BIC TALKS

The conversation with Vivek Shanbhag continues, touching upon the literary groups and movements that animated Kannada literature in the 1950s and 1960s. Girish talks about some of the people and institutions that shaped him as a writer, the many Jnanpith awardees in Kannada, and who he considered to be his rivals, while we hear Vivek talk about the importance of Girish's work. About the Series: In June 2019, a few days before his death, Girish Karnad and Arshia Sattar had extensive conversations about his work, his life, and the concerns that had occupied him over almost sixty years as a writer and a public intellectual. This podcast is a distillation of those freewheeling conversations, a short intellectual biography to celebrate the life and work of one of India’s finest playwrights and thinkers. In this series, we hear Girish talk about Kannada literature, existentialism, making of modern Indian theatre, the art and craft of playwriting, and his life as a public intellectual. The series is hosted by Arshia Sattar and Anmol Tikoo, with special guests such as Vivek Shanbhag, Shanta Gokhale, and Sunil Shanbag, who provide the context for Girish’s comments. Each episode also contains scenes from his plays read by members of Bangalore’s theatre community. The readings show us how closely his philosophical and political ideas were to what he wrote. They also provide an opportunity for audiences, particularly those who might not be already familiar with Girish’s works, to experience the power of his work. The title for the series is taken from the song in Hayavadana (Kannada title), a song which has been musically recreated for us by Pallavi MD and Konarak Reddy. Apart from the fact that Neerina Mele Chitra remains one of Kannada’s most beloved ranga geethe, we found it to be particularly evocative as we remember a man who profoundly impacted India’s cultural arena in the last half of the 20th century. This podcast series, we hope, will bear witness to Girish Karnad, a man who gave us so much to remember, but also so much to take forward. Supported by Nilekani Philanthropies  

In this enlightening discussion, Girish Karnad, a luminary in Indian theater, and Vivek Shanbhag, a prominent voice in Kannada literature, explore their long friendship and the evolution of contemporary plays. They delve into Karnad's struggles with language and authenticity while writing, the intricate relationship between cultural identity and expression, and share insightful readings from his works, including 'Wedding Album' and 'Tughlaq.' Their dialogue reflects on the significance of Kannada literature in shaping societal narratives and personal expression.

Girish Karnad, one of India’s leading playwrights and thinkers, shares profound insights during his final conversations with Arshia Sattar. He discusses the influence of Kannada literature and European existentialism on his work. Karnad reflects on his iconic plays like 'Tughlaq' and 'Hayavadana', revealing the complexities of his writing process. His journey as a public intellectual advocating for justice and cultural preservation is explored, alongside the vibrant theatrical legacy he leaves behind, enhanced by readings from his plays.

Are you sitting down? Have you thought of what you are sitting on? What your favourite chair’s history is? Why do certain seats make us feels a certain way and make us gravitate towards them in a room? A whole spectrum of history, design, culture, discipline, identities, object study and geographical context are often located in the various kinds of seating that we now may not necessarily be aware of. To remedy this, in this episode of BIC Talks designer independent researcher Nia Thandapani speaks with graphic artist and researcher Sarita Sundar on her newest research project and collection of essays edited by her, From the Frugal to the Ornate: Stories of the Seat in India, which by deconstructing the seat, reflects upon the marked shift in the way practitioners, users, and analysts conceptualise and engage with object culture, and a subsequent ‘turn to the material’. Sarita Sundar has tested many seats in her career as designer, design historian, and studied observer of the visual world. Testing one such seat, which had a personal significance—her grandfather’s charukassela, or reclining chair—might well have triggered her keen interest in material culture and objects; to ferret out why they take the shape they take, who conceived them as this way or that, what gave these ‘things’ agency, and why. Collaborating with Sarita on the research and outcomes of this project is the Godrej Archives, the Godrej group’s business archive, as part of its various engagements with art and culture.

