Re-cast(e) ing the State Policy: Ascription, Identities and Democratic Politics
 

Speaker: Prof. Surinder Singh Jodhka, Professor of Sociology, Jawaharlal Nehru University and recipient of the ICSSR-Amartya Sen Award for Distinguished Social Scientist.

Welcome and Introduction: Prof. Nitya Nanda, Director, Council for Social Development

Vote of Thanks: Ankita Goyal, Council for Social Development

The post-independence Indian state has had a rather ambivalent attitude towards caste. Caste could not enter the imaginations of India’s development establishment and found no place in the vocabulary of economic growth spelt out in the planning models of the Nehruvian state.
The announcement to enumerate caste in the forthcoming national census marks an important turning in the attitude of the Indian state towards caste. Through his presentation, Prof. Jodhka will attempt to provide a political journey of caste and its changing relationship with the state policy.

(Collaboration: Council for Social Development)
 

By Rahul; Sangeetha ; Nandita Krishna Kumar and Arti Mehta ; Shreyas Hariharan; Poornima Gopal
Disciples of Vid Swarnalatha Subramanian

Followed by recital of Vid Swarnalatha Subramanian and her disciples.

Accompanists: E S Ashwini, Sowmya Kannan and Kiran Pandey (violin); Ratul S Kumar, G Swaminathan (Mridangam); M Sriram (Kanjira ); and Shounok Bannerji (Ghatam)

(Collaboration: Gayathri Fine Arts)
 

By Brajeswar Mukherjee, disciple of Pandit Ajoy Chakrabarty
 

Accompanists: Durjay Bhaumik (Tabla); Sumit Mishra (Harmonium); and Debjani Das (Tanpura)

(Collaboration: ITC Sangeet Research Academy, Kolkata)

Badariya Baras Rahi : Songs from Eastern UP

A celebrated exponent of Kajri from Mirzapur, Padmashri Urmila Srivastava will present an evocative evening of monsoon songs. With a repertoire of over 10,000 folk songs and a legacy spanning five decades, she brings the soulful traditions of eastern Uttar Pradesh to the stage.

(Collaboration: NCZCC, Prayagraj, Ministry of Culture, Govt. of India)
 

Women have been part of Buddhism since the 5th century BCE, when they were ordained as bhikkhunis and led nunneries despite a patriarchal culture. Over time, restrictions ended full ordination in many regions, and female monastic lineages declined. However, in some countries, women continue to receive full ordination and run their own nunneries and teaching centres, preserving the spiritual legacy of early female practitioners.

Screening of two films followed by discussions

At 15:30
The Geshema is Born (56 mins; 2019, English)
Directed by Malati Rao
Followed by discussion with Dr Kaveri Gill, Senior Fellow, Centre for Excellence in Himalayan Studies, Shiv Nadar University

At 17:30
White Robes, Saffron Dreams (44 mins; 2013; English)
Directed by Teena Gill 
Followed by a panel discussion moderated by Teena Gill with Dr Uma Chakravarti, Historian and film maker; Shantum Seth, mindfulness teacher and peace builder; and Dr Renuka Singh, sociologist and Director, Tushita Mahayana Meditation Centre, Delhi

The Crisis of Higher Education in India: Disturbing Present and Worrisome Future
 

Speaker: Deepak Nayyar, Emeritus Professor of Economics, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, 
Honorary Fellow, Balliol College, University of Oxford, former Chief Economic Adviser, Government of India, former Distinguished University Professor of Economics, New School for Social Research, New York and former Vice Chancellor, University of Delhi

Moderator: Dr Meenakshi Gopinath, Life Trustee, IIC 
 

A Tribute Concert in Memory of Prof. Samaresh Chatterji
By String Quartet of the Symphony Orchestra of India

Performers : Shynar Barlykova, violin; Prayash Biswakarma, violin; Mikhail Bulgakov, viola; and Sherali Mukhanbetkali, cello

(Collaboration: Delhi Music Society)
 

Led by Madan Soni, Hindi Critic

Followed by Film Screening
Jayein to Jayein Kahaan (90 mins,2025,Hindi )
Directed by Amit Dutta, eminent film maker

(Collaboration: The Raza Foundation)
 

Hindustani Vocal Recital
By Sanika Kulkarni from Pune, disciple of Dr Veena Sahasrabuddhe
Accompanists: Baldev Sisodiya (tabla); and Lalit Sisodiya (Harmonium)

At 19:00
Bharatnatyam Recital
By Divya Hoskere from Bengaluru, disciple of Shri P. Praveen Kumar

Aunty Sudha Aunty Radha (49 min; 2020)
Directed by Tanuja Chandra

A Documentary about a Filmmaker’s aunts, in the spring of their lives 
Three hours outside India's capital is a village called Lahra. This film follows two widowed sisters, aged 86 and 93, who have retired to this village, and whose days are spent with their adopted family of domestic help. The sisters do as they please, pay heed to no one and don’t bother with unsolicited advice. They don’t let their ailments unsettle them much and remain largely unfearful of death.

And yet, from this light-heartedness, emerge lessons. Of courage and perseverance, of camaraderie and care-giving, of destiny and faith, and the most significant one: when we engage in conversations of death, we improve the quality of life.

The film will be followed by a virtual chat with the director, Tanuja Chandra and producer, Anupama Mandloi (online)