultant: Karl Bardosh
Official Selection at the New York Lift-Off Film Festival and the International Hispanic Film Festival
The documentary revolves on four formerly incarcerated individuals and a Broadway personality. Through interviews and poignant personal interactions, the film highlights the immense healing effects of arts and theatres in the redemption of former inmates. 
The screening will be followed by an interactive discussion with the director, Shuvendu Sen, and the Guests of Honour and moderators: Narayanan Hariharan, Senior Advocate and President, Delhi High Court Bar Association; and Sanjay Upadhyay, Senior Advocate, Supreme Court of India, and Founder of the country’s first environmental law firm, Enviro Legal Defence Firm.
 

One Fire: A Documentary Film about Theosophy
(2025;103 min; Documentary; English)
Director: Terhi Ahava
A new documentary celebrating 150 years of the Theosophical Society. From Blavatsky and Olcott’s bold beginnings in 1875 to its global influence across philosophy, education, science, and the arts, the film traces a movement that has inspired seekers around the world. Journey from New York to Chennai and beyond as ONE FIRE rekindles a timeless truth—that we are all sparks of the same eternal flame.

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

Menace
(2025; 42 min; English & Hindi)
Directed by Vishal Bhutani

This documentary examines the debate around stray dogs in Delhi–NCR in the wake of the 2025 Supreme Court order. Through perspectives spanning law, veterinary practice, governance, rescue work, and citizen experience, it explores compassion, public safety, and the complexities of humane coexistence.

Post-screening discussion with the director and Ayesha Christina Benn, Founder, Neighbourhood Woof; and  Jasmine Damkewala, Advocate-on-Record, moderated by Vineet Bhalla, senior legal correspondent, The Indian Express

Expert Talk and Assessment:

Impact of Air Pollution on health and how Ayurveda can help
This talk explores air pollution and its impact on human physiology through an Ayurvedic lens, explaining how pollutants affect the body, lifestyle-based preventive measures, and Ayurvedic approaches to managing severe conditions such as acute asthma.

By Dr Adarsh T, Consulting Physician, Apollo Ayurvaid Hospitals, with expertise in metabolic disorders, dermatology, male infertility, and integrative Rasayana- and Panchakarma-based care

Followed by expert Ayurved consultation camp where Dr Adarsh T, Consultant Physician and Dr Tinkle Rani, Senior Physician-Apollo Ayurvaid Hospitals will examine patients

You may register by clicking anywhere on the document attached in the link given below

https://aws-static.iicdelhi.in/s3fs-public/2025-12/10%20JAN%20IIC%20Eve…

Book Discussion Group

History of A Tomorrow: The Knowledge Revolution

by Upendra Kachru (White Falcon Publishing, 2025)

Discussants: Prof. Yash Gupta, Plastic Surgeon from London and author of Science in Sanskrit literature; Prashast Kachru, Transdisciplinary Conceptual Interventionist; Dr. A K Merchant, General Secretary of Temple of Understanding India Foundation; Upendra Kachru, Author of the book

Moderator: Veena Baswani, Publishing consultant, Author, Editor

 

HIMALAYAN DIALOGUES 
A Book discussion on
Rising India and China: Strategic Rivalry in the Himalayas and the Indo-Pacific
By B R Deepak  (Palgrave Macmillan, 2025 )

Discussants:  Amb. Ashok K Kantha, Former Ambassador of India to China; Dr. Manoj Joshi, Distinguished Fellow, ORF, New Delhi; Shikha Aggarwal, Visiting Fellow, India Foundation

Moderator: Dr. Rajiv Ranjan, Associate Professor, Department of East Asian Studies, DU, Delhi
 

Enemy of the Reich: The Noor Inayat Khan Story
(55 minutes;2014; English)
Director: Robert H. Gardner

The film follows the life of Noor Inayat Khan, who became a fearless spy during World War II. Recruited into Britain’s Special Operations Executive, she served as a covert radio operator in Nazi-occupied Paris and became the only link to the French Resistance. Betrayed and captured by the Gestapo, she was later executed at Dachau, leaving behind a legacy of courage and sacrifice.

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

BOOK DISCUSSION GROUP 
 

Astanayika: The Romantic Heroines from Natyasastra to Modernity
by Manorama Choudhury and Jayakrushna (Motilal Banarsidass Publishing House, 2025)

Speakers: H G Gauranga Das, Author and Spiritual Leader; Guru Sharon Lowen, Renowned Odissi Dancer, Writer & Founder Manasa-Art Without Frontiers; Dr Seema Bhalla, Art Historian, Curator, Critic; Ms Manorama Choudhury, Author of the book ; Dr. Jayakrushna Choudhury, Author of the book

 

VOICES OF DEOLI 
(83 min;2025; English with English subtitles) 
Directed by Lulu Men

The documentary delves into the complexities and often upheaval of immigration through the lens of a small community in the U.S. and Canada. This community shares a profound bond: they are survivors of the Deoli Internment Camp in Rajasthan, where they were imprisoned for up to five years following the brief Sino-Indian War in 1962. Their experience highlights the vulnerabilities of displaced communities caught in the cross

Dilip D’Souza co-author of the Deoliwallahs will join the audience for a post-screening conversation