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M N SRINIVAS MEMORIAL LECTURE SERIES

SEVENTEENTH M.N.SRINIVAS MEMORIAL LECTURE

TITLE: “Strangers as Spouses: Sex ratio imbalances and cross-region marriage”

SPEAKER: Prof. Ravinder Kaur Head, Department of Humanities and Social Sciences

Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi

CHAIRPERSON: Prof. Carol Upadhya School of Social Sciences, NIAS

DATE: 23 January 2018

ABSTRACT: In this lecture, I will discuss certain cross-region marriage patterns that are largely a result of demographic imbalances (skewed sex ratios) in the northern region of India. As many sociologists, including M.N. Srinivas, have noted, marriage is highly valued in Indian society and most Indians tend to marry within their caste, language, religious and regional communities. So when Indians marry at a large distance and transgress the above norms and these are not self-choice marriages, such a pattern demands an explanation. One such pattern that I discuss in this lecture is of men from Haryana (and a few other northern states) marrying women from West Bengal, Assam, Kerala and other distant states. These unusual marriages raise numerous questions, ranging from the reasons for their occurrence to their organization and the consequences for brides and grooms and implications for their respective societies. A culture of son preference in the north, sharp fertility declines and new sex determination technologies have reduced the number of girls being born, resulting in a “marriage squeeze” against men. Thus in 2011, Haryana had 834 girls to a 1000 boys between the ages of 0-6, Punjab had 846, Rajasthan, 888 and Uttar Pradesh 902. Fewer girls mean fewer marriageable women. This story is about how long-distance, cross-region marriage seeks to plug the shortage in these states. Such marriages entangle individuals and communities in intimate yet fraught relationships, compelling us to reread marriage within concerns of gender, patriarchy and unequal economies and geographies.

ABOUT SPEAKER: Ravinder Kaur is Professor of Sociology and Head, Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi. She has previously taught at Delhi University and New York University. She is the recipient of various fellowships and awards and most recently taught at Bielefeld University in Germany. Her current research interests are in the areas of gender, family, marriage, kinship, middle class and technology. She has worked extensively on the issue of skewed sex ratios and their consequences for society. She has published widely on the subject and has co-authored a book “Planning families, Planning Gender” as well as edited two books recently “Marrying in South Asia: Shifting Concepts, Changing Practices in a Globalized World” (with Rajni Palriwala) and “Too Many Men, Too Few Women: Social Consequences of the Gender Imbalance in India and China”. She is currently working on a monograph entitled “Strangers as Spouses: Skewed Sex Ratios and Marriage Migration in India”. In 2011-2012 she received IIT Delhi’s Teaching Excellence Award. She has worked closely with the UNFPA on research and advocacy on gender biased sex selection and has served on the Government of India’s Central Supervisory Board of the PC-PNDT (Prohibition of Sex Selection) Act. She was also one of the five members of the Justice Srikrishna Committee on Andhra Pradesh.

SIXTEENTH M.N.SRINIVAS MEMORIAL LECTURE

TITLE: "Why Discrimination Persists Despite Law? Insights from Theories"

SPEAKER: Prof. Sukhadeo Thorat Chairman, ICSSR, New Delhi

CHAIRPERSON: Prof. Baldev Raj, Director, NIAS

DATE: September 20, 2016

ABSTRACT: This talk will concentrate on why caste-based discriminations persist in India and how caste-based prejudices are ideologically grounded. Theoretical insights from discrimination based on prejudices which are embedded in individual psychology [test for discrimination theory (Becker, 1956); belief theory (Arrow, 1973) and Identity theory (Akerlof and Kranton, 2010)] for the institution of caste attribute individual prejudices as basis for discrimination and that individual psychological feelings producing stereotypical beliefs about the others resulting in discriminatory behavior. Questioning the theoretical construct of prejudice as a set of individual feelings, the group-based theory (Blumer, 1958; Darity, et al, 2006) explains prejudice as an amalgam of attitudes of the dominant group towards a subordinate group, developed with the purpose to derive material benefits and high social status. Group-based theory shifts the focus from an individual’s prejudicial feelings to the group’s prejudicial norms and also from the utility and psychological gains to more tangible material gains and high social status emanating from discrimination. In this sense, Ambedkar’s analysis of caste falls in the group-based theoretical perspective presenting caste system as an empirical case for group theory of prejudice and bringing in the role of religious ideology in the formation of norms or beliefs that result in group prejudice and discrimination (1987). Caste is made up of divine origin grounded in the Hindu religious philosophy and “Graded Inequality” forms the foundation of caste system. Any policy that challenges these traditional privileges will be opposed by members of the dominant caste as they see this policy as an encroachment on the reserved space enjoyed by them for so long.

ABOUT SPEAKER: Prof. Sukhadeo Thorat was born on July 12, 1949 in village Mahimapur, District Amravati (Maharashtra), India. He did B.A from Milind College of Arts, Aurangabad (Maharashtra), M.A. in Economics from Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University, Aurangabad Maharashtra, and M.Phil/Ph.D in Economics from Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi and Diploma in Economic Planning, Main School of Planning Warsaw, Poland. Some of the academic positions he has held are Chairman, ICSSR since April 2011; Chairman, UGC from February 2006 to February 2011; Faculty Member, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi w.e.f. 1980 onwards. His research interests are in the areas of Agricultural Development, Rural Poverty, Institution and Economic Growth, Problems of Marginalized Groups, Economics of Caste System, Caste Discrimination and Poverty, Human Development, Human Rights Issue, Thoughts of Ambedkar, Slums, Education etc. Awards and honours he has received include Padamshree award from the Government of India in 2008; Vidyalankara (Lifetime Achievement Award) by Purbanchal Academy of Oriental Studies in association with Ministry of HRD, Govt. of India in 2008; P.K. Patil Purushottam Award in 2007; Awarded Bharat Shiromani Award 2006 by Shiromani Institute and Ambedkar Chetna Award in 2001.

