Kathak Recital
By Ravi Prakash from Chhattisgarh, disciple of Pt. Rajendra Gangani

At 19:00 
Bharatanatyam Recital
By Sudipta Chakraborty from Delhi, NCR disciple of Guru Jayalakshmi Eshwar

Accompanists: Guru Jayalakshmi Eshwar (nattuvanagam); K. Venkateshwaran (vocals); Manohar Balachandran (mridangam); and Raghavendra Prasath (violin)

 

Presented by Nobuto Yamanaka, leading soloist and national champion of Tsugaru-shamisen

The shamisen is a three-stringed Japanese instrument played by striking the strings with a plectrum, known as bachi. It is sometimes compared to the guitar or banjo. Originally derived from the Chinese sanxian lute, the shamisen was brought to Japan by way of the Ryukyu Kingdom (modern-day Okinawa) many centuries ago. The instrument used for Tsugaru shamisen differs slightly in shape from those used for other shamisen genres, with a thicker neck and strings and a smaller bachi plectrum. However, the most striking difference is actually in how it is played.

(Collaboration: The Japan Foundation)
 

Antarnaad – The Voice Within
(39 min; 2024; Hindi)
Directed by Parthaa Akerkar who will introduce the film

Recipient of the Best Film Award, The Blue Bird Film Festival; Jury Award for Best Film, Mumbai Independent Film Festival; and Dadasaheb Phalke Film Puraskar Award

Screening will be followed by a talk on
Women’s Health 
Speaker: Dr. Manjari Tripathi, Head of the Neurology Dept., All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), In-charge, Centre of Excellence of Epilepsy, Min. of Health & Department of Biotechnology and President, Alzheimer’s Related Disorder Society of India

Film on mental health and how it affects both the patient, the care givers and the family as well. Parthaa Akerkar tackles this sensitive subject with aplomb and ease without victimising the patient and imparting a unique perspective into the plight of the caregiver.

(Collaboration: Alzheimer’s Related Disorder Society of India)
 

Curated by Rajiv Mehrotra

America’s First Guru (USA)
(89 min; 2024; English)
Director: Raja Choudhury

Screening will be followed by a conversation with the filmmaker, Raja Choudhury

This film, which premiered on PBS (Public Broadcasting Service) in USA is the compelling story of how Yoga and Indian wisdom first entered the American mainstream in 1893, with the arrival of the Indian Saint Swami Vivekananda at the first Parliament of Religions in Chicago

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

For an Outstanding Woman Mediaperson of the Year

The Vishwa Nath-Delhi Press Award for Fearless Journalism, and the Kamla Mankekar Award for Journalism on Gender

will also be presented

Followed by

B.G. Verghese Memorial Lecture

Media, Courts and Freedom of Expresssion

To be delivered by Justice S. Muralidhar, Senior Advocate, Supreme Court of India and former Chief Justice, Orissa High Court and Judge, Panjab and Haryana High Court

(Collaboration: The Media Foundation)

An illustrated lecture by Priyamvada Natarajan

Chair: Dr Shailesh Nayak, Life Trustee, IIC, Director, National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bengaluru

Prof. Natarajan will present and discuss the latest results from the James Webb Space Telescope that have started to radically transform our understanding of the formation of the first stars, galaxies and black holes. Starting with the overall context and the current framework used to comprehend the cosmos, she will present the new ideas and theories that have been put to test by James Webb, including her own work on the new pathway to form the first black holes by direct collapse of gas in the very early Universe.
 

Solo guitar concert by Sidharth Sarangi, classical guitarist, pianist and composer from Odisha

The artist will present compositions by F. Tárrega; I. Albéniz; A. Bárrios; Gary Ryan; P. Steidl; and C. Domeniconi

(Collaboration: Delhi Music Society)
 

The 20th IAWRT Asian Women’s Film Festival: 6 to 8 March 2025

Programme Details

The 20th edition of the festival brings together a rich collection of fiction, non-fiction, animation and short films from different parts of Asia. Curated by the noted festival director and programmer, Bina Paul, the festival includes masterclasses, seminars and panel discussions; and exhibitions. These include panel discussions on Women and the Arts; Climate Change and Gender Justice; and Archiving. Conversations with Payal Kapadia, Hwang Hei Rim, and Akiko Ashizawa; and a tribute to Manjira Datta and Aruna Vasudev, two stalwarts from the world of films.

Organised in collaboration with International Association of Women in Radio &Television, Chapter India; NFDC Cinemas of India; Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, Govt. Of India; Embassy of France; Institute Français, New Delhi; Friedrich Ebert Stiftung; Delhi Tourism; Max Mueller Bhavan-Goethe Institut; Delhi Tourism; Kerala Travels; The Japan Foundation; InKo Centre; Yellow Streets; and Kumbaya

Screenings will be held in the Auditorium on 6, 7 and 8 March 2025 from 09:30 onwards. Some of the filmmakers will be present for post-screening discussions

Highlights of the festival include:
From 6 to 8 March 2025, 11:00 to 19:00 in Gandhi-King Memorial Plaza
Memory as Movement: Archiving Feminist Histories
An exhibition of photographs, songs, letters, artworks, books, notebooks, reports, and newsletters from women’s organisations in Delhi spanning the last 40 years. The exhibition creates a vivid and visceral history of the women’s movement. A testament to the resilience, creativity, and determination of that fueled feminist organisations

On 6 March 2025 from 09:15 to 13:30 hrs in C.D. Deshmukh Auditorium
Memory as Movement: Archiving Feminist Histories
Panel discussion

On 6 March 2025 at 18:00
Opening Ceremony
Followed by screening of the film

The Sharp Edge of Peace (Afghanistan)
(95 min; 2024; Persian with English subtitles)
Director: Roya Sadat

A feature-length documentary that follows the only women on the Afghan government negotiating team as they navigate the hard road to peace and broker a shared political structure with the Taliban.

Followed by
A Conversation
Nupur Basu in conversation with Alka Sadat

On 6 and 7 March in Conference Room II from 10:00 to 17:00
Workshop on The Once and The Future of the Documentary
 

The oversaturated media landscape we inhabit is both a provocation and an invitation to deconstruct ways in which images are produced, circulated and consumed.  How are images produced? How are they circulated? Should they be archived? What and who is the collective if we think about personal and public images produced and archived? 
Filmmakers, archivists and independent groups working with the moving image come together in this workshop. Participants, including independent filmmakers, video and media collectives, present their material and discuss the challenges of putting their work in the public domain.

Registration at the venue on a first come first serve basis.

Vocal Recital
By Smt Kalapini Komkali

At 19:30
Flute Recital
By Pt. Hariprasad Chaurasia

In memory of Shri Vasant Sathe

(Collaboration: Sarvajanik Utsav Samiti, New Delhi; and Shri Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Memorial National Committee)

Hindustani Vocal Recital
By Dhanashri Ghaisas from Mumbai, disciple of Vidushi Dr Ashwini Bhide Deshpande

At 19:00 
Hindustani Music Instrumental
Fusion music presented by Aditya Shanker (tabla); Kartikeya Vashisht (flute); Neeraj Kumar (percussion); and Shailendra Wakhlu (Guitar)