BIC TALKS

Kirtinath Kurtkoti (1928-2003) belongs to the rare but powerful tradition of multilingual literary and cultural criticism in India. His oeuvre encompasses commentaries on the entire spectrum of Kannada literature, from the earliest extant writings to late twentieth-century works. Kurtkoti’s critical works highlight the unique sensibility of the Kannada literary tradition, placing it in the broader context of Indian and world literature. Courtesy of Criticism brings some of his important essays on Kannada literature to non-Kannada readers. Divided into three sections— Literary History, Literary Theory, and Literary Criticism—the book showcases 31 short and long essays of Kurtkoti’s essential writings. The book has a twofold purpose: to introduce the significant body of Kurtkoti’s works and, through these essays, to highlight the significant strands of the Kannada literary tradition. Courtesy of Criticism demonstrates the subtle ways in which a mind, enriched by its own traditions and eclectic literacy, can transcend received structures of knowledge. In this episode of BIC Talks, NS Gundur will be in conversation with Shri Chandrashekhar Kambara, M S Ashadevi and Kamalakar Bhat. This is an excerpt from a conversation that took place in the BIC premises in March 2025. Subscribe to the BIC Talks Podcast on your favorite podcast app! BIC Talks is available everywhere, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Castbox, Overcast, Audible, and Amazon Music.

For over five decades since the Liberation of Bangladesh and the 1971 India-Pakistan War, the Indian state has had to pay a heavy price to protect the fabric of its democracy and its basic geographical structure in the face of a multiplicity of national security threats. These threats have ranged from constant pressure along its Northern and Western borders from nuclear-armed adversaries, several internal fissures and cracks in Punjab, J&K and the Northeast and a festering problem of Left-Wing Extremism (LWE) across several states. Complementing these internal and border security challenges have been challenges in the neighborhood that have precipitated the deployments of India’s military such as in Sri Lanka and Maldives in the late 1980s. Air Vice Marshal Arjun Subramaniam, former fighter pilot and accomplished military historian, explores war and conflict in contemporary India in his latest book, Shooting Straight: A Military Biography of Lt Gen Rostum K. Nanavatty. Moving beyond the traditional discourse of the 1965 and 1971 wars, the book examines modern military challenges through the lens of one of India’s most distinguished post-1971 Army commanders. From leading para commandos in Sri Lanka to commanding formations in Siachen, Baramulla, and the Northeast during key crises, and later serving as Northern Army Commander in the aftermath of the 2001 Parliament attack, Nanavatty gained a frontline perspective on hybrid and ‘grey zone’ warfare—topics highly relevant today. Joining AVM Subramaniam in a free-wheeling discussion on the changing character of conflict over the past few decades and its implications for India through the lens of Gen Nanavatty is military historian Probal Dasgupta. The discussion will be followed by a Q&A session with the audience. In this episode of BIC Talks, Arjun Subramaniamn will be in conversation with Probal Dasgupta. This is an excerpt from a conversation that took place in the BIC premises in March 2025. Subscribe to the BIC Talks Podcast on your favorite podcast app! BIC Talks is available everywhere, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Castbox, Overcast, Audible, and Amazon Music.  

Join Banu Mushtaq, an award-winning author known for her fearless storytelling, and Deepa Bhasthi, a talented translator, as they dive into the powerful themes in 'Heart Lamp: Selected Stories.' They discuss the challenges of portraying Muslim women's narratives, the role of translation in amplifying regional voices, and the impact of cultural norms on gender equality. With humor and poignant anecdotes, they explore the complexities of maternal love and class disparities, highlighting how fiction can challenge societal expectations and inspire change.

Chellayipuram—famed for hosting the most exhilarating jallikattu contests of strength between man and bull. This year, Pichi, from distant Usilanoor, is here to face the Kaari bull, the zamindar’s pride, both menacing in appearance and undefeated in the bull-taming contest. It’s been two years since his father Ambuli had been gored to death by this same beast. In the billowing dust of the arena, as Pichi grabs hold of the Kaari’s horn in an attempt to make it bow its head, watching the contest from his high perch with narrowing eyes is the zamindar. Will his prize animal—and, by association, the zamindar himself—be finally humbled by this ordinary young man? Vaadivaasal—The Arena is a story of revenge, pride and power. This gripping graphic adaptation of the modern literary classic by International Booker Prize-nominated author Perumal Murugan and critically acclaimed graphic novelist Appupen is a story of violence, death and vengeance… by a Gandhian! In Collaboration with: Simon & Schuster India In this episode of BIC Talks, Perumal Murugan and Appupen will be in conversation with Subodh Sankar. This is an excerpt from a conversation that took place in the BIC premises in February 2025. Subscribe to the BIC Talks Podcast on your favorite podcast app! BIC Talks is available everywhere, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Castbox, Overcast, Audible, and Amazon Music.  

The object of this lecture is to analyze the world order that was put in place at the end of World War II, examine how it has unfolded in terms of experience since then, and highlight some important manifestations of its multiple crises, to discuss possible future scenarios for 2050. In doing so, it asks four questions and seeks to provide answers. Are we witnessing the beginnings of a transformative change in the world order? Are we at the cusp of an emerging bi-polar world order, with the United States and China as the two superpowers? Are we moving towards a multi-polar world, in which there will be another 8-10 countries that are also key players? Are we going to live with a fluid situation and a de facto continuation of Pax Americana? In this episode of BIC Talks, Deepak nayyar will deliver a talk. This is an excerpt from a conversation that took place in the BIC premises in March 2025. Subscribe to the BIC Talks Podcast on your favorite podcast app! BIC Talks is available everywhere, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Castbox, Overcast, Audible, and Amazon Music.

