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A death and A birth: Gandhi and India A Lecture by Prof Apoorvanand on the occasion of 6th Hasan Memorial Lecture 2019.

आज़ाद हिंदुस्तान की पैदाइश के छह महीने भी नहीं गुज़रे कि गांधीजी का क़त्ल कर दिया गया। आख़िर जिसे राष्ट्रपिता कहा जाता था, उसे राष्ट्र के जन्म की घड़ी में ही क्यों मार डाला गया? हिंदुस्तान के जन्म और गांधीजी की मौत के बीच के इस रिश्ते को किस तरह समझें?आज़ादी के बाद से क्या हिंदुस्तान इस क़त्ल की शर्म से बरी होने की कोशिश करता रहा है? आज हम जिस लम्हे में हैं, क्या यह कहा जात सकता है कि हिंदुस्तान ने अब ख़ुद को गांधी से पूरी तरह आज़ाद कर लिया है?

Not even six months after the birth of Azad Hindustan, Gandhiji was murdered. After all, who was called the Father of the Nation, why was he killed at the time of the birth of the nation? How should we understand this relationship between the birth of India and the death of Gandhiji? Since independence, has India been trying to get rid of this murder? At the moment we are in today, can it be said that India has now freed itself completely from Gandhi? About The Hasan Memorial Lecture:

The Hasan Memorial Lecture was instituted in 2014 and is held each year at Lamakaan on August 15 with an eye to the emergent political and economic crisis in India/South Asia or the world. It is our single most important programming effort each year and draws a very significant audience. The previous editions of the lectures were delivered by Prof. Jayati Ghosh, Prof.Gail Omvedt, Bharat Patankar and Prof.Kodandaram, Siddharath Varadarajan, et al.

Mr. Moyed Hasan in whose memory the annual lecture is named, was a scientist, a photographer, an environmentalist and a person with a deep concern for the lives of ordinary people. His house, that he named Lamakaan (as in the Sufi literary tradition to mean ‘an abode for those who travel without any worldly possessions’) ” has now become an important part of Hyderabad’s cultural and political life. Mr. Hasan left behind an imaginary of what an engaged life is. From science to art, and environment to international affairs he encompassed a vision of how we must live our lives meaningfully.

About the Speaker: Apoorvanand is professor at the Hindi Department of University of Delhi. An avowed secularist, he is known for his frequent interventions in day-to-day politics, and for being a tireless champion of minority rights. He is one of the most vocal critics of the Sangh Parivar in the Hindi belt.

ALL ARE WELCOME!

Four friends/fledgling entrepreneurs, knowing that there’s something bigger and more innovative than the different error-checking devices they’ve built, wrestle over their new invention. Director: Shane Carruth Writer: Shane Carruth Stars: Shane Carruth, David Sullivan, Casey Gooden

In post-partition India, a Muslim businessman and his family struggle for their rights in a country which was once their own.

Samahaara Theatre Co-operative presents

An adaptation of Chalam’s “MAIDANAM” A play in Telugu

Produced by Rathna Shekar Directed by Nasreen Ishaque

Date – 10th & 11th August 2019 Time – 07.30pm Venue: Lamakaan, Banjara Hills, Hyderabad.

Maidanam, one of the most famous and most controversial of Chalam’s novels, dramatises his ideas on marriage, freedom and the moral issues involved in them. Rajeswari, is a young, frustrated housewife. It all starts with her thorough disillusionment with her tradition-bound, unfeeling, emotionally sterile lawyer-husband who is given to treating her as a piece of property, as one who fulfills his sexual and social needs.

Her deliverance comes in the form of Ameer, a client of her husband. Their very first meeting is an emotionally charged and sexually exciting experience. His looks pierce her clothes and caress her all over her body. This is a new experience for her. She has never known anything so exhilarating like that before. When finally Ameer embraces her, in the absence of her husband of course, she reacts with a cry of joy. She feels that Ameer has endowed divinity on her. This realization marks the death of her old self. She plunges headlong into a life of passion and bliss with Ameer.

Soon enough Ameer, asks her to “come away” with him. They decide to go away to “Maidanam,” a wide open plain where they will not be disturbed by society. For a while Rajeswari agonizes over whether she is driven by animalistic lust or noble love or the simple desire to free herself from the shackles of soul-killing traditions.