FIFTEENTH M.N.SRINIVAS MEMORIAL LECTURE

TITLE: “Micro foundations of public policy: Some thoughts inspired by the contributions of M.N. Srinivas”

SPEAKER: Professor T.N. Srinivasan Emeritus of Economics, Yale University, USA

CHAIRPERSON: Prof. Narendar Pani, School of Social Sciences, NIAS


ABSTRACT: The lecture will take off from the fundamental ideas of M.N. Srinivas of dominant caste, and distribution, and inter-caste and non-caste relations. Srinivas used these ideas to study the socio-economic, religious and political relations in a village by identifying and characterizing two distinct dynamic and endogenous processes of Sanskritization and Westernization. The lecture will build on these ideas to analyse response of village societies to exogenous shocks, such as technology and demography, as well as public policies of investment in infrastructure including energy, irrigation, education and health. It will conclude by exploring the need for interdisciplinary research emphasized by Srinivas and illustrate opportunities opening up for such research in the current context of India as a global economic power.

FOURTEENTH M.N.SRINIVAS MEMORIAL LECTURE

TITLE: “India Beyond Mandal”

SPEAKER: Lord Meghnad Desai Emeritus Professor of Economics at the London School of Economics

CHAIRPERSON: Prof. Narendar Pani, School of Social Sciences, NIAS


THIRTEENTH M.N.SRINIVAS MEMORIAL LECTURE

TITLE: "Corruption as Participation In Neo-Liberal India"

SPEAKER: Prof. Arjun Appadurai Paulette Goddard Professor of Media, Culture and Communication New York University (USA)


ABOUT SPEAKER: Prof. Arjun Appadurai is a prominent contemporary social-cultural anthropologist, having formerly served as Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs at The New School in NYC. He has held various professorial chairs and visiting appointments at some of

top institutions in the United States and Europe. In addition, he has served on several scholarly and advisory bodies in the United States, Latin America, Europe and India. Prof. Appadurai is a prolific writer having authored numerous books and scholarly articles. The nature and significance of his contributions throughout his academic career have earned him the reputation as a leading figure in his field.

TWELFTH M.N.SRINIVAS MEMORIAL LECTURE

TITLE: "The Role of Media"

SPEAKER: Shri. Mammen Mathew Chief Editor and Managing Director Malayala Manorama


ABOUT SPEAKER: Shri Mammen Mathew, who has 44 years of experience in the publication industry, is the eldest son of the late KM Mathew, who was the chief editor of the newspaper from 1973 till his death on August 1, 2010. After doing his B.A. and M.A. in medieval Indian history from St Stephen’s College, Delhi, Mammen underwent editorial training in “The Times of India.” He then joined “Manorama” as its Delhi correspondent. In 1968, he became a reporter for the “Western Mail” in Cardiff in the United Kingdom. He also worked in “The Sunday Times” in London when Sir Harold Evans was its editor. The following year, he worked as a reporter for the “Oklahoma City Times” and later for “The Daily Oklahoma”. In 1970, he became the Resident Editor of “Manorama” Kozhikode unit. Ten years later, he assumed charge as the General Manager and Managing Editor of the company in Kottayam. In 1988, he became the Editor as well as the Managing Director.

ELEVENTH M.N.SRINIVAS MEMORIAL LECTURE

TITLE: “Reflectionn on Globalization, Discrimation and Affirmative Action”

SPEAKER: Prof. Thomas E. Weisskopf Emeritus Professor of Economics University of Michigan, USA

DATE: 15 March 2011

ABSTRACT: Distinguishing three major eras of globalization over the past half-millennium, I address the variety of ways in which processes of globalization are likely to influence the nature and extent of discrimination against people on account of their racial or ethnic group identity. I then go on to consider the impact of the contemporary phase of globalization on efforts to counter discrimination via policies of affirmative action. I focus particular attention on identifying similarities and differences

between the global "center" and the global "periphery" with respect to the way in which contemporary globalization is likely to affect discrimination and affirmative action.

ABOUT SPEAKER: Professor Thomas Weisskopf is currently an Emeritus Professor of Economics at the University of Michigan. His publications include, The Capitalist System: A Radical Analysis of Contemporary American Society (with Richard Edwards and Michael Reich, 1978/1986):, Beyond the Waste Land: A Democratic Alternative to Economic Decline (with Samuel Bowles and David M.Gordon,1984/1985); After the Waste Land: A Democratic Economics for the Year 2000 (with Samuel Bowles and David M. Gordon,, M.E. Sharpe, 1991/1992); Microeconomics in Context (With Neva R. Goodwin, Frank Ackerman and Oleg I. Ananyin in Russian, 2002); Affirmative Action in the United States and India: A Comparative Perspective, Routledge, London, 2004/2006.

TENTH M.N.SRINIVAS MEMORIAL LECTURE

TITLE: “The Scenic and the Narrative: Anthropology in the Times of Violence”

SPEAKER: Prof. Veena Das Johns Hopkins University, USA


NINTH M.N.SRINIVAS MEMORIAL LECTURE

TITLE: “Sociology and Ideology”

SPEAKER: Prof Andre Beteille Former Chairman, Indian Council of Social Science Research, New Delhi

DATE: 14 November 2008

EIGHTH M.N.SRINIVAS MEMORIAL LECTURE

TITLE: “Caste as Capital: Retelling the Story of Our Modernity”

SPEAKER: Prof Satish Deshpande Department of Sociology, Delhi School of Economics, Delhi University


SEVENTH M.N.SRINIVAS MEMORIAL LECTURE

TITLE: “Back to the Village”

SPEAKER: Prof. Scarlett Epstein (Prof. Epstein was one of Professor Srinivas's first doctoral students and has extensively worked in Karnataka's villages)


SIXTH M.N.SRINIVAS MEMORIAL LECTURE

TITLE: “State and Identity: The Case of Karnataka”

SPEAKER: Prof Rajendra Chenni Professor and Head, PG Department of Studies in English Kuvempu University, Shimoga


FIFTH M.N.SRINIVAS MEMORIAL LECTURE

TITLE: “Technology of Obsolescence”

SPEAKER: Prof J P S Uberoi Professor of Sociology, University of Delhi


FOURTH M.N.SRINIVAS MEMORIAL LECTURE

TITLE: “The Fate of Reforms”

SPEAKER: Arun Shourie Honourable Minister of Disinvestment, Communications, Information Technology, Government of India


