India’s National Security Challenges

Edited by N.N. Vohra (Primus Books: 2023)

Discussants: Lt. Gen. Deependra S. Hooda (Retd.), PVSM, UYSM, AVSM, VSM & Bar, former General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Northern Command, Indian Army; Prof. (Dr.) C. Raja Mohan, Visiting Research Professor, Institute of South Asian Studies, National University of Singapore; Ms Indrani Bagchi, Chief Executive Officer, Ananta Centre; Shri R. Banerji, former Special Secretary, Cabinet Secretariat, Govt. of India; and Shri N.N. Vohra, former Governor of Jammu & Kashmir and Life Trustee, IIC

Chair: Shri Shyam Saran, President, IIC

Beyond Boundaries: New Insights into Bodhgaya’s Ancient Landscape
 

Speaker: Dr. M.B. Rajani, from the National Institute of Advanced Studies (NIAS), Bangalore, who specializes in using geospatial data to uncover archaeological features and address heritage preservation amid urbanization. Her methodology integrates satellite imagery with historical data to reveal insights into cultural landscapes. Her book, Patterns in Past Settlements (2021), shares these findings with a broader audience.

Chair: Prof. Upinder Singh, Professor of History, Ashoka University

As cities expand and landscapes evolve, there are new challenges in preserving India's cultural heritage. This talk will explain how combining modern technology with historical analysis helps uncover hidden archaeological features around many iconic sites. Focusing on the sacred landscape of Bodhgaya, the lecture will discuss the many hidden and unknown archaeological features at Bodhgaya -- such as monasteries, stupas and tanks -- and the clues to the ancient course of the Niranjana river. The discussion will show how these new discoveries challenge past assumptions and offer exciting insights into ancient landscapes. Join us to explore how technology is reshaping our understanding of heritage sites.
 

What the West should Learn from India: Insights from a German Diplomat
By Walter J. Lindner (Juggernaut, 2024)

Discussants: Mr. Jawed Ashraf, former Indian Ambassador of India to France and Monaco; Amb. Ronen Sen, former Indian Ambassador to the USA; Amb. Meera Shankar, former Indian Ambassador to Germany and USA; and Mr Walter Lindner, former Ambassador of Germany to India

Moderator: Dr. Constantino Xavier, Senior Fellow, Foreign Policy and Security Studies, Centre for Social and Economic Progress (CSEP)

Curated by Prof. Himanshu Prabha Ray

The thief who stole my heart: Sacred Bronzes from Chola India
Illustrated lecture by Prof. Vidya Dehejia, Barbara Stoler Miller Professor Emerita of Indian Art, Columbia University, New York, and author of a range of books on the history of Indian art that connect the literary and visual arts in meaningful ways. Her recent publications include The Thief who Stole My Heart: The Material Life of Sacred Bronzes from Chola India, 855-1280 (2021); India: A Story through 100 Objects (2021); The Unfinished. Indian Stone Carvers at Work (2016) among others. Prof. Dehejia served as Chief Curator & Deputy Director, Freer & Sackler Galleries of the Smithsonian in Washington DC, and as Acting Director in 2001-2002

Chair: Prof. Parul Dave Mukherji, Professor, School of Arts & Aesthetics, Jawaharlal Nehru University
 

The talk commences with an introduction to the sacred bronzes created by a master sculptor around the year 1000, and suggests that his inspiration may have been child-saint Sambandar’s opening hymn that hails Lord Shiva as “the thief who stole my heart.” Prof. Dehejia explores this sensuous imagery before moving to ask questions of this material that have not been asked before. Where did the Cholas acquire the copper required to cast the many temple bronzes that are solid heavy pieces of metal? What were the circumstances that permitted the creation of hundreds of temples and vast numbers of sacred bronzes despite the constant warfare that the Chola monarchs were engaged in?
 

Inaugural Session
Welcome Address: Amb. Shyam Saran, President, IIC
Address by Dr. Jeromin Zettlemeyer, Director, Bruegel

Keynote Address: Dr. S. Jaishankar, Minister for External Affairs, Govt. of India
Chair: Mr. Erkki Liikanen, Chairman, Board of Bruegel

ON 5 FEBRUARY AT 12:30
Valedictory Session
Valedictory Address by Shri Suman K. Bery, Vice Chairman, Niti Aayog

(Collaboration: Bruegel)
 

Inaugural Session

Welcome Address: Amb. Shyam Saran, President, IIC
Address by Dr. Jeromin Zettlemeyer, Director, Bruegel

Keynote Address: Dr. S. Jaishankar, Minister for External Affairs, Govt. of India
Chair: Mr. Erkki Liikanen, Chairman, Board of Bruegel

On 5 February at 12:30
 

Valedictory Session
Valedictory Address by Shri Suman K. Bery, Vice Chairman, Niti Aayog

(Collaboration: Bruegel)
 

Memories & Experiences

Ravi Shankar, Agyeya, Swaminathan & others

By Madan Lal, eminent sculptor

(Collaboration: The Raza Foundation)
 

A workshop conducted by noted Yoga Guru, author and speaker, Smt. Bijoylaxmi Hota

In the Bhagwat Gita, Sri Krishna says that life is sorrowful and reveals to Arjuna, the ways to overcome it, Of them, the ones that have been overlooked will be taught in the workshop for better physical, mental, and spiritual health, as well as for faster inner transformation

Members are requested to kindly requested to register their participation in advance on the following email id
iic.programme@gmail.com

The Wins, Woes & What was Missed

Opening Remarks: Amb. Shyam Saran, President, IIC and former Special Envoy and Chief Negotiator on Climate Change

Lead presentation by Dr. Ajay Mathur, energy sector expert and Director General, International Solar Alliance

Panelists: Ms Leena Nandan, Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change, Govt. of India; Dr Arunabha Ghosh, Founder-CEO, Council on Energy, Environment and Water;  Mr. Shombi Sharp, UN Resident Coordinator, India; and Ms Sunita Narain, Director General, Centre for Science and Environment and Editor, Down to Earth

Chair: Amb. Shyam Saran

The recently concluded COP 29 was touted as the ‘Finance COP’, with key emphasis on the financial commitments to achieve climate action. This meeting of world leaders and negotiators has yielded substantial advancements, particularly in financial mechanisms to combat climate change, and the outcome has been observed to have several hits and misses.

Lead presentation by Ms Emily Drabinski, former President, American Library Association

Remarks by Grace Banu

Special Remarks: Shri K.N. Shrivastava, Director, IIC

Panelists: Ms Rituparna; Ms Saba Khan; Ms Banu Priya and Shri Sumit Parewa

Moderator: Shri Jatin Lalit Singh