Keynote Speakers
Movie Director Imtiaz Ali is an Indian film director, producer, and screenwriter. He is best known for directing Jab We Met (2007, Love Aaj Kal (2009, Rockstar (2011), Highway (2014, Tamasha (2015) and Amar Singh Chamkila (2024) “
“I think I am a travel junkie and I have never enjoyed anything else in my life more than travelling and going to places. I’d be happy to go to Ghatkopar you know. So I can never have enough of travel and that finds a way of coming into my films somehow.”
Sept 28: Imtiaz Ali in conversation with Tipu Purkayastha from 6 to 7 p.m.
Pakistani painter and activist Salima Hashmi is the daughter of the renowned poet Faiz Ahmed Faiz and a Professor of Art at Lahore’s National College of Arts. Believing that “male writers have neglected the history of Pakistan’s women,” Hashimi took on the task of writing and recording the work of female artists in Pakistan in her book Unveiling the Visible: Lives and Works of Women Artists of Pakistan. A convinced pacifist, she works to bring Indo-Pakistani reconciliation by developing artistic projects that go beyond the two countries’ borders.
Sept 28: Salima Hashimi in conversation with Tarik Currimbhoy from 2 to 3 p.m.
An author, politician, and former international civil servant, Dr. Shashi Tharoor straddles several worlds of experience. Currently, a third-term Lok Sabha MP, Tharoor represents the Thiruvananthapuram constituency and is Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Information Technology. He previously served as the Indian government’s Minister of State for Human Resource Development and Minister of State for External Affairs. “India matters to me and I would like to matter to India.” During nearly 30 years at the United Nations, Tharoor served as a peacekeeper, refugee worker, and administrator, and as Under-Secretary General during Kofi Annan’s tenure. A Sahitya Akademi Award winner, Tharoor has authored more than 25 works of fiction and non-fiction.
Sept 29: Dr. Shashi Tharoor in conversation with Dr. Dinsha Mistry and Prof. Sumit Ganguly. Hauck Auditorium, Hoover Institute from 6 to 7 p.m.
Shehan Karunatilaka is a Sri Lankan writer who won the Booker prize in 2022 for his novel, The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida. He is considered one of Sri Lanka’s foremost authors. His 2010 debut novel Chinaman: The Legend of Pradeep Mathew won the Commonwealth Prize. In addition to his novels he has written rock songs, screenplays and travel stories. Shehan has also written features on sport, music and travel for The Guardian, Rolling Stone, Wisden, GQ, Conde Nast and National Geographic.
“In the end, we are all just dust. here for brief sparkle and eternal rust.””
Sept 29: Shehan Karunatilaka in conversation with Dr. Sharika Thiranagama from 2 to 3 pm.
Literature & Journalism
India Currents’ very own Editor Emeritus Jaya Padmanabhan will moderate a literary panel Tales by the Bay featuring Nayomi Munaweera, Anita Felicelli, Anoop Ahuja Judge Moazzam Sheikh and Kiran Malhotra.
Sept 28: Tales by the Bay from 12 to 1 p.m. Room 119.
Chor Kotwal: First Lady of Bihar Police
Manjari Jaruhar Bihar’s first female IPS officer (1976), has held several high-ranking positions in the police force in Bihar and Jharkhand, the National Police Academy (NPA) and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), retiring as Special Director General of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF). She recently wrote her bestselling memoir “Madam Sir.”
Sept. 29: Jaruhar will be in conversation with author Vikram Chandra at a panel moderated by Dr. Anjali Arondekar from 12 to 1 pm, Room – 123
In Faultlines: Panel on Partition, Parul Kapur (Inside the Mirror), Manreet Someshwar (The Long Walk Home and The Taj Conspiracy) and children’s books author and interfaith activist Saadia Faruqi will be in conversation with Vinita Sud Belani.
Sept 28: From 3:30 to 4:30 pm.
In the panel, South Asian Voice in an American Newsroom, Deepa Fernandes, Paresh Dave and Anita Ramaswami will be in conversation with Shwanika Narayan.
Sept 28: From 12 to 1 pm at the BCC.
Art
Tarik Currimbhoy, is a classically trained artist, industrial designer, and architect. His work, both in architecture and sculpture, is inspired by ancient architectural forms and focuses on simplicity and tranquility. His sculptures, crafted from stone and metal, explore themes of structure and gravity, combining traditional craftsmanship and modernity.
Currimbhoy’s works are displayed internationally in public, corporate, and private collections, and his designs are featured in international publications. He holds degrees from Pratt Institute (BFA, Master of Architecture) and Cornell University (Master of Arts), where he also taught.
Sept 28: Tarik Currimbhoy in conversation with Salima Hashimi from 2 to 3 pm.
Indranil Chandra, a nature and wildlife photographer of South Asian origin, is dedicated to capturing the rich and diverse palette of colors that nature offers. From the ochre reds of the American Southwest to the alpenglow on the majestic peaks of the Himalayan and Karakoram ranges, he showcases the beauty of these vistas. Chandra is equally captivated by the grace and ferocity of wildlife, found both in the dense jungles of the Indian subcontinent and the vast forests of the American landmass. He considers himself fortunate to share his vision with the world.
In sculptor Priyanka Rana’s session, in collaboration with the Museum of Design and Craft, participants will create “memory pods” using recycled fabric, including saris. Rana embellishes her sculptures with these pods, which explore her “transnational upbringing across three continents. Each resin-dipped pod captures a tangible memory, reflecting the ephemeral moments we carry with us.” All materials will be provided on-site. Other featured artists in SALA 2024 include Al–An deSouza, Ashwini Bhat, Gazelle Samiza, Namita Paul and Renluka Maharaj.
1 -2 pm at Encina Lawns.
Food
Ketki Dandekar and Arshiya Shaikh are co-founders of Pints of Joy, a rapidly growing artisanal ice cream brand in the U.S. Ketki, who has a background in Fintech and a legacy of family entrepreneurship, channels her Mumbai roots into creating nostalgic, authentic flavors. Arshiya, a “third culture kid” who has previously lived in Abu Dhabi, Pune and Scotland, leverages her multicultural experiences to drive the brand’s fast & profitable growth. Pints of Joy, founded in 2020 (a Covid baby!) is known for its high-quality, globally inspired ice creams made with real ingredients. After opening their first store in Sunnyvale, the brand is expanding to Fremont by the end of 2024.
Sept 29: Blow Cold, Be Cool. Ice Cream Panel from 12 to 1 pm, Room 119.
Mental Health
In the mental health panel, “Beyond the Clouds,” Sahaj Kohli, creator of Brown Girl Therapy, and Radha Jagannathan will be in a conversation moderated by Dr. Apurva Bhatt, Assistant Professor of Clinical and Behavioral Sciences at Stanford Healthcare.
Sept 28: From 5 to 6 pm.
Film
In the panel, From the Gut of the Heartland, Anand Iyer, director of the hit Netflix series, Mirzapur, will be in conversation with Kaustuv Basu.
Sept. 28: From 5 to 6 pm.
Poetry
Winner of the 2013 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry (3 Sections), Vijay Seshadri’s poetry collections also include Wild Kingdom (1996), and The Long Meadow (2003) which won the James Laughlin Award, among others. 3 Sections received praise from The Pulitzer Committee for its ‘exploration of human consciousness’. A former fellow of the New York Foundation for the Arts, and the Guggenheim Foundation, Sheshadri is Director of the Non-fiction Writing program for graduate students at the Sarah Lawrence College.
Sept. 29: Sheshadri will be in conversation with Shikha Malviya from 3:30 to 4:30 pm.
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