IHC SAMANVAY 2026: Celebrating Indian Languages

11:00am | TALK |  IHC Samanvay 2026: Celebrating Indian Languages – “This Blessed Land: यह धरती अपनी”. A celebration of the vibrant diversity of our sacred land that has nourished us for millennia, and a gentle reminder of the interconnected web that binds environment, culture and life. From holy rivers born in Himalayan glaciers to forests, deserts and the sea, diverse cultural streams have mingled through folklore, music, dance and stories. IHC Samanvay 2026 invites seekers and creative persons to share, inspire and renew our resolve to conserve our shared heritage.

11:00am - 12:00noon | Raag Pahari | Raag Pahari | Himalayas In the Life and Imagination of India

Namita Gokhale is an acclaimed novelist. She is co-founder and co-director of the Jaipur Literature Festival. She writes in myriad genres of fiction, mythology, and Himalayan studies. Stephen Alter is a prolific author writing on Himalayan landscapes, wildlife, history, and adventure narratives. Navtej Sarna is a Diplomat-author, and translator, chronicling India’s history, and cultural memory. Moderator: Ravi Singh, Publisher, Speaking Tiger Books.

12:00noon - 1:00pm | Sanjeevani Dharti | The Healing Earth

Mamang Dai, is a journalist-turned poet-novelist from Arunachal Pradesh. Dai has worked with World Wide Fund for nature in the Eastern Himalaya Biodiversity Hotspots programme. Dr. Sunita Reddy is an anthropologist and professor whose work spans public health, child rights, and indigenous knowledge. Dr. Hemalatha N. Potti is an Ayurveda clinician-academic leading healthcare, research, and policy. Screening of short films “Plants and Their Secrets - Tree of Life, Part 1 & Part 2” on medicinal plants, directed by Mike Pandey. Moderator: Prof. Pushpesh Pant, author-scholar chronicling Indian cuisines, culture, history and media.

2:00pm - 3:30pm | Bin Paani Sab Soon | Streams Of Life

Milan Moudgill is a photographer and graphic designer bridging cinema, travel and landscape, sharing his journey tracing the source of the four rivers of the subcontinent - Sutlej, Indus, Brahmaputra, and Karnali. Joshil, is a writer, assistant conservator of forests, exploring the co-evolution of humankind and forests, against the backdrop of Kerala’s conservation movements through his work and in his writings. Abhay Mishra is a Hindi writer-journalist documenting riverine cultures, journeys, and environmental memory. Vaishali Shroff is an award-winning author, scriptwriter and columnist crafting multilingual children's and nonfiction literature. Moderator: Medha Bisht, professor and international relations scholar specialising in transboundary water governance and diplomacy.
 

3:30pm - 4:30pm | Behta Paani Nirmala | Songs Of The River

A celebration of rivers in poetry, music, and dance.

"A Myriad of Rivers in My Courtyard” by Dr. Madan Gopal Singh, scholar, composer, singer, lyricist. "Rhythm of The River" Abhinaya by Jayaprabha Menon, Mohiniyattam, danseuse and choreographer. Reading of excerpts from one of Dr. Bhupen Hazarika's iconic songs, Bistirno Parore, which is hailed as a profound commentary on the ills plaguing the society and the mighty Brahmaputra's silent journey through it by Mayukh Hazarika, singer-songwriter, nephew of Dr. Bhupen Hazarika.

5:00pm - 6:00pm | Registaan Main Jeevan Ki Laya |The Many Rhythms Of Desert Life

Ilse Köhler-Rollefson is a veterinarian and researcher working with Rajasthan’s Raika camel pastoralists, documenting their traditional knowledge in animal management, ethnoveterinary practices, and camel conservation. Abhishek Srivastava is Editor of India Quarterly (Hindi) and has chronicled India’s communities across Gujarat, Odisha, Jharkhand, and conflict zones through reports, travelogues, and translations. Dr. Shubha Chaudhuri, ethnomusicologist, is co-author of "Bards, Ballads and Boundaries: An Ethnographic Atlas of Music Traditions in West Rajasthan." The session is moderated by Giriraj Kiradoo, writer, editor, cultural activist.

6:30pm | Performance by the Barmer Boys

Barmer Boys, a Manganiyar trio - Bhura Khan, Magada Khan and Sawai Khan, preserve and perform centuries-old Rajasthani folk and Sufi music, delivering soulful, energetic performances on global stages and acclaimed platforms.
 

Know More