An evening of classical Ragas 

Sitar Recital

By  Dhruv Bedi from Delhi, son and disciple of Shri Jagdeep Singh Bedi and Pt. Budhaditya Mukherjee  

Accompanied by Saptak Sharma on tabla 

Followed by

Vocal Recital

By Nirali Kartik from Mumbai, disciple of Pt. Sanjeev Abhyankar

Accompanied by Amit Mishra on tabla and Lalit Sisodiya on harmonium 

“The Constitution of India and Indian Democracy: Have the Legislature, Judiciary and Executive remained true to their Constitutional Mandate?”

By H.E. Shri Jagdeep Dhankhar, Hon’ble Vice President of India

Chair: Shri Shyam Saran, President, IIC

By Shri K.N. Shrivastava, Director, IIC

Followed by screening of
 

Rocketry: The Nambi Effect (India)
(157 min; 2022; Hindi/Tamil/Telugu/English)
Director: Madhavan

With R. Madhavan, Simran Bagga, Rajit Kapoor
  
Rocketry: The Nambi Effect is a retelling of Shri Nambi Narayananʼs life story as it unravels in an interview by the celebrated superstar and Badshah of Bollywood, Shah Rukh Khan, on a TV programme. Like many great minds, Nambi is also deeply flawed, his genius and obsession earning him enemies and detractors, thus making him a compelling modern protagonist. 

Beyond serving as a treatise for the vindication of quiet achievers in society, the film also challenges the audience to take up the responsibility of recognizing, and celebrating these special contributors, whether it be a Nambi Narayanan or a teacher educating poor kids, soldiers at the border, doctors serving in remote villages, or volunteers helping the needy. It also raises a powerful question – Why arenʼt we standing up collectively to defend our innocent and powerless against the hegemony of the powers that be? For every Nambi, there are a thousand more quiet achievers fighting for justice.

As part of this screening, from 3 to 12 December 2022 there will be an exhibition at the Art Gallery, Kamaladevi Complex, IIC
 

Cine-Pop!
Bollywood Photo Culture
Amassed from the streets of Bombay, this growing array of images from the collection of Rahaab Allana highlights movie stills and associated memorabilia that advertised and popularized actors and epic sequences from the original film. Dated largely between the 1950s and ‘80s. The exhibition features photographs from studios such as Studio Nataraj, Himalaya Talkie Distributors and Pravinchandra G. Javeri, most of which are in Bombay (present day Mumbai).
 

Kathak Recital                                                                                                                                                                              

 By Raksha Singh David from Delhi, disciple of late Pt Birju Maharaj     

At 19:00
 

Duet Odissi Recital 

By Kalyani and Vaidehi Phagre from Bhopal, disciple of Smt  Bindu Juneja 
 

Sitar Recital                                                                                                                                                        

By Varadaraje Bhosale from Mumbai, disciple of Pt Arvind Parikh    
 

At 19:00

Hindustani Vocal Recital

By Vaibhav Sakshi from Delhi, disciple of Dr Soma Singh 
 

Curated by Rajiv Mehrotra

Milarepa (90 min; 2006; English)
Director: Neten Chokling

The film traces the arduous journey of Tibet’s greatest yogi and saint, Milarepa. Navigating a world of betrayal, the young Milarepa’s quest for revenge ultimately confronts him with the consequences of karma, exemplifying the idea that the material world’s cycle of suffering can be broken through spiritual transformation and becoming a student of Dharma

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

Soul of Sarode: the Journey of Ustad Ali Akbar Khan   
A Centenary Tribute 
A presentation by Gaurav Mazumdar

This year we celebrate the birth centenary of the legendary Sarod maestro, Ustad Ali Akbar Khan of Maihar Gharana. The noted sitarist, Gaurav Mazumdar will be discussing the significant features of this illustrious Gharana and Ustad Ali Akbar Khan’s association with this gharana.

Gaurav Mazumdar is an internationally acclaimed Sitar virtuoso, composer, teacher and a Grammy Nominee whose music brings in global harmony and understanding.
 

HER VOICE – Simhika: Daughter of the Forest
 

Geeta Chandran presents a performance inspired by a character from Kathakali repertoire

Accompanists: Sharanya Chandran (nattuvangam); K. Venkateshwaran (vocal); Manohar Balatchandirane (mridangam); Varun Rajasekharan (ghatam); and G. Raghavendra Prasath (violin)

In this performance-dialogue, Geeta Chandran raises issues of rights of forest dwellers and their quest for justice alongside gender justice and equality

FULL PROGRAMME

Forest Mighties (48 min/2020/English/Poland) – directors: Mateusz Matysiak, Tomasz Ogrodowczyk, Michał Ogrodowczyk
The film follows the trail of the great forests of Poland

Farmer Collectives in North Bengal (18 min/2022/English/Hindi/India – director: Radhamohini Prasad
The film probes the benefits reaped by farmers as a collective

What Have we done (5 min/2022/Hindi/India) – director: Beno Pothen Kuruvilla
Soil, visualized as a young lady, tries to frantically convey her plight