THIRD M.N.SRINIVAS MEMORIAL LECTURE

TITLE: “Does technology re-invent a purpose in civilization?: Teleology from Bergson to William Halal”

SPEAKER: Mr. Justice M N Venkatachaliah


SECOND M.N.SRINIVAS MEMORIAL LECTURE

TITLE: “IT for the common man: Lessons from India”

SPEAKER: Kenneth Keniston Andrew W Mellon Professor of Human Development Programme in Science, Technology and Society, MIT, USA

DATE: 3 December 2001

FIRST M.N.SRINIVAS MEMORIAL LECTURE

TITLE: "Religion in the contemporary world"

SPEAKER: Dr. T N Madan Institute of Economic Growth, New Delhi


RAJA RAMANNA MEMORIAL LECTURE SERIES

THIRTEENTH RAJA RAMANNA MEMORIAL LECTURE

TITLE: “Grand Challenges in Science and Technology its Multiple dimensions”

SPEAKER: Dr. K Kasturirangan Chairman, National Education Policy & Karnataka Knowledge Commission

CHAIRPERSON: Prof. Baldev Raj, Director, NIAS


ABSTRACT: The talk will deal with a brief account of selected topics on Grand Challenges in Science and Technology, which are pertinent at the present phase of our country’s development. These have been arrived at through a process of consultation with several eminent intellectuals in the country including planners and policy makers. The choice of these subjects besides being based on the scale of the challenge also takes into account the diversity of solutions that they offer, since there is no “one size fits all”. The topics include- Water, Machine Intelligence, Advanced Materials, India’s transition to Cleaner Energy Systems, Deep Ocean Technologies, Climate Change &Food Security, Traditional Systems of Medicine and Engineering Education.

ABOUT SPEAKER: : Dr K. Kasturirangan is currently the Chairman, National Education Policy; Chairman, Karnataka Knowledge Commission; Honorary Distinguished Advisor, Indian Space Research Organisation; Emeritus Professor at the National Institute of Advanced Studies. Earlier, as Chairman of ISRO, he oversaw the space programme in India between the years 1994 and 2003. He was Member of Rajya Sabha (2003-04), concurrently Director of National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bangalore (2004-09), Member of the erstwhile Planning Commission (2009-14). His interests include astrophysics, space science and technology as well as science related policies. He is a Fellow of: Indian Academy of Sciences (was President during 2001-03): Indian National Academy of Engineering (was President during 2005-06) and Indian National Science Academy and National Academy of Sciences of India; Honorary Fellow of the Cardiff University, UK and Academician of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, Vatican City. He has been conferred the highest civilian honours Padma Shri, Padma Bhushan and Padma Vibhushan by the President of India and Award of ‘Officer of the Legion d’honneur’ by the President of the French Republic, France.

TWELFTH RAJA RAMANNA MEMORIAL LECTURE

TITLE: “Science, Technology and Health”

SPEAKER: Prof. G. Padmanaban Former Director, IISc

CHAIRPERSON: Prof. B.V. Sreekantan


ABSTRACT: India has several challenges and opportunities on the health front. The biggest challenge is to make effective but affordable therapeutics to the millions, who do not have any kind of social security. Our country has a low human development index and challenged by both infectious and chronic diseases. At the same time, India is making significant effort in the areas of vaccines, biosimilars, devices and diagnostics. There is great potential to exploit herbals and phytochemicals for making affordable drugs. We have also to keep abreast of the science explosion relevant to health area. Synthetic Biology, Systems Biology, Cell and Gene Therapy, Big Data Analytics and Telemedicine are all becoming clinically relevant. A vibrant start-up culture indicates a positive trend to meet with all the developmental challenges. There is need for S&T support in a big way to keep abreast and promote translational culture. Comprehensive public health policies and pragmatic regulatory and ethical guidelines are essential to move forward.

ABOUT SPEAKER: Prof. Padmanaban received his BSc (Chemistry) from the Presidency College, Chennai, MSc (Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry) from Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), New Delhi; and DSc (hc) from BHU and PhD (Biochemistry) (1966) from the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore. He went on to become Director of IISc (1994-98). Currently he is NASI Platinum Jubilee Senior Scientist, Department of Biochemistry, IISC and Senior Science and Innovation Adviser, BIRAC, Department of Biotechnology, Govt. of India. For his contributions, Professor Padmanaban was conferred with SS Bhatnagar Prize in 1983, the Padma Shri in 1991 and the Padma Bhushan in 2004 from the Government of India, He is also interested in Indian Philosophy and Carnatic music.

ELEVENTH RAJA RAMANNA MEMORIAL LECTURE

TITLE: “Well-Trodden Highways and New Pathways: Finding the Best Roads for Accelerating Energy Efficiency in India”

SPEAKER: Dr. Ajay Mathur Director General, Bureau of Energy Efficiency, Ministry of Power, New Delhi

DATE: 19 August 2015

TENTH RAJA RAMANNA MEMORIAL LECTURE

TITLE: “Estimating India’s Future Electricity Needs”

SPEAKER: Prof. S.P. Sukhatme Professor Emeritus, IIT Bombay


NINTH RAJA RAMANNA MEMORIAL LECTURE

TITLE: “India's Improbable Democracy: Theory, Comparison, Performance”

SPEAKER: Prof. Ashutosh Varshney Sol Goldman Professor of International Studies and the Social Sciences, Brown University & Dr. Raja Ramanna Chair Visiting Professor, NIAS

DATE: 8 August 2013

ABSTRACT: Both theory and empirical evidence make it clear that while democracies can be established at any level of income, they do not last at low levels of income. India's democracy is one of the greatest exceptions to the historical and comparative patterns. How does one understand the survival of democracy in India? What are the challenges that lie ahead?"

ABOUT SPEAKER: Ashutosh Varshney is Sol Goldman Professor of International Studies and the Social Sciences, Brown University, where he also directs the India Initiative. Previously, he taught at Harvard and the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. His books include Ethnic Conflict and Civic Life: Hindus and Muslims in India, Democracy, Development, and the Countryside: Urbanâ€“Rural Struggles in India and India in the Era of Economic Reforms. His honours include the Guggenheim and Carnegie awards and the Gregory Luebbert Prize. He is a contributing editor for the Indian Express, and his guest columns have appeared in many newspapers, including the Financial Times."

