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)

 

Architecture & Environment
Speaker: Kazuyo Sejima, Founder of SANAA and Professor at the Polytechnic University of Milan, Visiting professor at Japan Women’s University and Osaka University of Arts, an Emeritus Professor at Yokohama National University, and Director of the Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum. Her notable works include House in Plum Grove, the Inujima Art House Project, and the Japan Women’s University Mejiro Campus. She directed the 12th International Architecture Exhibition at the Venice Biennale (2010) and is the recipient of the Pritzker Architecture Prize, the Venice Biennale Golden Lion Award, the Praemium Imperiale, and the Royal Gold Medal, among other honours.

Moderator: Prof. KT Ravindran, architect and former Head of Urban Design at School of Planning and Architecture (SPA).

About 40 years ago, Kazuyo Sejima began exploring how architecture might create a more seamless relationship between interior and exterior space. Her central question was: What kind of architecture can truly connect people with their surrounding environment? Over the decades, she has come to believe that achieving this connection enables us—those living in the present—to shape new landscapes while honouring the ones that already exist.

(Collaboration: International House of Japan and Japan Foundation, New Delhi)

BOOK DISCUSSION GROUP

India and Her Futures
By Gopalkrishna Gandhi (Bloomsbury, 2025)

Discussants: Dr. John Brittas, Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha; Gopalkrishna Gandhi, Diplomat and Former Governor, West Bengal and author of the book

Chair: Kamal Haasan, Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha; Actor and Founder, Makkal Needhi Maiam
Moderator: Mrinal Pande, Author, Journalist and Former Chairperson, Prasar Bharati
 

Dialogues in Health and Wellness

Conceptualised by Dr. Ashwani Kumar

Talk & Workshop from 10:00 to 13:00

Preventive Health Check-up with Oncology Focus

Conducted by a team of Medical Consultants: Dr. Hari Sagiraju, Associate Professor, Dept. of Preventive Oncology, National Cancer Institute; Dr. Pallavi Shukla, Associate Professor, Dept. of Preventive Oncology, IRCH, All India Institute of Medical Sciences; Dr. Jyoti Sharma, Associate Professor, Dept. of Surgical Oncology, National Cancer Institute; and Dr. Aparna Sharma, Assistant Professor, Dept. of Medical Oncology, National Cancer Institute

Activities will include NCD Risk Assessment (Diabetes, Hypertension & Common Cancers); General Health Check-up (Blood Pressure, Random Blood Sugar, BMI, Waist–Hip Ratio); Blood Investigations (Blood Counts, Kidney & Liver Function, Lipid Profile, Anemia Workup, HbA1c);  Biomarkers (PSA, CEA, CA-125, CA 19-9 — for those at risk); Oral & Breast Health Check-up with Self-Examination Guidance; Self-Sample HPV-DNA Testing; and NCD Awareness & Educational Material

(Reports will be shared digitally within the stipulated time.)

(Strictly for IIC members and staff members only)

At 16:00

A short talk on Cancer: Risk, Reality, and the Road to Freedom
By Prof. Sameer Bakhshi,

Followed by a Panel Discussion on:

Outsmarting Cancer: Prevention, Early Detection, and Treatment

Panelists: Dr. Sameer Bakhshi, Medical Oncology Consultant; ; Dr. Suman Bhasker, Professor & Head, Dept. of Radiation Oncology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences; and Ms. Sonal Sharma, Patient Advocate, CanKids KidsCan

Moderator: Dr. Alok Thakar, Former Professor & Head, ENT & Head–Neck Surgery, All India Institute of Medical Sciences; Former Head, National Cancer Institute
Chair: Dr Ashwani Kumar                                  

Followed by an interactive Q&A with the audience.

Art Matters
AE Krishna Sobti, An evening on Krishna Sobti writings.
(Collaboration: Raza Foundation)

Art Matters
AE Krishna Sobti, An evening on Krishna Sobti writings.

(Collaboration: Raza Foundation)
 

BOOK DISCUSSION GROUP

Signing in the air: Poems
By Malashri Lal

Discussants:Namita Gokhale, writer, editor, and Festival Director, Jaipur Literature Festival;Dr Rakhshanda Jalil, writer, translator, and literary historian; Prof. Malashri Lal, writer and academic. Convenor, English Advisory Board, Sahitya Akademi

Theatrical interpretation of selected poems by Ms. Annu Priya, Film Actress and NSD Alumna (Batch: 2023)

Moderator: Dr. Kiriti Sengupta, Poet, Editor, and Director, Hawakal Publishers