Speaker: Mr. Bruno Maçães, Senior Advisor, Flint Global, columnist for the New Statesman, Member of the European Council on Foreign Relations and former Secretary of State for European Affairs, Portugal

Chair: Amb. Shivshankar Menon, former Foreign Secretary and former National Security Advisor
 

Speaker: Amb. Talmiz Ahmad, former Indian Ambassador and expert on West Asia and Ram Sathe Chair, International Studies, Symbiosis International University, Pune

Chair: Amb. Gautam Mukhopadhyaya, Senior Visiting Fellow, Centre for Policy Research and former Ambassador of India to Syria, Afghanistan and Myanmar

The talk will look at the background to the upheaval in Syria, the emergence of the Hayat Tahreer al-Sham as a military and political force in the country, and the factors that facilitated its capture of Damascus. Amb. Ahmad will then discuss the role of different external players in the Syrian regime-change and the uncertainties – political, ideological and economic – that are likely to shape the national scenario in the coming months. Amb. Ahmad will also delve into the longer term implications of developments in Syria for regional and global politics and conclude with some reflections on the larger issues relating to emerging civilizational competitions and world order that will be resonant in the coming years

(Collaboration: Centre for Policy Research)

Life and times of Kris Kristofferson    

An illustrated lecture presented by Paranjoy Guha Thakurta
                                                                                                               

Kris Kristofferson, who passed away on 28 September 2024 at the age of 88, was an anti-establishment American singer, songwriter and actor. Among the famous songs he wrote was "Me and Bobby Mc'Gee," which was dedicated to his friend Janis Joplin; and among the well-known films he acted in with Barbra Streisand was A Star is Born.
 
Paranjoy Guha Thakurta is a journalist, author, publisher, maker of documentary films and music videos, occasional teacher and music lover.

Indian Genius: The Meteoric Rise of Indians in America 

By Meenakshi Ahamad (HarperCollins India: 2024)

Discussants: Dr. Ajay Chhibber, former Assistant Secretary General, UN; Shri Amitabh Kant, former CEO, Niti Aayog and India’s G20 Sherpa; and Ms Meenakshi Ahamed, journalist and author of the book 

Chair: Shri Shyam Saran, President, IIC

Illustrated lecture by Dr. Jasvir Singh Rana who will present a visual journey through the city’s historic monuments, museums, Lodi Art District and serene natural beauty of Delhi’s gardens. Along the way, Dr. Rana will also share valuable tips on cell phone photography 

Chair: Dr. Ravindra Kumar Dewan, Director, National Institute of TB and Respiratory Diseases, Mehrauli

Dr. Jasvir Rana is a radiologist by training with a multifaceted passion for photography, history, and nature. For over three decades, he has been an avid heritage walker, art enthusiast, and nature lover, capturing Delhi’s monuments and natural landscapes through his lens

Conversation:  Avadhu Mera Mann Matwaara

Acclaimed musician and author, Shubha Mudgal in conversation with Sujata Prasad and Oroon Das
 
(Collaboration: Ahad Anhad)
 

Delhi: A Nature Journal
By Anuradha Kumar-Jain (Rupa Publications: 2024)

Discussants: Prof. (Dr.) Harinder M Sandhu, Associate Professor Department of Psychology, Mata Sundri College, Delhi University; Shri Atul Bagai, Former Country Head for United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), India Office and Dr. Anuradha Kumar-Jain, nature lover, writer and author of the book

Moderator: Shri Dibakar Ghosh, Editorial Director, Rupa Publications

Illustrated talk by Naeem Mohaeimen who researches the unresolved liberation struggles of the 1960s and 1970s and the conflict between memory and history

Discussants: Dr. Shukla Sawant and Dr. Suryanandini Narain, School of Arts & Aesthetics, Jawaharlal Nehru University

Introduction: Rahaab Allana

The discussion will analyze the ambiguous if not contradictory and dialectical nature of social realism in photography in the two Bengals that were created through partitions
 
(Collaboration: The Alkazi Foundation)
 

Speaker: Prof. Stephen Kotkin, Kleinheinz Senior Fellow, Hoover Institution, Stanford University, and Professor of History and International Affairs (Emeritus), Princeton University

The lecture will be followed by a conversation between Prof. Kotkin and Prof. Pratap Bhanu Mehta, Honorary Senior Fellow, Centre for Policy Research and Laurence S. Rockefeller Professor for Distinguished Teaching, Princeton University

(Collaboration: Centre for Policy Research)

A Pageant of Early Christmas Music

The significant events of the Christmas calendar have been given tonal form by composers down the ages. This is a musical excursion across the Noel season through a kaleidoscope of early European sacred music. Words and sound create the ambience of excitement and hope that is proper to the idea of Christmas.

Justin McCarthy is both a dancer and musician. A Bharatanatyam artist and guru; he plays piano and harpsichord. Justin heads the performing arts department at Ashoka University