I’m Kabir and I’m Not, says Kabir
 

Whose Kabir? Which Kabir? Did the historical Kabir actually write “Ud Jayega Hans Akela” made famous by Kumar Gandharva? Is Kabir the most faked signature/chaap/takhallus ever? How is it that a million couplets are aggregated in his name? What kind of Kabir is never sung? How may we read Kabir via the Buddha and Ambedkar? Poet, translator, publisher and musician Anand will try to unwrap the many Kabirs that are wrapped in the diaphanous fabric called Kabir.

Anand is the publisher at Navayana, a student of Dhrupad with Ustad F. Wasifuddin Dagar, and is the author of the recent book, The Notbook of Kabir: Thinner than Water, Fiercer than Fire.
 

Conversation: Sharat-e-Qatra (The Ecstasy of a Drop)
 

Syeda Hameed, former Member, Planning Commission, author, feminist scholar, and educationist In Conversation with Sujata Prasad and Oroon Das

(Collaboration: Ahad Anhad)
 

India Inked: Elections in the World’s Largest Democracy
By Poonam Agarwal (Bloomsbury India: 2025)

Discussants: Shri Ashok Lavasa, former Election Commissioner of India; Prof. Jagdeep Chhokar, Founder-Member, Association of Democratic Reforms and former Professor, Dean and Director-in-Charge, IIM, Ahmedabad; and Ms Poonam Agarwal, an award winning journalist who has been covering Indian society and politics for two decades; and author of the book
 

Welcome Address & Introductory Remarks: Shri Prabhat Kumar, President, IC Centre for Governance

Keynote Address: Dr. Rajat M. Nag, Distinguished Fellow and Member of the Board, Advanced Study Institute of Asia, New Delhi; Distinguished Professor, Beijing Normal University, Beijing; and Distinguished Fellow, Emerging Markets Forum, Washington DC

(Collaboration: IC Centre for Governance)
 

Impact of Millets and Herbs in Daily Life for better Health and Energy for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities

Coordinator: Satish Kapoor, Founding President, Brotherhood.

Speakers: Dr. Khader Vali, the Millet Man of India and pioneering Indian organic farmer and environmentalist; Dr. A. K. Agarwal, Chairman, River Engineering Pvt Ltd; Shri Sandeep Marwah, Founder Noida Film City and Chancellor, Aaft University of Media & Art; Dr. Dharm Singh, Chairman, South Asian Council for Ayurvedic Research; Dr. Meenakshi Gupta, Principal, SD Public School, Delhi; Shri Pradeep Dwivedi, CEO, Prajana Agro New Delhi; Dr. Vijaya Tripathi, Director, Research and Development in Nutrelis Agro Food, Noida

(Collaboration: Brotherhood)
 

Little Lhasa: Reflections in Exiled Tibet

By Tsering Namgyal Khortsa (Speaking Tiger: 2024)

Discussants: Prof. Kaveri Gill, Non-Resident Senior Fellow, Centre of Excellence for Himalayan Studies, Shiv Nadar University Institute of Eminence; Ms Manjula Narayan, National Books Editor, The Hindustan Times; and Shri Tsering Namgyal Khortsa, novelist and journalist and author of the book

Moderator: Prof. Swati Chawla

Poetry Readings
 

By Ibbar Rabbi & Anurag Vats (Delhi); Ketan Yadav (Gorakhpur); and Devesh Path Sariya (Alwar) who will read from their original works

(Collaboration: The Raza Foundation)

Unseen Paths: Spirituality and Consciousness
 By Romola Butalia (Motilal Banarsidass Publishing House: 2024)

Discussants: Shri Umesh Kabir, spiritual master, educationist, researcher of theology; Shri Himanshu Joshi, classical singer and Member of the Indian Ocean band; Ms Sunita Pant Bansal, mythologist, publisher and author; Prof. Trilochan Shastri, Professor, IIM, Bangalore; and Ms Romola Butalia, spiritual practitioner, teacher and Editor of the book

The Many Routes to Bhav in Thumri                                                                                                                         
An illustrated lecture presented by Vidya Rao

If there is one thing that clearly marks thumri as different from other musical forms, it is its emphasis on bhav, on the creation of the emotional universe(s) of the sung text. What is less clear is how exactly this magical affect is to be created.

This presentation will devote to thumri and dadra in the voices of some singers to understand the many ways that they use sound and silence, voice modulations and rhythmic play to create bhav--the many meanings in what becomes the multiple narratives within a single text.

Vidya Rao is a performer of thumri-dadra and ghazal. For many years the disciple of the legendary singer, the late Vidushi Naina Devi, she continued her study of this form under the late Vidushi Shanti Hiranand and the late Vidushi Girija Devi. In addition to her work as a performer, she has also researched and written extensively on music and the performing arts.

Keynote Address: Shri Vijay Ramachandran, storyteller and knowledge navigator

Welcome and Introductory Remarks: Smt Reena Ramachandra, former CMD, Hindustan Organic Chemicals Ltd.

(Collaboration: IC Centre for Governance)