EIGHTH RAJA RAMANNA MEMORIAL LECTURE

TITLE: “India’s External and Internal Security”

SPEAKER: Shri Shivshankar Menon National Security Advisor to the Prime Minister of India

CHAIRPERSON: Prof. V.S. Ramamurthy, Director, NIAS


SEVENTH RAJA RAMANNA MEMORIAL LECTURE

TITLE: “Reflections on the Rajiv Gandhi Action Plan for a Nuclear-Weapons-Free and Non-violent World Order”

SPEAKER: Shri Mani Shankar Aiyar Member of Parliament-Rajya Sabha

CHAIRPERSON: Prof. V.S. Ramamurthy, Director, NIAS

DATE: 27 February 2012

ABOUT SPEAKER: Shri Mani Shankar Aiyar, after his early schooling in Welham and Doon School, Dehra Dun, studied Economics in St Stephen's college, New Delhi. On completing his graduation with Distinction (receipient of Ranade Prize for standing First in the University), he joined MA Tripos in Economics in Cambridge, U.K. and in the course of his studentship served as Secretary, Cambridge Union Society. During the period of stay Shri Aiyar was described as the "best speaker in the union" by his contemporary Norman Lamont. Later Shri Aiyar received D.Sc. (honoris causa) from the Indian School of Mines, Dhanbad in 2006 and was made an Honorary Fellow, Trinity Hall, Cambridge University, UK, in 2010. He is also the Chairman of the India Chapter of The South Asia Foundation and Gandhi Ashram Reconstruction Trust.

SIXTH RAJA RAMANNA MEMORIAL LECTURE

TITLE: “The Science of Musical Excellence”

SPEAKER: Dr. T. Ramasami Secretary, Department of Science and Technology, Government of India and Vidwan Sri Umayalpuram K. Sivaraman, Chennai

DATE: 12 September 2010

FIFTH RAJA RAMANNA MEMORIAL LECTURE

TITLE: "Striving for a Nuclear Weapon Free World"

SPEAKER: Ambassador Saurabh Kumar, IFS (retd.) Formerly Ambassador of India to the IAEA, UNIDO & UN Offices in Vienna; Austria; Ireland & Vietnam


FOURTH RAJA RAMANNA MEMORIAL LECTURE

TITLE: “Science for National Development”

SPEAKER: Dr. Anil Kakodkar Chairman, Atomic Energy Commission and Secretary, Department of Atomic Energy


THIRD RAJA RAMANNA MEMORIAL LECTURE

TITLE: “Nuclear energy in India: self-reliance and international cooperation”

SPEAKER: Dr. R Chidambaram Principal Scientific Advisor to Government of India


SECOND RAJA RAMANNA MEMORIAL LECTURE

TITLE: “Evolution of India's nuclear policies in the context of changing security perceptions”

SPEAKER: Shyam Saran Special Envoy of Prime Minister


FIRST RAJA RAMANNA MEMORIAL LECTURE

TITLE: "Dr Raja Ramanna"

SPEAKER: Prof C V Sundaram Former Director, Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research Kalpakkam & former Homi Bhabha Visiting Professor of NIAS


PROF. R L KAPUR ORATION

FIFTH PROF. R L KAPUR ORATION TITLE: “Drift of Contemporary Ideologies: Social and Psychic Defenses In the Discourses and Practices of Hate”

SPEAKER: Prof. Gilles Bibeau Professor Emeritus at the Université de Montréal, Canada

CHAIRPERSON: Prof. Sundar Sarukkai, NIAS

DATE: 16 June 2017

ABSTRACT: In a globalized world in which the figure of the other tends to be erased as a principle of differentiation, ideologies appear to be more and more enmeshed in discourses and practices of hate. Clinicians and social scientists have disclosed the destructive effects of the fanatical engagements at all levels – individual and collective – and across areas within societies – politics and religions. Such ideologies infiltrate the thinking of both the dominant and the excluded, and constitute a trap from which nobody can escape. Borrowing from ideas developed by Dr. Ravi Kapur and a few other thinkers, I will suggest avenues that may help to move out of such dangerous illusions and to put in place thoughts and practices opened to the plurality of positions in matters of politics and religion.

ABOUT SPEAKER: Gilles Bibeau, Professor Emeritus at the Université de Montréal, Canada, where he has been professor of medical anthropology and cultural psychiatry over a period of 35 years. He has received academic training in biochemistry, philosophy, comparative religions and anthropology.

Between 1966 and 1979, Bibeau has lived in Africa where he conducted research dealing with the evaluation of African traditional medicines and their potential contribution to the health services. In the 80ies, Bibeau has developed, with Ellen Corin, the International Network for Ethnoepidemiology and Community Mental Health (INECOM). This international comparative and action-geared project (Brazil, Peru, Côte d’Ivoire, Mali, India, Italy, Romania) in social and cultural psychiatry was dealing with the study of SIGNS - the popular ways people use to identify (popular semiology) – MEANINGS – the explanatory models to explain onset of pathologies – and ACTIONS – the responses provided by individuals, families and communitiesto handle mental health problems. In the 90s, the INECOM project gave birth to the international network REDET on the Social Determinants of Health to which the schools of public health of Brazil, Peru, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Canada have participated. This network has promoted critical approaches in linking public health with the problems of social and economic inequality and questions of Human Rights and Justice.

FOURTH PROF. R L KAPUR ORATION

TITLE: "The Riddle of Sphinx- The Issue of Love and Death in the Mystic Lore of India"

SPEAKER: Prof. Manoj Das Distinguished Writer, Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Pondicherry

CHAIRPERSON: Prof S. Settar, NIAS

DATE: 21 June 2016

ABOUT SPEAKER: Born on 27.02.1934 in a remote coastal village of Odisha, India, Manoj Das grew up amidst loving rural folks and Nature’s splendours but also had the horrific experience of a devastating cyclone followed by famine crushing his locality. At the age of eight he stood witness to his affluent home on the sea being plundered by savage gangs of bandits, not once but twice.

