What makes a city uniquely itself? Is it its geography, history, location, demographic? Is it its leaders, influencers, inspirations? Or is it something else, an undefinable but palpable spirit, wrought over centuries of a combination of all these, that seeps into the soil and charges the air, infecting residents and visitors alike?

Two decades of exploring, discovering, researching – and reading, writing, and talking – about her hometown have convinced Roopa Pai, author, columnist, and co-founder of the heritage walks and tours company, BangaloreWalks, that the latter is true – cities are neither born nor made, they become. Her collection of evocative essays on the city have now been compiled into a book, Becoming Bangalore, published by Hachette India.

In her conversation with Brinda S Narayan, Roopa will dive into the city's history to tease out bits of the Bangalore jigsaw – a chieftain's decision, a Commissioner's inclusiveness, a scientist's quest for excellence, a Dewan's conviction, a missionary's zeal, a Maharani's foresight, an entrepreneur's vision, an industrialist's generosity, an activist's passion, a common man's ambition, a writer's pride in his language – in an effort to track down the genesis of Bangalore's modern, progressive, liberal spirit.

What she hopes will emerge from that discussion are tantalizing hints that reveal how a little 16th century settlement on a hill became India's most charismatic city.

In this episode of BIC Talks, Roopa Pai will be in conversation with Brinda S. Narayan. This is an excerpt from a conversation that took place in the BIC premises in April 2025.

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Spies, Lies and Allies is a thrilling tale about two forgotten revolutionaries who led lives that defy belief. It takes the reader on a wild ride through Kolkata, Hyderabad, London, Paris, Berlin, Stockholm, Mexico City and Moscow. One was Virendranath Chattopadhyaya, the brother of Sarojini Naidu. The other was M.N. Roy, the founder of Indian communism.

Chatto and Roy met spies, dictators, femme fatales, assassins, revolutionaries and bomb-makers. They encountered Lala Lajpat Rai, Veer Savarkar, Vladimir Lenin, Sun Yat-Sen, Chiang Kai-shek, Joseph Stalin, Mohandas Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru. They travelled in disguise and survived assassination attempts by the British secret service. They had tumultuous love affairs with suspected Communist spies. They flirted with anarchism, then became communists, and Roy would eventually end up founding his own philosophy: humanism. Chatto's sister Sarojini would distance herself from his journey, and his friend Nehru would eventually follow the Gandhian path. Roy would be ignored in newly independent India. But if Chatto and Roy were failures, they were magnificent ones. They battled for their ideas, and their ideas lived on, even if the pair died mostly forgotten.

Author Kavitha Rao will be in conversation with Historian Vanya Vaidehi Bhargav. A Q&A with the audience will follow.

in collaboration with:

Westland Non-Fiction

In this episode of BIC Talks, Kavitha Rao will be in conversation with Vanya Vaidehi Bhargav. This is an excerpt from a conversation that took place in the BIC premises in April 2025.

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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.

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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.

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This conversation on Heart Lamp: Selected Stories, awarded the Booker Prize 2025, will delve into Banu Mushtaq's fearless storytelling and her portrayal of women navigating faith, family, and societal expectations in southern India. The speakers will explore how Mushtaq's journalistic and legal background shaped her writing, giving voice to the struggles and resilience of Muslim women. Translator Deepa Bhasthi, whose masterful rendering brings these stories to an English-speaking audience, will share insights into the nuances of language, the challenges of retaining Mushtaq's distinctive voice, and the role of translation in preserving and amplifying regional literature. Through anecdotes from the book and reflections on contemporary gender and caste dynamics, the discussion will highlight the power of fiction to challenge norms, preserve oral histories, and inspire change.

In this episode of BIC Talks, Banu Mushtaq and Deepa Bhashti will be in conversation with Shinie Antony. This is an excerpt from a conversation that took place in the BIC premises in April 2025.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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This panel will examine how the principles of equality and fraternity have shaped India's democratic journey over the past 75 years. They will explore the relevance of these constitutional values in addressing contemporary challenges in the daily lives of Indian citizens like social inequities and polarisation. The discussion will also highlight the indigenous roots of these values within Karnataka's rich philosophical and cultural traditions. Through diverse perspectives, the panel will reflect on how these constitutional values can be actualised in governance, culture, policy, and daily life.

This session is the fourth in the series titled 'We the People' to celebrate 75 years of our Constitution. As part of this series, DAKSH, in collaboration with BIC, is organising a series of lectures and panel discussions on various aspects of the Constitution.

The discussion will be conducted in both English and Kannada.

In collaboration with:

DAKSH

In this episode of BIC Talks, Mary E John, Rahamath Tarikere and Gautam Patel will be in conversation with Harish Narasappa .This is an excerpt from a conversation that took place in the BIC premises in January 2025.

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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.

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