Malhar Conclave - 15th August, 2013

Keynote Address - Indian Democracy's Midlife Crises

We present to you, at a question's length away, the man Time Magazine referred to as 'Indian democracy's preeminent chronicler', our Keynote Speaker at Malhar Conclave 2013 - Dr. Ramachandra Guha. Dr. Guha is a multi-faceted intellectual if there ever was one. A sociologist by education, a historian by profession and a cricket-lover by choice, he is the author of a number of best-selling books such as 'India After Gandhi', 'Makers of Modern India' and 'Patriots and Partisans'. Now a full-time writer, he has previously taught at the universities of Yale and Stanford. In 2011-12, he occupied the prestigious Phillipe Roman Chair in History and International Affairs at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE).

Panel Discussion - The Rise of Radicalism - A 21st Century Perspective

Throughout the world, in both democracies and dictatorships alike, radicalism is on the rise. This panel discussion will aim at analyzing the issue in greater detail by delving into details often neglected by the mainstream media, to clarify and correct the basest misconceptions of world conflict. To express their views on the topic, we have a panel of eminent speakers comprising:

1. Dr. Sumantra Bose: An expert on foreign policy as well as issues of radicalism across the globe, Dr. Bose is a professor of international and comparative politics at The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE)
2. Siddharth Varadarajan: Mr. Varadarajan has reported on the NATO war against Yugoslavia, the destruction of the Bamiyan Buddhas by the Taliban regime in Afghanistan, the war in Iraq and the crisis in Kashmir. He currently serves as The Editor of one of India's most reputed newspapers, The Hindu.
3. Dipankar Gupta: Professor Dipankar Gupta served as a professor at The Jawaharlal Nehru University for nearly 30 years. He has regular columns in The Times of India, Mail Today and The New York Times. He has published nearly 70 research papers. In 2010, the French Government honoured him as a Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters.
4. Vinod K Jose: He is currently the Executive Editor of The Caravan. Earlier, he was the founding editor of the Malayalam publication Free Press. He won the 2008 Foreign Press Association award from Carl Bernstein, awarded annually for young journalists in the United States for their outstanding academic and professional achievements.

The panel will be chaired by Ms. Saba Naqvi. She is the political editor of Outlook, one of India's leading news magazines, and writes on politics, governance and current affairs. Beyond her role as a political reporter and analyst, she follows issues of identity and culture. She is the author of the book In Good Faith: A Journey In Search of An Unknown India.

From Mythology to Management

Mythology consisted of stories told to generations of children and adults alike- not only for entertainment, but because they contained insights into this very human nature. As much as we might like to think otherwise for all our progress, human nature doesn't change. Never have we needed to understand our fellow humans better than in the fast moving modern managerial circuits.

Delivering a talk on this topic will be Mr. Devdutt Pattanaik, a leadership consultant, mythologist and author whose works focus largely on the areas of myth, mythology, and also management. He has written a number of books including The Pregnant King and Jaya: An Illustrated Retelling of the Mahabharata (2010). He serves as the chief belief officer of Future Group, one of India's largest retailers and also writes a column for the newspaper MiD DAY.

Music Beyond Boundaries

Music has since time immemorial dissolved all artificially created boundaries. To throw light on how music breaks political, social and regional barriers, we have a unique talk-cum-performance to be delivered by Mr. Anil Srinivasan.

Mr. Anil Srinivasan is a classical pianist born in Madras, India and educated at the University of Southern California and at Columbia University, New York. He is best known for his collaborative work with Carnatic vocalist Sikkil Gurucharan, and is well-renowned for his knowledge of various types of music from across the globe.

On The Contrary (Debate Forum):
The Indian Media Needs Restriction Beyond Self-Regulation

The Indian media has seen vociferous growth in the past decade. However, its credibility has reached an all time low due to falling journalistic standards and allegations of widespread corruption and malpractices. This has prompted a debate on media regulation in India. Malhar Conclave 2013 gets two of India's most reputable journalists, to offer their insights and debate the complex issue.

For the motion: Paranjoy Guha Thakurta

Paranjoy Guha Thakurta is an independent journalist with over 30 years of experience. His work experience cuts across different media: print, radio, television and documentary cinema. He has worked with a number of leading publications including The Asian Age, The Telegraph and India Today.

Against the motion: Bhupendra Chaubey

Bhupendra Chaubey is the National Affairs Editor at CNN IBN. He has been a TV journalist for the past 15 years after having started his career at NDTV. He often hosts the popular award winning news show India @ 9 on CNN-IBN.

Moderator: Rudrangshu Mukherjee

Rudrangshu Mukherjee is a historian, author and also the Opinions Editor for The Telegraph. Having been a Reader in History at Calcutta University for almost 10 years, he has also lectured at Princeton University, Manchester University and the University of California.