In town for study, writing came to him spontaneously and his first book in Odia was published when he was fourteen. At fifteen he launched Diganta, which, in course of time, grew into a significant literary journal in the state. In search of some panacea for human suffering he became a revolutionary youth leader while in college, leading several agitations, courting jail, becoming unopposed President of the University Law College Union, General Secretary of the Students Federation and playing an active role in the Afro-Asian Students Conference at Bandung, Indonesia, in 1956. His quest, however, led him to mysticism and, after serving as a lecturer in English at Cuttack for four years, he, along with his wife, Pratijna Devi, a scion of the Raj family of Kujang whose parents were renowned freedom fighters, joined the Sri Aurobindo Ashram at Pondicherry in 1963 which became their permanent abode.

THIRD PROF. R L KAPUR ORATION

TITLE: “Studying Genocide after Fifty Years”

SPEAKER: Prof. Ashis Nandy Distinguished Fellow, Center for the study of Developing Societies, Delhi

DATE: 19 June 2015

SECOND PROF. R L KAPUR ORATION

TITLE: "Culture and Self: Some Emerging Concerns"

SPEAKER: Prof Girishwar Misra Vice Chancellor Mahatma Gandhi Antarrashtriya Hindi Vishvavidyalaya, Wardha,Maharashtra

CHAIRPERSON: Prof Sangeetha Menon, School of Humanities, NIAS

DATE: 13 June 2014

ABSTRACT: The exploration of self is witnessing resurgence in social scientific scholarship. However, being embedded in an individualistic ontology and a positivist epistemology, the mainstream view continues its concern with ego-invested self structures. People defend and self-protect against ego-discrepant experiences and cling to ego affirming ones. Empirical investigations tend to evince that engagement with self oftentimes distorts our perceptions of the outer world, compels to draw inaccurate conclusions and escalates many problems including depression, anxiety, jealousy and social conflict. The notions about self, originating from the Western world, are getting exported and are treated as the international standards leading to some sort of homogenising of the mind and world. The cross-cultural and cultural evidence, however, tends to suggest that mental phenomena cannot be separated from culture and reduced to mere biological functions. The brain is acculturated and cultural influences are often local and intimate. It needs to be realized that the loss of diversity in world’s differing conceptions of self and well being is not less important than the loss of biodiversity.

The hyper individualism so characteristic of the Euro-American world is deeply influenced by the split between the mind and the body, conscious and unconscious, and individual and group. However, there are cultures in the world where such a partitioning is not operative and the conceptions of mind are holistic and intertwined with the socio-cultural context. They have yet not separated the mind from body, nor have disconnected individual health from that of the group. Thus the Indian perspective holds the self as a ‘conscious being’ and proposes movement towards intricate and integrative self-structures. The discourse brings in higher order organization having potential to foster healthy development. It also strives toward a ceaseless search for the self that is integrated, authentic and harmonious with the inherent aspects of the core self. Being conscious involves dealing with a constant stream of experiences. Being open, it goes for integration and greater unity in understanding and functioning. Opening to reality involves seeing what is present with a high tolerance for varied experiences without being threatened or defending against it. According to this view, life is an ongoing process in which one experiences continuous change through a balancing act of participation and abandonment.

It seems that the structure and processes of self are cultural constructions. The cultural practices are not only sources of personal and social identity but also operate as strategies for managing self and its relationship with the rest of the world. As a psychological process self is subjective and personal but is certainly transmitted, nurtured and sustained by the culture in which we live. The dialogues, narratives and other social discourses tell how self is described, responded to and evaluated. Thus cultures help in representing and experiencing a self both as object and subject of experience. There is need to think about the interface between culture and mind by encouraging intercultural dialogue and understanding.

ABOUT SPEAKER: Prof Girishwar Misra (b. 1951), PhD in Psychology, is currently Vice Chancellor, Mahatma Gandhi Antarrashtriya Hindi University, Wardha. During his academic career spanning over four decades he has been Professor of Psychology at the University of Delhi for the last two decades and taught at Bhopal, Allahabad and Gorakhpur Universities. His teaching and research interests include cultural and indigenous psychology, human development, self and identity and emotions. He has been President of the National Academy of Psychology, India; Senior Fulbright Fellow at Swarthmore College, Philadelphia and University of Michigan, Ann Arber; and Dean,

Faculty of Arts and Dean Research, University of Delhi. He has been visiting faculty at Rohr University, Bochum, Germany, University of Sussex, Britain and New School of Social Research, New York. He is a recipient of National Fellowship by the NAOP, and National Fellowship of the Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR) and Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru National Award from MP Council of Science & Technology. His major publications include Psychological Consequences of Prolonged Deprivation (NPC, Agra, with L B Tripathi), Deprivation: Its Social Roots and Psychological Consequences (Concept, with D Sinha & R C Tripathi), Perspectives on Indigenous Psychology (Concept, with A K Mohanty), Psychology of Poverty and Social Disadvantage (Concept, with Ajit Mohanty), Applied Social Psychology in India (SAGE), New Directions in Indian Psychology, Vol. 1. Social Psychology (SAGE, with Ajit Dalal), Psychological Perspectives on Stress and Health, Towards a Culturally Relevant Psychologym (with J Prakash), Rethinking Intelligence (Concept, with A K Srivastava), Psychology and Societal Development, Foundations of Indian Psychology (Pearson, with Matthijs R, Cornellison & Varma), four volumes of Psychology in India: Advances in Research (Pearson, and New Directions in Health Psychology (SAGE, with Ajit Dalal) and Psychology & Psychoanalysis and Handbook of Psychology in India ( Oxford). He edits Psychological Studies (Springer). He is currently coordinating Sixth ICSSR Survey of Psychological Research in India as its Chief Editor.

FIRST PROF. R L KAPUR ORATION

TITLE: “The Complementarity of Civilizations: Rabindranath Tagore Revisited”

SPEAKER: Prof. Sudhir Kakar

CHAIRPERSON: Prof. Malavika Kapur, Visiting Professor, NIAS


ABSTRACT: In his reflections on India’s encounter with the West, its consequences and its ideal outcome, Rabindranath Tagore was incisive on the disquiets afflicting both the Indian and Western civilizations, disquiets which have become raging discontents in our own times. This talk will revisit Tagore's views on this encounter and the promise they hold for addressing some of our current dilemmas.

