My Favourite Urdu Poems

With Leeladhar Mandloi; Om Nischal; Giridhar Rathi; and Asad Zaidi

(Collaboration: The Raza Foundation)
 

Anemone Morning and other poems
By Gopal Lahiri (PENPRINTS Publications: 2024)

Discussants: Dr. Payal Nagpal, Professor, Dept. of English, Janki Devi Memorial College, University of Delhi; Shri Mohammad Jamshed, author, poet and former Member, Central Administrative Tribunal; Ms Satbir Chadha, novelist and poet; and Shri Gopal Lahiri, poet, Editor, critic, translator and author of the book

Chair: Prof. Malashri Lal, author and Convener, English Board, Sahitya Akademi

Poetics of Absence
An illustrated presentation by Navtej Singh Johar

The speaker will share his love for the thumri, ghazal, kafi and padam, all genres of amorous songs that address the absence of a fictitious god-lover. Using abhinaya, he will illustrate the poetic dynamics that may operate between the “real-self” and its “fictitious-other” for the purpose of aesthetic satisfaction (rasa) that can be said to be unique to the subcontinent.

Navtej Singh Johar is a dancer-choreographer, yoga practitioner, scholar and social activist. His work within all fields of his varied interests remains consistently body-centric.  It twines practice with critical theory and social action while it traverses freely between the traditional and the contemporary.  Johar teaches Dance Studies at Ashoka University, India, and is the founder-director of Studio Abhyas, New Delhi where he teaches two practices that he has devised over the years, the BARPS Method of Asana and Abhyas Somtics,  the two being inspired by the concepts of sukh and rasa that are central to Yoga and Indian poetics respectively
 

She Storms the Norms

By Anisha Motwani & Priyadarshini Narendra (Rupa Publications India: 2024)

Discussants: Kanta Singh, Deputy Representative of UN Women India; Anisha Motwani, author of the book; and Priyadarshini Narendra, co-author of the book.

Moderator: Amb.K.P.Fabian, Professor, Symbiosis University, Pune

Carnatic Music- Vocal Recitals

By Vaibhav Vaidyanathan (vocal) with Soumya Kannan (violin) & Ratul S. Kumar (mridangam)

18:05 – Vocal recital by M. Aditya
18: 25 – Vocal recital by S. K. Mridula 
19: 00 – Vocal recital by  Keerthana Vinod 
19:35 – Vocal recital by Sneha Satish  

Accompanists: Siddesh Ganesh (violin); S. Swaminathan & Ratul S. Kumar (mridangam)

(Collaboration: Ramakrishnapuram South Indian Society)

The Republic Relearnt: Renewing Indian democracy 1947-2024
By Radha Kumar (Vintage: 2024)

Discussants: Dr. Shashi Tharoor, Member of Parliament; and Dr. Radha Kumar, academic and author of the book

Chair: Shri Shyam Saran, President, IIC

To be conducted by Margi Madhu and Dr. Indu G. from Nepathya – Centre for Excellence in Kutiyattam, Moozhikkulam, Kerala
 

‘The Comfort of Noise’ – The journey of a rock musician from the 1990’s, navigating the 2020’s amidst the din of technology 
An illustrated presentation by Chintan Kalra

Technology has transformed music production and consumption, while pushing our understanding of its intricacies. This presentation will explore the evolution of live music, the advancement of production tools, AI's influence in music, the immersive experience of spatial audio, and the impact of streaming platforms on music curation and discovery
 
Chintan Kalra is an eclectic artist whose musical endeavours, ranging from the experimental sounds of Kuru Circus & Orchestra to the meditative strums of the ukulele, are complemented by his ventures in multimedia technology and creative collaborations across various platforms.
 

To be conducted by Prof. Alka Tyagi, exponent of the Bihar School of Yoga, Munger 

With the rise in stress and reduced attention span due to modern-lifestyle, there is a rise in irritability, anger, impatience and other mental ailments. The practice of meditation, even if brief in duration, helps in maintaining positivity, focus, concentration and mental well-being.

Organised as part of the programmes to mark World Yoga Day 2024
 

Panelists: Tapan Bose, well-known documentary film-maker, human rights campaigner, and founder of South Asia Forum for Human Rights; Mathew Varghese, orthopedic surgeon, former Director, St. Stephen’s Hospital and external faculty member of TRIP-C at IIT-Delhi; Geetam Tiwari, TRIPP Chair Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT-Delhi; Ram Ramaswamy, formerly Professor of Chemistry, School of Physical Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University and presently, Visiting Professor, Dept. of Chemistry, IIT-Delhi; and Rakesh Mohan, economist, formerly Deputy Governor, Reserve Bank of India, and presently,  Vice Chairperson, Indian Institute for Human Settlements

Discussion in honour of Dinesh Mohan, recalling his work and interests

(Collaboration: Independent Council for Road Safety International)