Behind the Garden Gate (48 min/2021/English/UK) – director: Nick Hayman
In the 1970s, Guus Lieberwerth and friends cleared a path of agricultural wastelands to care for rare and endangered plants and animals. Now 50 years later, nature is thriving within a hidden paradise

Plastic Age – Forever? (18 min/2022/English/Austria – directors: Sebastian Posti, Sebastian Pichelhofer
Film on the problems of plastic waste, especially microplastics in the oceans

The Call from the Sea (16 min/2016/English/USA) – director: Taylor McNulty
Film on the Bajau, a nomadic sea group who have lived on the ocean for centuries in Indonesia

From 14:00 to 20:00
At the Bottom (23 min/2022/English/Kyrgyzstan) – director: Tamara Kubaeva
Each year a group of volunteer divers organises expeditions to collect garbage from the bottom of Lake Issyk-Kul

Moving Upstream: Ganga (105 min/2021/Bengali/Hindi/English/India) – directors: Shridhar Sudhir, Veditum India Foundation
The film follows the 3000 km walk by Siddharth Agarwal along the river Ganga over a 6 month period

Droughlands (28 min/2021/English/UK) – directors: Omkar Khandagale, Aditya Thakkar
Film on the sugarcane industry in Maharashtra

Toxic Neighbour (23 min/2021/English/Canada) – director: Colin Scheyen
The film showcases a farmer’s efforts to push his nuclear neighbor to greater transparency and accountability

The Round Lake (11 min/2022/English/Hindi/Pakistan) – director: Zayan Agha
The film is about two sisters who live in a community without running tap water

Lantana Management and Grassland Development (9 min/2020/English/Hindi/India) – director: Imrana Khan
The film showcases the successful restoration stories of lantana management and grassland development in Corbett Tiger Reserve

The Clocks (5 min/2020/English/Turkey) – directors: Ecem Aslanay, Yiĝit Tanel Kaçar
The film deals with climate crisis through the concept of time and acts as a poetic warning

Sherni (130 min/2021/Hindi/India) – director: Amit V. Masurkar
A forest officer captures and contains a man-eating tigress in a remote village
 

The 9th edition of the Biennial Festival organised in collaboration with Toxics Link. The festival showcases 30 films categorized into four broad themes, Environmental Justice, Water, Conservation and Sustainable living along with a discussion with filmmakers present. The films are a mix of documentaries, animation and features from Austria, Canada, Greece, India, Kyrgyzstan, Nepal, Norway, Pakistan, Poland, South Africa, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom, USA, and Venezuela. The festival will also include a panel discussion with eminent journalists, environmentalists, academicians, filmmakers, policymakers, and personalities from civil society organisations.

FULL PROGRAMME

FROM 10:00 TO 11:25
Inauguration
Welcome Address by Ravi Agarwal, Founder-Director, Toxics Link
Chief Guest: Rahul Ram, well-known singer/songwriter 

Followed by 
Cultural programme
Presented by The Shri Ram Millenium School, Gurguram

FROM 11:45 TO 13:40
Manas and People (26 min/2020/Assamese/English/India) – director: Dip Bhuyan
Film on the Bodo indigenous ethnic group and their association with the natural landscape

Save our Species (2 min/2020/animation/India) – director: Delwyn Jude Remedios
Stop-motion animation film on the harm done to our planet’s species

Wildfire (10 min/2022/Nepali/Hindi/English/Nepal) – director: Shyam Karki
A little red panda, a rare species has become homeless due to a 16-day wildfire in the Nepali mid-hills

Changing Landscape (57 min/2022/Tamil/English/India) – director: Pravin Selvam
The film focuses on the plight of the wetlands in Tamil Nadu

From 14:00 onwards
The Last Tribe (45 min/2020Hindi/English/India) – director: Amit Goswami
A study of the environmental crisis in one of India’s war zone through the lens of a wildlife biologist

Between Hell and Paradise (15 min/2017/Ukrainian/English/Ukraine) – director: Slavik Bihun
Film on the holding the state responsible for the industrial activities that directly impact the environment

Svalbard in Plastic (40 min/2020/English/Norway) – director: Ivonne Salo
The film is a “wake up call” for the protected Arctic Life of Svalbard where vast amounts of plastic litter have been spotted

Green Wars (28 min/2021/English/UK) – director: Joel Elias
The film showcases the battles for land, livelihood, and climate justice in Idukki district of Kerala

The Sea’s Guardian (23 min/2021/Urdu/English/UK) – director: Sidra Altaf
Documentary on the rich and unique ecosystem of the mangroves in Karachi, Pakistan

Bleeding Gold (15 min/2022/Spanish/English/Venezuela) – directors: Thaelman Urgelles, Juan Urgell
An unprecedented ecocide in the southeast region of Venezuela, officially known as the Orinoco Mining Arc

Sensual Pill (4 min/2021/animation/English/Greece) – director: Sam3
While the human race tyrannizes the planet, nature begins a quiet dialogue that gradually increases in intensity

The Last Seed (80 min/2022/English/South Africa) – director: Andrea Gema
Film on the state of food and agriculture in Africa in the 21st century