ABOUT SPEAKER: Prof. Sudhir Kakar is a psychoanalyst and writer who live in Goa, India. He has a degree Bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering, Master’s degree in business management and a doctorate in economics from Vienna before beginning his training in psychoanalysis at the Sigmund-Freud Institute in Frankfurt, Germany. He has taught general Education at Harvard University, has been Research Associate at Harvard Business School and has been Professor of Organizational Behaviour at Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad. Currently, he is a Senior Homi Bhabha Fellow, Fellow at Centre for Advanced Study in Humanities at the University of Cologne, Germany, Adjunct Professor of Leadership, INSEAD, Fontainbleau and D.D. Kosambi Visiting Research Professor, Goa University.

K SUBRAHMANYAM MEMORIAL LECTURE SERIES

FIFTH K SUBRAHMANYAM MEMORIAL LECTURE

TITLE: "Navigating an Uncertain World"

SPEAKER: Dr S Jaishankar Foreign Secretary of India Former Ambassador to the United States of America (2013–2015), China (2009–2013) and the Czech Republic (2001–04), and as High Commissioner to Singapore (2007–09)

DATE: 4 August 2017

ABOUT K SUBRAHMANYAM MEMORIAL LECTURE: The National Institute of Advanced Studies organizes annually a lecture in the memory of K Subrahmanyam. K Subrahmanyam (1929- 2011), was the doyen of Indian strategic thinking with a farsighted vision on issues ranging from foreign policy to nuclear deterrence. As an intellectual progenitor of the Indian nuclear weapons programme, he is the most influential strategic thinker. In his distinguished career in Indian Administrative Service (1951), Subrahmanyamexcelled in the fields of administration, defence policy, academic research and journalism. He was also the first proponent of nuclear sufficiency in India. K Subrahmanyam was the Founder-Director of the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA) and served in that capacity from 1968 to 1975. He rejoined IDSA in 1980 and took the think tank to newer heights in defence and foreign policy issues. He also chaired several government committees and commissions of enquiry, notable among them being the enquiry commission of the 1971 Indo-Pak war and the Kargil review committee in 1999. A major revamp of the Indian intelligence system took place based on the recommendations of the Kargil review committee.

ABOUT SPEAKER: Dr S Jaishankar assumed responsibilities as Foreign Secretary of India on 29 January 2015. Joining the Indian Foreign Service in 1977, he has represented India's interests and fostered friendly working relationships in countries around the world.

Dr Jaishankar's first postings abroad were as Third and Second Secretary (Political) at the Embassy of India in Moscow from 1979 to 1981. From 1981 to 1985, he served as Under Secretary (Americas) and Policy Planning at the Ministry of External Affairs. During this tenure he was part of the team that resolved the dispute over the supply of US nuclear fuel to the Tarapur Power Stations in India. From 1985 to 1988, he was First Secretary at the Indian Embassy in Washington. DC, followed by two years as First Secretary and Political Advisor to the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) in Sri Lanka.

Upon completing his time as Ambassador in Prague in 2004, Dr Jaishankar became the Joint Secretary (Americas) at the Ministry of External Affairs in New Delhi. He remained in office till 2007. In this capacity, he was involved in negotiating the US-India civil nuclear agreement and improving defence co-operation, including relief operations following the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. He was also involved with the conclusion of the 2005 New Defense Framework and the Open Skies Agreement, and he was associated with the launch of the India-US Energy Dialogue and Economic Dialogue. In 2006–2007, Dr Jaishankar was part of the Indian team during the

negotiations on the 123 Agreement with US. He also represented the Indian government at the Carnegie Endowment International Non-proliferation Conference in June 2007.

In 2007 as High Commissioner to Singapore, he helped implement the Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA) that expanded the Indian business' presence in that country. Dr Jaishankar was also the Ambassador of India to China from 2009 to 2013.

On 29 January 2014, he addressed the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace as the Ambassador of India to US. Therein he argued that "the grand strategy underwriting [India-US] ties is fundamentally sound" but the ties suffered a "problem of sentiment."

Dr Jaishankar holds a PhD and M.Phil in International Relations and a MA in Political Science. He is a member of the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London. He is son of a prominent Indian strategic affairs analyst, commentator, and civil servant K Subrahmanyam.

FOURTH K SUBRAHMANYAM MEMORIAL LECTURE

TITLE: “Climate Change and Energy Security: The Twin Challenges Confronting India”

SPEAKER: Shri Shyam Saran Former Foreign Secretary and Prime Minister's Special Envoy for Nuclear Affairs and Climate Change

CHAIRPERSON: Prof. Baldev Raj Director, National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bengaluru


ABSTRACT: Climate Change and Energy Security are two sides of the same coin. To deal with the threat of Climate Change, the world needs to undertake a strategic shift from current economic processes based on greenhouse gas (GHG) generating fossil fuels to those based instead on renewable sources of energy like solar energy and clean sources of energy such as nuclear energy. For an energy constrained country like India this strategic shift will be integral to its own ecologically sustainable development and also contribute to the global effort to tackle Climate Change. The challenge will lie in managing the transition, which imposes economic burden and in negotiating a global Climate regime which can enable and support India in this endeavour. Is India headed in the right direction on both these counts?"

ABOUT SPEAKER: Shyam Saran is a former Foreign Secretary and has served as the Prime Minister's Special Envoy for Nuclear Affairs and Climate Change. He is former Chairman of the National Security Advisory Board and currently Chairman, Research and Information System for Developing Countries, Delhi. He is a Senior Fellow at the Centre for Policy Research, Delhi. Saran was awarded the Padma Bhushan, the third highest national award, in January 2011 for his contributions to Civil Service. He writes and speaks regularly on foreign policy, climate change, energy security and national and international security related issues.

