We, the People of the States of Bharat: The Making and Remaking of India’s Internal Borders

By Sanjeev Chopra (HarperCollins India: 2022)

Discussants: Shri Raghav Chandra, writer and former Secretary, Govt. of India; Shri V. Srinivas, Secretary, Govt. of India, Department of Administrative Reforms & Public Grievances and Department of Pension & Pensioner’s Welfare; Ms Rama Lakshmi, Editor, The Print; and Shri Sanjeev Chopra, former Director, Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration, Mussoorie and author of the book

Chair: Shri Suhas Borker, Editor, Citizens First TV (CFTV)

(40 min; 2023; Hindi with English subtitles)
Produced & Directed by Ruchi Saini who will introduce the film

Screening will be followed by a discussion

The documentary film features conversations with the musicologist and scholar, the late Shri Sushil Kumar Saxena who delineates the finer nuances of North Indian Classical arts through the prism of Kathak dance and is juxtaposed with the works of the late Kathak maestro, Guru Munna Shukla. The film also includes demonstrations by Ruchi Saini

(105 min)
Presented by Pierrot’s Troupe
Directed by Dr. M. Syeed Alam

Script: Salman Khurshid
Adaptation: Ather Farouqui

In Hindostani and English, Sons of Babur presents an entertaining, informative and aesthetic account of the ‘Worlds’ of Babur, Humayun, Akbar, Jahangir, Shah Jahan and Aurangzeb as seen from far off Rangoon by the last and deposed Mughal Emperor, Bahadur Shah Zafar. The play seamlessly connects the present to the past, an introspection of the Mughal era and a unique reading of Indian history

Odissi Recital
By Namrata Mehta from Delhi, disciple of Guru Smt Daksha Mashruwala 
 

At 19:00 
Kathak Recital
By Swati Sinha from Delhi, disciple of Pt. Rajendra Gangani 
 

Presented by Katsura Sunshine, well-known traditional Japanese rakugo artist from Canada

Rakugo storytelling is a 400-year-old Japanese comedic art form. Dating back to the 17th century and originating from Buddhist tradition, rakugo experienced its heyday in the Meiji era (1868-1912) when it adopted its current form and left the streets and private apartments for performance venues. The storyteller, rakugoka, alone on stage, kneels on a cushion and does not move from this position throughout the performance. With no backdrop or music, the rakugo artist uses only his facial expressions, changes in intonation and props to bring humourous stories to life

Katsura Sunshine studied this traditional and unique form of verbal entertainment in Japan as an apprentice to rakugo master Katsura Bunshi VI, then Katsura Sanshi for another three years. He is the only the second Westerner to become a rakugo master in Japan’s history.

(Collaboration: The Japan Foundation, New Delhi)

(92 min; 2021; Kannada with English subtitles)
Written & Directed by Babu Eshwar Prasad who will introduce the film

Screening will be followed by a discussion

The film is a meditation on the act of walking through the lives of three principal characters: Kumar, a photojournalist disenchanted with his regular job; Neelu, a salesgirl in a shoe shop with a set routine; and Amaresha, an elderly prisoner. Moving between dream and reality, the film is an exploration of the inner and outer landscapes they encounter

Violin Recital
By Uma Arun from Delhi, disciple of Guru Kalaimamani Shri V.S.K.Chakrapani and Guru R. Sridhar
 

At 19:00 
Bharatanatyam Recital
By Sudhana Sankar from Delhi, disciple of Guru Saroja Vaidyanathan and Rama Vaidyanathan 

By Pallavi Seth, a young-upcoming opera singer who received training in opera and vocal performance at Mannes School of Music, New York

Accompanied by Svetlana Radashkevich on the piano. Svetlana Radashkevich is a highly accomplished concert pianist based in Delhi. Serving as Curriculum leader at the British School, Svetlana is a prominent figure among Russian pianists based in India

Pallavi Seth will present an evening of opera arias and lieder

Film Director and Screenwriter, Sudhir Mishra in conversation with Sujata Prasad and Oroon Das

This is the first in a new series of monthly conversations staged in collaboration with Ahad Anhad—a forum for creative instigations—which manifested its first edition at the Bihar Museum recently, bringing together words, ideas, performances and the liveliest voices in contemporary writing in Hindi, English, Urdu and the regional dialects of Bihar.

FILMS OF THE SPIRIT

Curated by Rajiv Mehrotra

Kundun (Monaco/Morocco/USA)
(134 min; 1997; English)
A film by Martin Scorsese

The boy monk’s story comes alive in this epic biographical film. It traces the extraordinary journey of the 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyaltso from his discovery as a reincarnation of the Great 13th, the Buddha of Compassion, to take over the reins of a nation at a young age and his escape to India, following the tragedy of the Chinese invasion of Tibet

(Collaboration: Foundation for His Holiness The Dalai Lama)