402. Rabia's Journey | ராபியாவின் பயணம்
BIC TALKS
At its heart, The Dark Hours of the Night is a story about girlhood under constraint, about how adolescence, desire, and freedom are shaped and stifled within the walls of a conservative household. Rabia’s journey, woven together with the lives of her friends and cousins, illuminates the subtle negotiations, unspoken rebellions, and fragile solidarities that mark women’s coming-of-age in a patriarchal world. The novel opens a conversation about the everyday intimacies of restriction and resistance: the ache of thwarted desire, the bonds of friendship, the weight of silence, and...
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401. Played and Missed
BIC TALKS
Before the spotlights, who kept the women’s game alive? In 2017, India’s women cricketers came heartbreakingly close to a World Cup win at Lord’s. That match lit a fire, changing how the country saw its women athletes, and laying the foundation for today’s Women’s Premier League – the first women’s sports league to turn profitable even before a single ball was bowled. It’s the first time since that iconic evening at Lord’s that the Women’s World Cup is set to be hosted in India. This session will celebrate those forgotten days when world cups in India were played in front...
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400. Lessons for Democracy
BIC TALKS
What happens when institutions bend, freedoms collapse, and silence rules? India once knew. Five decades may have passed, but the Emergency remains a stark reminder of how swiftly freedoms can be curtailed. In those 21 months, prisons filled, the press was silenced, and democratic institutions bent under the weight of authoritarian rule. The questions it leaves behind are urgent: what does this episode tell us about the fragility of democracy, and what echoes of it persist today? A new volume gathers reflections from scholars, writers, historians, journalists, and activists to probe this...
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399. Hegemony, Revolt and Selfhood (Masterclass: 3 of 3)
BIC TALKS
The Masterclass Hegemony, Revolt and Selfhood: India’s Encounters with Languages explores three defining moments in India’s linguistic journey: the arrival of Sanskrit, Persian, and English. Each language came from beyond India’s borders, gained a foothold, and extended its influence across diverse cultures, communities, and tongues. Their dominance shaped not only communication but also identity, politics, and thought. Thus, becoming inseparable from the larger story of India itself. These lectures will trace how each language consolidated its power, how resistance took form,...
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398. Hegemony, Revolt and Selfhood (Masterclass: 2 of 3)
BIC TALKS
The Masterclass Hegemony, Revolt and Selfhood: India’s Encounters with Languages explores three defining moments in India’s linguistic journey: the arrival of Sanskrit, Persian, and English. Each language came from beyond India’s borders, gained a foothold, and extended its influence across diverse cultures, communities, and tongues. Their dominance shaped not only communication but also identity, politics, and thought. Thus, becoming inseparable from the larger story of India itself. These lectures will trace how each language consolidated its power, how resistance took form,...
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397. Hegemony, Revolt and Selfhood (Masterclass: 1 of 3)
BIC TALKS
The Masterclass Hegemony, Revolt and Selfhood: India’s Encounters with Languages explores three defining moments in India’s linguistic journey: the arrival of Sanskrit, Persian, and English. Each language came from beyond India’s borders, gained a foothold, and extended its influence across diverse cultures, communities, and tongues. Their dominance shaped not only communication but also identity, politics, and thought. Thus, becoming inseparable from the larger story of India itself. These lectures will trace how each language consolidated its power, how resistance took form,...
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396. Sama, Dana, Danda, Bheda: Friends, Rivals, or Just Trading Partners?
BIC TALKS
Trust is thin, history is long, and the consequences? Unforgiving. India and China share a long border and a longer shadow. Security risks and market hopes pull in opposite directions. In a world of shifting power, India must choose with care. This evening explores that choice through the ancient philosophical and logical Indian discipline of Purva Paksha. Each speaker first presents the other’s case, fully and fairly, before offering their own. The aim isn’t to score points, but rather, to see clearly: where trust frayed, where interests align, and where wisdom might guide policy....
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395. Reading the City Reading Ourselves
BIC TALKS
Sundar Sarukkai’s second novel published recently titled Water Days is a reflective look at the changes in his home city, Bangalore, how everyday life gets formed and what happens to the city insidiously and quietly. He explores migration and the changing social fabric, patriarchy, language, linguistic conflicts, power, and who gets to belong in the melting pot that is Bangalore. Water Days is not just a novel about a city; it is a novel about what it means to belong when everything around you is changing. Sarukkai does not romanticise Bangalore, but he listens carefully to...
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394. Building Teenage Mental Resilience
BIC TALKS
Adolescence has never been easy, but today’s teenagers face unique challenges: the pressures of a digital world, rising academic demands, and the aftershocks of a global pandemic. Rates of anxiety and depression are climbing, leaving parents searching for tools to support their children. This discussion, inspired by Resilience Decoded: What Every Parent Should Know About Teen Mental Health, brings together author Dr. Sujata Kelkar Shetty, biological scientist, writer and resilience coach; philanthropist and education innovator Rohini Nilekani; and award-winning filmmaker Pavitra Chalam,...
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393. Too Much Public Not Enough Interest
BIC TALKS
Public interest litigation (PIL) is a legal innovation of fairly recent vintage which was inspired by noble objectives. It has been seen as a useful tool in widening access to justice, especially in societies scarred by poverty, illiteracy, human exploitation, corruption and maladministration. The concept took deep roots in India some thirty years ago and has now become an ubiquitous feature of the legal landscape. Over the years, however, Indian PIL has, in Dr Venkat Iyer’s view, produced a plethora of serious negative consequences, most of them unintended (but not unforeseeable), which...
info_outlineIn the premiere episode of Safe Spaces, we delve into the history of human evolution to uncover the roots of gender bias. Join Dr. Sangeeta Saksena and host Anishaa Tavag as they explore how societal norms and misconceptions about gender have developed over time, setting the stage for a deeper understanding of contemporary issues in sexuality and gender equity.
In our society, discussing sexuality openly with family, friends, and peers has often been taboo, shrouded in misconceptions and stigma. Many of us experience shame, guilt, and embarrassment when it comes to sexuality and intimacy, and we may not know how to engage with our own sexuality safely and respectfully.
Safe Spaces is a transformative podcast series that aims to break these barriers. Comprehensive sexuality education extends beyond the mechanics of human biology. It equips us with the tools to navigate relationships with informed consent and respect for personal boundaries. By fostering a deeper understanding of our own minds and bodies, this education can significantly reduce the incidences of sexually transmitted infections and unintended pregnancies, address gender-based violence, and enhance self-expression and sexual well-being.
In this four-part series by the Bangalore International Centre, Dr. Sangeeta Saksena delves into the realm of sex and sexuality. Dr. Sangeeta, a gynaecologist, author, counsellor, and activist, co-founded Enfold India in 2001 to promote gender equity, sexuality, and personal safety education.
Join host Anishaa Tavag as we embark on this enlightening journey.
This series was made possible with the generosity and knowledge of Dr Sangeeta Saksena and the contributions of Abha Khetarpal, Dipankar Panth, Diya Naidu, Meghana Roy, Mich Gupta, Nitya Deviah, and Saurabh Levin.
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