THIRD K SUBRAHMANYAM MEMORIAL LECTURE

TITLE: “Strategic Parity for Peace: Engaging China in the 21st Century”

SPEAKER: Dr Onkar Marwah, IAS (Retd) Distinguished Fellow Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies, New Delhi

CHAIRPERSON: Prof. V S Ramamurthy Director, National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bengaluru

DATE: 30 July 2013

ABSTRACT: The India-China relationship is likely to be the most complex, perhaps the most competitive relationship between two of the world’s mega-states in the twenty-first century. Their cooperative interactions will be edgy and formal, often brittle - irrespective of public professions to the contrary. Presently, the military and economic might of China is substantially higher than India’s, but this will be of less relative significance after the next 10-to-15 years – provided that, in this intervening period, India’s strategy is ‘smart’, selective, and consensually sustained by insulation from ad-hoc re-direction or neglect due to the periodic democratic changes of our political dispensations. The paper explores India’s historical, social, political and economic realities to analyze the constraints as well as the practical means by which the objective can be obtained of providing the country a dynamically-evolving process of strategic parity with China.

ABOUT SPEAKER: Dr Marwah is a former member of the Indian Administrative Service (1959 batch); He has studied at the University of Calcutta, the London School of Economics, Yale University and University of California, Berkeley; He has held research faculty appointments at Cornell and Harvard Universities, and was Deputy Director of the Programme for Peace and International Security Studies at the Graduate Institute of International Studies, University of Geneva. Dr. Marwah has authored/edited four books and over fifty published articles/monographs on nuclear, defence and security affairs, and is currently working on a study of India’s strategy and defence for the 21st century.

SECOND K SUBRAHMANYAM MEMORIAL LECTURE

TITLE: “Borders and National Security”

SPEAKER: Shri Jaswant Singh Hon’ble Member of Parliament,New Delhi


ABSTRACT: National Security is a holistic concept, of which a definition and management of borders or frontiers; land; maritime; air, including spaces is vital. Some countries are endowed with their geographically defendable borders. Is India so endowed? It has to also be recognised that geographical boundaries most often do not coincide with strategic frontiers. Has independent India dealt with this responsibility? Has it a defined or clear concept of its strategic frontiers?

FIRST K SUBRAHMANYAM MEMORIAL LECTURE

TITLE: “Emerging India: Strategic Challenges and Opportunities”

SPEAKER: Ambassador Arundhati Ghose Distinguished Fellow Institute for Peace & Conflict Studies, New Delhi

DATE: 13 April 2011

ABSTRACT: India is in transition, both internally-from a low income country to a middle income one-and externally, as she begins to experience and exercise her new-found economic and military and therefore political power. The challenges she faces are, in a sense, unprecedented, as the world itself is in transition, as power would seem to be shifting, with uncertain outcomes, from the West to Asia. Her strategic challenges could, however, also present opportunities which would require a carefully calibrated management of the exercise of her new found influence-whether in relations with the US, a rising China and an unstable neighbourhood. One of the most subtle challenges among the many that are likely to be consequences of the changes in the international scene, would be from the established world order, in response to which she could either continue to be seen as a ‘naysayer’, or become an active participant in setting agendas and drawing up rules in areas such as non -proliferation, outer space, international trade and finance and climate change. India has traditionally been a cautious player on the international stage, believing in incremental changes rather than radical reform. Today, however, her policy decisions cannot be predetermined, either by strongly held traditional positions, ideologies or alliances but will have to be more agile and adaptable in her choices of partners and paths in an era of uncertainty, with her national interest as the basic anchor of her foreign policy. While she cannot, for a country like India, rule out any moral obligation as an element of her policies, her approaches will have to have an assertiveness, flexibility and nuance that has not been evident earlier.

ABOUT SPEAKER: Ambassador Arundhati Ghose had a distinguished career spanning nearly forty years in the Indian Foreign Service, which she joined in 1963. She has served in our Missions in Austria, the Netherlands, Belgium(Brussels-for the then EC) Bangladesh and New York (in the Permanent Mission to the UN). She was Ambassador to the Republic of Korea, Egypt, Permanent Representative to UNESCO in Paris and the UN Offices in Geneva and Ambassador to the Conference on Disarmament, Geneva. Ambassador Ghose served as a member and Chairman of the UN Secretary General’s Disarmament Advisory Board upto 2001 and was also a member of the UN Committee on Economic and Cultural Rights till 2005. She was a member of the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) till 2004. Currently she is Distinguished Fellow at the Institute for Peace and Conflict Studies, New Delhi and Global India Foundation, Kolkata. She is a member of Institute of Defence Studies and Analysis and United Services Institution, New Delhi. She is a member of the Editorial Board of India’s National Security Annual Review and Faultlines, both published from New Delhi. In 2007, she was nominated by the Ministry of External Affairs as member of Task Force on Non-proliferation and Disarmament. She has several publications on topics relating to arms control and non-proliferation in journals, chapters in edited volumes and newspaper articles to her credit. She has lectured extensively on these topics.

C V SUNDARAM MEMORIAL LECTURE SERIES

THIRD C V SUNDARAM MEMORIAL LECTURE

TITLE: “How can ancient India help today’s India?”

SPEAKER: Prof. Michel Danino Guest Professor, IIT Gandhinagar

CHAIRPERSON: Prof Baldev Raj, Director, NIAS

DATE: 28 June 2017

ABSTRACT: We often face in India a misconception that her ancient culture and more specifically her knowledge systems, are of no relevance to our current problems and conditions. Indeed, except perhaps in the arts, Indian culture is increasingly divorced from education and Indian life, museified and exotified in its own land. However, when we look at Indian systems of nature conservation (including water management), medicine, lifestyle, ethics and yoga, their applicability, if not urgent necessity, is immediately apparent. Besides, India’s cultural foundations, which remain her best sociopolitical cement, hold several lessons not only for the country’s cohesion, but for an increasingly divided and polarized world, as they help us address issues of secularism and multiculturalism. This lecture will highlight some of those important ways by which ancient India could still help her present avatar.

ABOUT SPEAKER: Born in France in 1956, Michel Danino has been living in India since 1977. A student of Indian civilization and its early development, he has authored papers and books in French and English. Recent titles include The Lost River: On the Trail of the Sarasvati (Penguin India, 2010, a multidisciplinary study of the Vedic Sarasvati river) and Indian Culture and India’s Future (DK Printworld, 2011). Michel Danino has taught and lectured at many institutions, including IIM Ranchi and several IITs. Since 2011, he has been a guest professor at IIT Gandhinagar, where he is assisting its Archaeological Sciences Centre, giving courses on Indian civilization and coordinating a course on Indian Knowledge Systems. His other interests include nature conservation and the creation of innovative educational material. He is also a member of the Indian Council of Historical Research.