Crucial battles of World War II fought in India’s northeast; followed soon after by India’s Independence and Partition; had a critical impact on the making of modern Assam. In the three decades following 1947, the state of Assam underwent massive political turmoil, geographical instability, and social and demographic upheaval, among others. Later, the truncated state suffered widespread unrest as various groups believed their cultural identity and political leverage were under threat. New social energies and political forces were unleashed and came to the fore. This session draws from Arupjyoti Saikia’s The Quest for Modern Assam: A History, 1942-2000 exploring the interconnected layers of political, environmental, economic, and cultural processes that shaped the development of Assam since the 1940s.  Arupjyoti Saikia will be in conversation with historian Anjum Hasan deliberating on the  questions which played a key role in the making of modern Assam and also that of the Republic of India. In this episode of BIC Talks, Arupjyoti Saikia will be in conversation with Anjum Hasan .This is an excerpt from a conversation that took place in the BIC premises in February 2025. Subscribe to the BIC Talks Podcast on your favorite podcast app! BIC Talks is available everywhere, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Castbox, Overcast, Audible, and Amazon Music.

Gautam Patel, a former Bombay High Court judge, shares his insights on how law can foster equality in India. Mary E John, a former professor at the Center for Women's Development Studies, discusses the evolution of women's rights since 1950. Rahamath Tarikere, who taught Kannada Literature, reflects on fraternity and pluralism in Indian society. Together, they delve into the constitutional values of equality and fraternity, the legacy of historical figures like Ambedkar and Buddha, and the cultural roots that shape contemporary governance and social justice.

Join us for an engaging conversation as Amitav Ghosh discusses Wild Fictions, a collection of his writings from the past twenty-five years, with Julia Wheeler. This expansive work explores the themes that have defined Ghosh’s literary journey: literature and language, climate change and the environment, human lives, travel, and discoveries. Through topics ranging from the commodification of the clove to the rich diversity of Bengal’s mangrove forests and the radical fluidity of multilingualism, Wild Fictions offers a critique of imperial violence and the fictions we weave to navigate history. It is a call to sensitivity, empathy, and the urgent need to repair our relationship with volatile landscapes. With his unique combination of moral passion, intellectual curiosity, and literary elegance, Amitav Ghosh invites us to see the world anew in this thought-provoking discussion. The session will be followed by a book signing with the author. In collaboration with: Bangalore Literature Festival & Harper Collins In this episode of BIC Talks, Amitav Ghosh will be in conversation with Julia Wheeler .This is an excerpt from a conversation that took place in the BIC premises in January 2025. Subscribe to the BIC Talks Podcast on your favorite podcast app! BIC Talks is available everywhere, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Castbox, Overcast, Audible, and Amazon Music.

Being immune to the charms of poetry is a crime that is its own punishment, the Sanskritic tradition tells us. Join us as we discover the allure of Sanskrit and Prakrit love poetry and the travails of translating doe-eyes and elephant-thighs into English with Anusha Rao and Suhas Mahesh, co-translators of the verse anthology, How to Love in Sanskrit (HarperCollins 2024). How to Love in Sanskrit is a poetic exploration of the maze of modern dating: flirting, daydreaming, yearning, and breaking up, through the eyes of Kalidasa, Bana, Vidya, and many other, often anonymous gifted poets. Moderated by Radhika Chadha, the translators will discuss their inspiration for the book, their approach to translation, misconceptions about Sanskrit poetry, and the challenges of translating pre-modern poetry, drawing from both classic and forgotten texts to paint a picture of what love feels like in Sanskrit. The session will conclude with a reading of their favourite verses from the book and a Q&A session with the audience. In this episode of BIC Talks, Anusha Rao and Suhas Mahesh will be in conversation with Radhika Chadha .This is an excerpt from a conversation that took place in the BIC premises in January 2025. Subscribe to the BIC Talks Podcast on your favorite podcast app! BIC Talks is available everywhere, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Castbox, Overcast, Audible, and Amazon Music.

In March 2020, when the world went into lockdown to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, poets and friends Marilyn Hacker and Karthika Nair—living mere miles from each other, but separated by circumstance, and spurred by this strange time—began a correspondence in verse. ‘Renga’, an ancient Japanese form of collaborative poetry, is comprised of alternating ‘Tanka’, beginning with the themes of ‘Toki’ and ‘Toza’: this season, this session. Here, from the “plague spring”, through a year in which seasons are marked by the waxing and waning of the virus, Hacker and Nair’s Renga charts the “differents and sames” of a now-shared experience. Their poems witness a time of suspension in which some things, somehow, press on relentlessly, in which solidarity persists—even thrives—in the face of a strange new kind of isolation. Between “ten thousand, yes, minutes of Bones”, there’s cancer and chemotherapy and the aches of an ageing body. There is grief for the loss of friends nearby and concern for loved ones in the United States, Lebanon, and India. And there is a deep sense of shared humanity, where we all are “mere atoms of water, each captained by protons of hydrogen, hurtling earthward.” At turns poignant and playful, the seasons and sessions of A Different Distance display the compassionate, collective wisdom of two women witnessing a singular moment in history. Karthika Nair will be in conversation with Prem Panicker. An audience Q&A session will follow. Presented by: Contxt In this episode of BIC Talks, Karthika Nair will be in conversation with Prem Panicker .This is an excerpt from a conversation that took place in the BIC premises in January 2025. Subscribe to the BIC Talks Podcast on your favorite podcast app! BIC Talks is available everywhere, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Castbox, Overcast, Audible, and Amazon Music.