War Minus the Shooting,talks about the 1996 Cricket World Cup and was published in 1998. Combining personal reflection and social observation, this work paints a complex portrait of a sub-continent in ferment, set against the backdrop of the 1996 cricket World Cup, the most extravagant and controversial event in the long history of the game. The book delves into the dilemmas that dog modern cricket - ball-tampering, biased umpires, media moguls and sponsors, race and national identity, gambling syndicates, and much more. In this conversation that took place in December 2021 during the Bangalore Literature Festival at Bangalore international Centre, Siddhartha Vaidyanathan and Sharda Ugra discuss Mike Marquesee and the revival of the book as the event it covers turned 25. 

Vivaan Marwaha talks about his learning in the process of writing his book, What Millennials Want, in a conversation with writer, poet and executive director of India Foundation for the Arts, Arundhati Ghosh. India is one of the youngest countries in the world and the generation of millennials make up for over 400 million people. This is the largest generation of people in the world. That means that the choices and trajectory of this generation have pivotal consequences on local, regional, and global politics and economics. So the important question is: What do Indian millennials want? What are their economic aspirations and their social views? Most importantly, what makes them tick? In What Millennials Want, Vivan Marwaha documents the aspirations and anxieties of these young people scattered across more than 30,000 kilometers in 13 Indian states. Combining an expansive dataset along with personal anecdotes, he narrates an intimate biography of India’s millennials, investigating their attitudes towards sex, marriage, employment, religion, and politics. This episode of BIC Talks is an extract from the live event that took place in late October 2021 in the BIC premises.

Author & Founder of Ahimsa Conversations Rajni Bakshi engages Author, Poet & Entrepreneur Jaithirth Rao in a conversation based on his book Economist Gandhi – the first book on Gandhi to claim that he was not against business and capitalists; providing insights into a hidden facet of Gandhi’s personality—his thoughts on economics and capitalism while throwing light on some of Gandhi’s views on religion, ethics, human nature, education and society, unveiling a Gandhi distinctive from all our previous readings of him. This episode is adapted from a BIC Streams session from 15 October 2021.

What is data? And why is it important that citizen have a right to privacy over their data? As it turns out, We are data.  Digital rights activist, journalist and founder of Medianama, Nikhil Pahwa in this conversation with financial journalist Mitali Mukherjee gives us a 101 on the concept of Data Privacy. Can one look at data from the perspective of it being a right and how is it  connected to the freedom of expression.  While understanding how and how much data can possibly be collected about one person is in itself mind boggling, this episode gives us an insight into the three important aspects of data within the indian context - Privacy, Security and Governance. With economic growth taking a central role and data being compared to oil as a national asset, Data protection rights and privacy is seen as an obstruction - therefore leaving us with the question - is privacy a fundamental right?

South Africa has imposed transformation targets (quotas) in sports for over a decade. These aim to correct the under-representation of people of colour due to historical discriminatory segregation during the apartheid era. In light of the Black Lives Matter movemnet, several South African cricketers came forward with their stories of having suffered due to the institutionally racist nature of the game in South Africa. In July 2021, Cricket South Africa (CSA) appointed the Social Justice and Nation Building (SJN) Ombudsman to contribute to truth, healing, and reconciliation in the game of cricket. The Ombudsman heard the affected cricketers and officials. It presented its Report in December 2021, concluding that CSA unfairly discriminated against players on the basis of race and recommended that a permanent ombudsman be appointed and funded to consider race and gender-based complaints and the question of reparations. This discussion with cricket writer Firdose Moonda and Professor of Sociology, University of Johannesburg, Prof. Ashwin Desai, moderated by Chandan Gowda will throw light on the findings in the Report, the issues emerging from it, and the lessons for the cricketing world, the global sports community, and society at large. This episode is an extract from a virtual BIC Streams session that took place on the 18th of February, 2022 in collaboration with the Sports Law & Policy Centre.  

At Tokyo 2020, the Indian women’s hockey team made history by reaching their maiden Olympic semifinals. There was heart break in the semi finals. However, irrespective of the result, these players had won the hearts of millions of followers in the country. The back stories of these gritty women make for compelling theatre – who they are, where they come from, how hockey has changed them – and, perhaps more importantly, how their success has changed the lives and the mindset of others back home. An expert panel of sports writers - Sharda Ugra, Manuja Veerappa and Nandini Kumar give us a peek into the journeys of the women who make up the Indian Hockey team. This episode is an extract from a virtual panel discussion which took place on January 30, 2022.