SECOND C V SUNDARAM MEMORIAL LECTURE

TITLE: “Decorated Bronze Bowls from Thaiand and South Asia Connections in the late First Millennium BCE”

SPEAKER: Prof. Ian Glover Emeritus Reader in Southeast Asian Archaeology Institute of Archaeology, University College London

DATE: 6 March 2015

FIRST C V SUNDARAM MEMORIAL LECTURE

TITLE: "Materials Related Technologies on our Cultural Heritage"

SPEAKER: Dr. Baldev Raj

DATE: 30 October 2013

ABSTRACT: Ancient India excelled in mathematics, medicine, metallurgy, astrology and town planning. The talk has main focus on metallurgy and related technologies. Empirical but robust technologies of winning metals, forging, casting and forming were demonstrated in the context of cultural ethos of the times and with a mind set to achieve aesthetic beauty and functional excellence. Zinc Distillation and novel copper-zinc alloys, Wootz Steel Swords, South Indian Bronzes, Delhi Iron Pillar, Musical Pillars of Hampi, etc. are only a few examples of excellent insights towards realization of unparallel leadership in materials related technologies and today are jewels in our rich Cultural Heritage. The author explains scientific facts, based on his findings to answer some of the unsolved issues related to understanding of South Indian Bronzes, Delhi Iron Pillar and Musical Pillars of Hampi; a few of archeomaterial iconic objects and structures, on which the author and his colleagues has the privilege to pursue studies. Relevant and comprehensive characterization and evaluation is one of the established ways towards understanding above mentioned technology marvels, and is indeed a foundation for right approaches to conservation of our precious and enviable archeo- heritage.

ABOUT SPEAKER: Dr. Baldev Raj has served the Department of Atomic Energy over a forty two year period until 2011. As Distinguished Scientist and Director, Indira Gandhi Centre of Atomic Research, Kalpakkam, he galvanized a whole community of staff, scientists and engineers for advancing several challenging technologies, especially those related to the fast breeder test reactor (FBTR) and the prototype fast breeder reactor (PFBR). Dr. Raj has pioneered application of NDE for basic research using acoustic and electromagnetic techniques in a variety of materials and components. He is also responsible for realising societal applications of NDE in areas related to cultural heritage and medical diagnosis. He is currently President, International Institute of Welding, President, Indian National Academy of Engineering and President-Research PSG Institutions, Coimbatore. He is a member of Scientific Advisory Council to Prime Minister, Scientific Advisory Council to Cabinet, Nano Mission Council of India and Apex Advisory Committee, MHRD. He is Chairman, Board of Governors, IIT, Gandhinagar & NIT, Puduchery. Dr. Baldev Raj is a Fellow of INSA, IAS, NAS, IINAE, The Third World Academy of Sciences, German Academy of Sciences, International Nuclear Energy Academy and Academia NDT, International. He has been conferred Distinguished Alumnus Award of IISc, National Metallurgist Award of Ministry of Steel, GoI, Presidential honour Padma Shri. Indian Nuclear Society, Life Time Achievement Award (2011), Homi J Bhabha Gold Medal Award from the Prime Minister, India during 99th Indian Science Congress (2012), etc.

LAKSHMI NIZAMUDDIN MEMORIAL LECTURE SERIES

SECOND LAKSHMI NIZAMUDDIN MEMORIAL LECTURE

TITLE: “India as a Nation and Society”

SPEAKER: Prof. U.R. Ananthamurthy Eminent Litterateur


FIRST LAKSHMI NIZAMUDDIN MEMORIAL LECTURE

TITLE: “India's Innovation Challenge for Inclusive Development”

SPEAKER: Kiran Mazumdar Shaw


MOHANDAS MOSES MEMORIAL LECTURE SERIES

THIRD MOHANDAS MOSES MEMORIAL LECTURE

TITLE: “Launch of His Biography "A Stranger in Paradise"

SPEAKER: Shri Sudhakar Rao

DATE: 24 March 2008

SECOND MOHANDAS MOSES MEMORIAL LECTURE

TITLE: “Actors, Acting and Action”

SPEAKER: H.E.Sri Gopalkrishna Gandhi Governor of West Bengal


FIRST MOHANDAS MOSES MEMORIAL LECTURE

TITLE: “The Future of the Bureaucracy in Changing Times”

SPEAKER: Sri N N Vohra, IAS (Retd) Government Interlocutor for J & K, New Delhi


JRD TATA BIRTH CENTENARY LECTURE SERIES

SIXTH JRD TATA BIRTH CENTENARY LECTURE

TITLE: “Is there a hope for Humanity”

SPEAKER: Archbishop Desmond Tutu Nobel Laureate, Cape Town, South Africa


FIFTH JRD TATA BIRTH CENTENARY LECTURE

TITLE: “Demographic Future of India”

SPEAKER: Prof Ashish Bose Hon. Professor, Institute of Economic Growth


FOURTH JRD TATA BIRTH CENTENARY LECTURE

TITLE: “Vision for Aeronautics Mission”

SPEAKER: Dr A P J Abdul Kalam President of India


THIRD JRD TATA BIRTH CENTENARY LECTURE

TITLE: “The Idea of Trusteeship in Gandhi and JRD Tata”

SPEAKER: Dr Sundar Sarukkai

DATE: 27 May 2005

SECOND JRD TATA BIRTH CENTENARY LECTURE

TITLE: “Deccan Traverses: From 'Naked country' to 'Garden City”

SPEAKERS: Ms Anuradha Mathur and Dr Dilip da Cunha, Associate Professors, Department of Landscape Architecture, University of Pennsylvania


FIRST JRD TATA BIRTH CENTENARY LECTURE

TITLE: “JRD Tata's legacy to Science and Higher Education”

SPEAKER: Prof M G K Menon Dr Vikram Sarabhai Distinguished Professor, ISRO


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