CLEAN AIR DIALOGUES
NCR’s Road to Clean Air: Progress, Obstacles and What Lies Ahead

Moderator: Sarika Panda Bhatt, Director, Nagarro and Cofounder, Raahgiri Foundation.

Discussants:  Rajesh Verma, IAS, Chairperson CAQM; Tarun Kumar Pithode, IAS, Member Secretary, CAQM;  Nidhi Madan, Partner - Climate Policy, Energiva Ventures
 

The discussion will detail the regulatory journey to combat air pollution to date. Presentations will cover enacted policies, enforcement challenges, and measurable cross-sector progress. The discussion will highlight implementation successes alongside ongoing pressure points in the region.
This conversation marks the first in a series of dialogues exploring the multifaceted challenges of air pollution, bringing together perspectives from science, policy, health, and civil society.
(Collaboration: Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM), Raahgiri Foundation)

IIC/MEDIA DIALOGUES

Assembly Poll Results and the Politics Ahead

Moderator: Bharat Bhushan, journalist and editor

Speakers:  Dr Ajay Gudavarthy, Associate Professor, Centre for Political Studies, JNU; Seshadri Chari, Political Analyst; Vasudha Venugopal, Editor, Politics, NDTV; Jomy Thomas, Chief of Bureau, Malayala Manorama; Jayanta Roy Chowdhury Editor, UNI; Jigeesh AM, Senior Deputy Editor, The Hindu

(Collaboration: The Media Foundation)
 

ART MATTERS
A panel discussion on a book The Idea of Persia by Ramin Jahanbegloo

Discussants: Professor Neera Chandhoke and Professor Syed Irfan Habib along with the author.

(Collaboration: Raza Foundation)
 

DIALOGUES IN HEALTH AND WELLNESS
Conceptualised by Dr. Ashwani Kumar

Assessment of effect of Noise Pollution on Human Health

Workshop from 10:00 to 13:00
Screening for any effect of noise pollution: any relevant history of the past, physical examination in symptomatic cases, checking of the health parameters affected by noise pollution like blood pressure (BP) and pulse, auditory (hearing) screening in selected cases of concern, on spot counselling will also be provided.  

(Strictly for IIC members and staff members only)

At 16:00
Short Talk on Noise Pollution and its effects on Human Health

Noise pollution is a preventable environmental issue and defined as excessive, unwanted, or harmful sound that has significant adverse effects on human health. It has impact on hearing, increasing risks for cardiovascular diseases, sleep disturbances, and cognitive impairments which is a broad term for reduced mental ability spanning from mild noticeable memory lapses to severe dysfunction in the form of Dementia. It has negative effects on community cohesion and quality of life. Effective Noise Pollution management is essential, with robust regulations, proper planning, and public awareness.

Followed by Panel Discussion with experts on Noise pollution

Moderator: Dr. Rakesh Kumar
    
Discussants: Dr. Rajesh Sagar Professor, Department of Psychiatry, A.I.I.M.S, New Delhi; Dr Achal K. Srivastava, Professor, Department of Neurology, A.I.I.M.S. New Delhi; Shivani, Chief, Audiologist, Department of E.N.T., A.I.I.M.S., New Delhi.

Followed by interactive Q & A session with the audience

Chair:  Dr Ashwani Kumar    

Nuclear Power in India: Rationale for the SHANTI Act

Speaker: Dr. Ravi B Grover, Member of Atomic Energy Commission, Chairman of the Board of Research in Nuclear Sciences and Distinguished Professor Emeritus at the Homi Bhabha National Institute (HBNI).

Chair: Amb. D. B. Venkatesh Verma, Former India’s Ambassador to Spain, Russia, and to the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva.

Discussants: Mr. Ramadurai Raghavan, Vice President & Head – Power Business Unit. Tata Consulting Engineers Limited; Dr D K Shukla, Former Chairman, Atomic Energy Regulatory Board; Ajay Shankar, Former Secretary, Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP)

Book Discussion Group 
India’s Strategic Autonomy : A Special Feature

Edited by Pankaj Saran & Raj Kumar Sharma (NatStrat India, 2026)
 

Shyam Saran, President, IIC in conversation with Pankaj Saran, Convenor, Natstrat
 

Discussants: Dr Shamika Ravi, Member PM’s Economic Advisory Council; Amb. Jawed Ashraf, Chairman, ITPO;Vice Admiral S J Singh, DG, USI; Suhasini Haider, Journalist.