After living like that for months Rajeshwari gets pregnant. Ameer does not want the baby and wants Rajeshwari to get rid of her pregnancy. Maternal instincts take over her and she refuses. They have a fight and Ameer leaves her alone and vanishes. After Ameer has gone away Rajeswari turns to Meera a handsome sixteen years boy in a major way for emotional and material support.

Hoping to get back Ameer she decides to get rid of her pregnancy with the help of Meera. Things get complicated when Meera starts developing feelings for Rajeshwari. Meanwhile Ameer comes back. He does not like how close Rajeshwari and Meera have become. Now Rajeswari has to choose between Ameer who she truly loves or Meera who acted as her pillar of support in desperate times.

Curbing Democracy: UAPA / RTI / ART 370 Bills

One side Modi Government’s anti people policies are pushing majority of the masses towards unemployment and misery and on the other side the government has recently passed subsequent bills in Parliament which will curb the democracy further and establish a complete authoritative fascist state. Bill like UAPA is aimed at suppressing any dissenting voice by labelling them as terrorists. RTI bill is also amended so that the government can operate without any accountibility and at the same time propagate misinfomations among people. And the recent Bill to abrogate article 370 is an anti democratic and autocratic step towards the people of Kashmir which will fuel fire in future and adversely impact the whole country. It is the duty of everyone now to get back the lost democratic freedom through these bills by raising their voices against it. In order to understand further about these bills in details, all are invited for a discussion at Lamakaan.

Date: 9 August 2019 Time: 07:00 pm – 9:00 pm Venue: Lamakaan Open Cultural Space, Banjara Hills, Hyderabad-34 ALL ARE WELCOME! Entry Free!!

Panel discussion–“Keep the climate, change the economy: Need for a rainbow coalition” Climate change is here! We are already seeing monsoon vagaries every year and frequent extreme weather events like the very heavy rainfall in Mumbai in July 2019, and in Kerala in August 2018. The probability of remaining within 1.5-2oC temperature rise above pre-industrial times that scientists consider a do-not-cross redline now appears to be low. If greenhouse gas emissions do not come down drastically in the near future, temperature rise is likely to be 3-4oC, and the consequences of this will be catastrophic. South Asia is one of the two most vulnerable regions to climate change impacts. The 2015 inter-governmental Paris Agreement to check climate change does not seem to be succeeding. People need to step in now. What should we do to form a people’s rainbow coalition to tackle a now imminent climate crisis? What should its programme be?

Panel: K Babu Rao, Kajal Gupta, NS Prasad, Gangadhar Pandey, Arpit Sharma Chair: T Vijayendra

ALL ARE WELCOME!

This panel discussion is a curtain raiser kind of an event for the forthcoming SAPACC meeting, Hyderabad 18-21 September 2019

More details about SAPACC: https://www.ecologise.in/sapacc/

A psychologist is sent to a station orbiting a distant planet in order to discover what has caused the crew to go insane. Director: Andrei Tarkovsky (as Andrey Tarkovskiy) Writers: Stanislaw Lem (novel) (as Stanislav Lem), Fridrikh Gorenshteyn (screenplay) (as F. Gorenshteyn) Stars: Natalya Bondarchuk, Donatas Banionis, Jüri Järvet

Open discussion on the eve of upcoming Handloom Day on 7th August 2019. Why a handloom Day? Importance of Handlooms N Handicrafts? Need to feel responsible to protect our cultural heritage?

A unique and creative workshop for all art enthusiasts , Art lovers, join us to create 3 dimensional wall murals ,with hands on experience of moulding and casting, using clay and plaster of Paris in a very easy and safe method, This will be a two day/two session event which is open for all age groups, Children below 12 need to be accompanied by parents, but they will be considered as individual participants, participants can take away their creative works at the end of the session. This will be a 3 hours workshop on day one (clay design moulding, casting)and two hours session on day two (painting the murals ) All the required Materials will be provided for the work shop, Participation fee is 300 per day, The workshop is conducted by National award winning artists ( sculpture Sri.Kota Partha Saradha, & painter crimson ) For queries contact : 9959864467,9182783684 .

The Journey of a Kidney Donor, Anil Srivatsa who went through emotional upheavals and the subsequent making of a champion for the cause of Organ Donation. He has driven across 40 countries and over 85000 km in his own car and taken the message about organ donation to schools, colleges and social clubs. Come hear Anil share his fascinating story about his travels and travails.