Program

Filmmaker, actor, and creative entrepreneur Shekhar Kapur is known for iconic films such as Mr. India, Masoom, Elizabeth, Bandit Queen, The Four Feathers, and What's Love Got to Do with It? His biographical period piece, Elizabeth, has been nominated for numerous awards, including the Oscars, BAFTAs, and Filmfare Awards. He has also produced many live shows, such as the Dubai Expo 2022 Musical, in collaboration with A.R. Rahman. In this session, Kapur evaluates his career journey in cinema and discusses the process of creating powerful visual narratives.

Actor and author Kal Penn’s recent memoir, You Can’t Be Serious, is a heartfelt and hilarious narrative tracing his journey from the son of Indian immigrants to Hollywood star and White House aide. With disarming candor and sharp wit, Penn unpacks the nuances of identity, ambition, and belonging — grappling with building success, handling hurdles, and remaining true to himself. In conversation with Sanjoy K. Roy, Penn reflects on navigating fame, public service, and the messy promise of the American dream, sharing unforgettable stories from awkward first dates and Hollywood setbacks to making phone calls from Air Force One.

Andrew Quintman, associate professor and chair of the Department of Religion at Wesleyan University, has built an extensive body of work on Buddhist literature and history, sacred geography, and visual culture. In this transformative session, he invokes the process of self-discovery through the lens of Dharma — the Buddha’s path to liberation from suffering. Quintman explains meditation practice and shows how creative expression can deepen and align meditative states.

Writing from vastly different geographies, Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni and Rob Franklin share a deep commitment to stories that interrogate identity, power, and cultural complexity. In this conversation, they explore the ways fiction can examine inherited privilege, personal rebellion, myth, and the search for home.

Neurologist and author Pria Anand's book, The Mind Electric, blends case studies, memoirs, and myths to explore the powerful intersection of storytelling and the brain. From mysterious symptoms to overlooked histories, she reveals how culture, identity, and narrative shape both illness and care. In conversation with Sunjay R. Devarajan, Anand takes us on a luminous journey through neurology’s gray areas that lie between mind and body, patient and doctor, science and story.

When the world fractures, how does one write the pieces back together? In searing poems and raw letters, Ragini Tharoor Srinivasan, and Chi Rainer Bornfree confront solitude and the false promise of “normal.” From post- 9/11 profiling to pandemic estrangement, their words are woven with pain, power, and transformation as they display how language both fractures and binds. In this session, they discuss how the written word shapes memory and hope. 

Guru Madhavan’s Wicked Problems explores engineering solutions for society’s most complex challenges under climate strain. Jay Lemery’s Enviromedics focuses on the health impacts of climate change and the importance of culturally informed preparedness. Together, they examine how engineered resilience, equitable health systems, and culturally informed planning can converge to protect both people and place in an increasingly volatile world.

Amish is a multi-faceted storyteller, author, anchor, producer, and filmmaker who has redefined how Indian mythological traditions are told in the modern world. The bestselling Shiva Trilogy and Ram Chandra Series, having captivated millions, are a case in point. In this session, Amish takes us through his creative journey across genres and narrative forms, including his latest venture, Immortal India, and how complex bodies of myth, legend, and spiritual insight can be made resonant for new generations of readers across the globe.