Jaipur Bytes

How do we understand culture? Does it stem from civilisational history or is it an evolving way of life? How do we reinterpret and regenerate its roots? In a pandemic ridden, constantly transforming world, how does innovation and creativity manifest in society, and how can they be promoted despite the difficulties of our times? Rajya Sabha member Vinay Sahasrabuddhe is the President at the Indian Council for Cultural Relations and the Director of the Public Policy Research Centre. Mugdha Sinha is Secretary Art, Literature, Culture and Archaeology and Secretary Science and Technology as well as the Director General Jawahar Kala Kendra and the Literary Secretary of IAS Association Rajasthan. Shubhendra Rao is a celebrated composer and Sitar player.  Roger Highfield is the Science Director of the Science Museum Group. In conversation with Sanjoy K. Roy, they discuss the fascinating interplay between culture, innovation, economies and societal beliefs and delve on the roots of creative sustenance.

Celebrated American linguist, philosopher, cognitive scientist, historian, social critic and political activist Noam Chomsky’s book Who Rules the World? questions the United States and its exercise of power throughout conflict areas in a post 9/11 world. Critically analysing claims of freedom and human rights, Chomsky in his celebrated style investigates the era of modern day imperial powers and their role in climate change, nuclear proliferation and the overall threat to human civilisation. In conversation with journalist Sreenivasan Jain, Chomsky delves into the critical need for active public participation in changing policies and introduces us to the unsettling truths of our times.

Jeremy Seal in conversation with Max Rodenbeck. A gripping and multi-layered political narrative, Jeremy Seal’s A Coup in Turkey: A Tale of Democracy, Despotism and Vengeance in a Divided Land unravels the events leading up to the coup that removed the traditionalist Prime Minister Adnan Menderes of Turkey in 1960. Through eye witness accounts, Seal lays bare the striking parallels between the past and the present and digs deep into the heart of the feud. Seal’s other books include The Wreck at Sharpnose Point, Meander: East to West, Indirectly, Along a Turkish River and A Fez of the Heart: Travels Around Turkey in Search of a Hat among others. In conversation with South Asia Bureau Chief for The Economist, Max Rodenbeck, Seal explores this charismatic political figure and his eventual downfall and dramatically re-centres our understanding of the past.

Randeep Guleria, Chandrakant Lahariya and Gagandeep Kang in conversation with Maya Mirchandani. Will India win the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic? When can we expect a safe and effective vaccine?  How should we respond to this 'new normal' as an individual and as a community? What is the way forward? Offering insights on how India continues to fight the pandemic, Till We Win is a must-read for everyone. A detailed, objective and hopeful account of our times, this is a book for the people, for political leaders, policymakers and physicians with the promise and potential to transform public health in India. Dr. Randeep Guleria, Director of All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, is an MD in Medicine and the first DM in Pulmonary Medicine in the country, and has been at the forefront of the Government of India’ sefforts on the COVID-19 pandemic preparedness and response. Dr. Chandrakant Lahariya is a leading public policy and health systems expert and a recipient of the Indian Council of Medical Research's Dr. BC Srivastava Foundation Award for his work on translating community-based health research in public policy interventions. Dr. Gagandeep Kang is a renowned infectious disease researcher and virologist who serves on many advisory committees in India and internationally, including for the World Health Organisation. The co-authors discuss their exciting new project in conversation with award-winning journalist Maya Mirchandani.

To mark Pandit Ravi Shankar’s birth centenary, Oliver Craske has penned a comprehensive biography of the sitar maestro. Ravi Shankar excelled in Indian classical music and played a leading role in its post-independence revival within India, before becoming its pioneering global ambassador. A childhood immersed in dance and music with his older brother Uday Shankar, and the rigorous discipline of learning the sitar under the tutelage of the legendary Allauddin Khan, prepared him for transforming the international understanding of Indian culture from 1954 onwards. Ravi Shankar’s creative associations with George Harrison, Yehudi Menuhin and Satyajit Ray, among others, led to worldwide acclaim and extraordinary musical experiments and collaborations. Using rare family archives and fresh interviews, Craske tracks his professional success and often tangled personal life. In a moving and evocative session, Craske alongside writer and cultural critic Guillermo Rodríguez speak of Shankar’s genius and his profound impact on the world.

Join historian Ramachandra Guha, translator Manisha Chaudhry, and scholar Mukul Sharma as they dive into the vibrant history of the Chipko Movement. They discuss the grassroots resistance against logging in India's Himalayas, emphasizing the pivotal role of local women. The conversation explores the significance of translating environmental narratives and the challenges facing future environmental movements in Uttarakhand. They reflect on the urgent need for ecological protection and the enduring legacy of Chipko in today’s activism.

Anish Kapoor has succeeded in transforming the cool, conceptual, and minimal approach to sculpture by adding lyricism, metaphor, and the heat of the primordial. Objects spill out from their own parameters, yet they also stand serenely as in meditative focus as if for ritual. Typically, the sculptures appear abstract, with Kapoor's intention to promote self-reflection made most obvious when using mirrored surfaces. He does not wish to present a prescriptive idea, but instead to create an environment within which people themselves can consider meaning. As the viewer becomes part of the sculpture, each work speaks of the confined individuality of a single body, but also of the expansive inclusiveness of a shared place. His sculptures paradoxically entwine esoteric philosophy with sensual everyday experience. In this session, one of India’s greatest artists talks about his life and work with his friend Homi K. Bhabha.

Scholar and author Daniel Simpson’s recent book The Truth of Yoga takes us on a journey through the origins, development and concept of Yoga. Cutting through myth and misinformation, the text provides a comprehensive overview of this age-old discipline which is celebrated worldwide for its mental, physical and spiritual benefits. Simpson teaches courses on yoga philosophy at the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies and at Triyoga in London. He draws on his experience as a journalist to make the subject accessible. Yoga practitioner and teacher Ranju Roy is the co-author ofEmbodying the Yoga Sūtra: Support, Direction, Space and teaches courses on the practice and philosophy of yoga. In conversation with Roy, Simpson delves into the past, present and future of this ancient tradition.

With the growing friction between China and the world, exacerbated in the wake of the pandemic, the need to understand the political legacy of Mao is urgent and growing. In Maoism: A Global History, eminent British scholar, author and translator Julia Lovell takes on the ambitious and challenging task of covering the sweeping and turbulent history of Maoism in one accessible text, bringing attention to Mao and his ideas in a new light. Through a series of interviews, archival references and ethnographic study, Lovell synthesises concurrent narratives and conceptions, providing a re-evaluation of the ideology in the present context. She discusses her exciting work in conversation with historian and writer Michael Puett in an essential session on the enduring appeal of Maoism.

The concept of Dharma is unique to Indian philosophy and difficult to translate as it implies different things in different contexts. Hindu narratives are ambiguous and avoid prescriptive moralities. The Dharma and duties of different individuals face conflicts of ethical and human dimensions. Distinguished economist, writer, scholar and translator Bibek Debroy speaks of these dilemmas and the ethical and karmic choices inherent in them. Debroy heads the Prime Minister’s Economic Advisory Council. He has translated a monumental ten-volume unabridged version of the Mahabharata and made a large body of the epics and ancient texts available to contemporary readers. In a deep and engrossing session, he speaks with Keerthik Sasidharan author of the recently published novel The Dharma Forest ( book one of a trilogy based on the Mahabharata), of understanding and interpreting Dharma.