Concluding address M.J.Akbar, Author and Former Minister

 

Art Matters

Rasas of Modernity, a panel discussion on the book ‘Understanding Indian Modernity Through Paintings’ (Aleph 2025) By Harsha Dahejia.

Discussants: Geeti Sen; Meera Menezes and Harsha Dahejia

(Collaboration: Raza Foundation)

The 11th Literary Activism Symposium

Doing the Dirt on Tragedy

Uses D.H. Lawrence’s preference for “liveliness” over “grandeur” to rethink the boundaries of Western and non-Western literary traditions.

Speakers: Amit Chaudhuri, novelist, poet and Professor of Creative Writing and Director of the Centre for the Creative and the Critical, Ashoka University; William Harris, critic, writes essays for n+1, New Left Review, Jacobin, etc; Jatin Nayak, translator, literary critic, and Professor Emeritus at KISS University, Bhubaneswar; Sumana Roy, author, critic, and Associate Professor of English and Creative Writing, Ashoka University; Saikat Majumdar, novelist, critic, and Professor of English and Creative Writing at Ashoka University; Aditya Bahl, poet and critic, Assistant Professor in the Department of English at UCLA; Udayan Vajpeyi, Hindi poet, essayist and Associate Professor at Gandhi Medical College, Bhopal; Simon Cooke, scholar of Victorian and modern literature and Associate Professor of English Literature at Durham University; Tishani Doshi, award-winning poet, novelist and dancer, and Professor of Practice in Literature and Creative Writing at NYU Abu Dhabi; Kirsty Gunn, acclaimed novelist and short story writer, and Professor of Writing Practice at the University of Dundee.

(Collaboration: Ashoka University)

Remembering Prof. André Béteille: Life, Scholarship and Legacy
Speakers: Romila Thapar, Professor Emerita and Historian; Nandini Sundar, Professor of Sociology at the Delhi School of Economics, DU; Virginius Xaxa, eminent sociologist and former Professor at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences; Surinder S. Jodhka, Professor of Sociology at Jawaharlal Nehru University; Deepak Nayyar is a distinguished economist, former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Delhi; Amita Baviskar Professor of Environmental Studies and Sociology at Ashoka University; Patricia Uberoi, sociologist and former Professor at the Institute of Economic Growth; Deepak Mehta, Professor of Sociology at Ashoka University; Gopa Sabharwal, Professor of Sociology and Former Vice Chancellor, Nalanda University
Chair: Dipankar Gupta, distinguished sociologist and former Professor at Jawaharlal Nehru University
A commemorative conversation honouring Prof. André Béteille (1934–2026), eminent sociologist, Padma Bhushan awardee, and long-standing faculty member at the Delhi School of Economics. The programme will reflect on his intellectual legacy, international stature, and enduring contributions to the study of inequality, social structure, and democratic thought.
 

The 11th Literary Activism Symposium

Doing the Dirt on Tragedy

Uses D.H. Lawrence’s preference for “liveliness” over “grandeur” to rethink the boundaries of Western and non-Western literary traditions.

Speakers: Amit Chaudhuri, novelist, poet and Professor of Creative Writing and Director of the Centre for the Creative and the Critical, Ashoka University; William Harris, critic, writes essays for n+1, New Left Review, Jacobin, etc; Jatin Nayak, translator, literary critic, and Professor Emeritus at KISS University, Bhubaneswar; Sumana Roy, author, critic, and Associate Professor of English and Creative Writing, Ashoka University; Saikat Majumdar, novelist, critic, and Professor of English and Creative Writing at Ashoka University; Aditya Bahl, poet and critic, Assistant Professor in the Department of English at UCLA; Udayan Vajpeyi, Hindi poet, essayist and Associate Professor at Gandhi Medical College, Bhopal; Simon Cooke, scholar of Victorian and modern literature and Associate Professor of English Literature at Durham University; Tishani Doshi, award-winning poet, novelist and dancer, and Professor of Practice in Literature and Creative Writing at NYU Abu Dhabi; Kirsty Gunn, acclaimed novelist and short story writer, and Professor of Writing Practice at the University of Dundee.

(Collaboration: Ashoka University)