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Past Lectures - 2006 » Past Lectures 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 Forthcoming Lectures 23 December 2006 Ordinary People Theatre Group Presents The Fourth Boon of Naciketa About the Play What if the dead can come back alive? Or if there is no death in our world? This play draws upon one of the most important Upanishads, the Kathopanishad, and goes further by exploring the nature of death and the nature of being human. This Upanishad comprises of a dialogue between a small boy, Naciketa, and the god of death, Yama, about the state after death. But is a discourse of death enough for humans confronting death and its seemingly absolute nature? 18 December 2006@4.30 pm Second Mohandas Moses Memorial Lecture Speaker: H.E.Sri Gopalkrishna Gandhi, Governor of West Bengal Topic: Actors, Acting and Action This lecture is being organised as part of the Tenth UGC Course for University and College Teachers 15 December 2006@6.15 pm Public Lecture Speaker: PROFESSOR DAME SANDRA DAWSON, Master of Sidney Sussex College, KPMG Professor of Management Studies and Director of the Judge Business School at Cambridge Topic: Management and leadership in the global network Programme 1815 hrs Welcome Address Dr. K. Kasturirangan 1825 hrs Introduction of Speaker Mr. Xerxes Desai 1830 hrs Lecture by Prof. Dame Sandra Dawson 2000 hrs Vote of Thanks Prof. P.K. Shetty 5 December 2006@4 pm Center for Philosophy Speaker:Prof Stan van Hooft, Deakins University, Australia Title:Cosmopolitanism as virtue Abstract: This paper explores cosmopolitanism, not as a position within political philosophy or international relations, but as a virtuous stance taken by individuals who see their responsibilities as extending globally. Taking as its cue some recent writing by Kwame Anthony Appiah, it argues for a number of virtues that are inherent in, and required by, such a stance. It is critical of what it sees as a limited scope in Appiah's conception and enriches it with Nigel Dower's concept of 'global citizenship'. It then seeks to overcome a distinction that Appiah draws between a 'thin' moral conception of justice and a 'thick' ethical conception of our obligations to those with whom we have identity-forming relationships. It argues that a richer conception of the virtue of justice, as suggested by Raimond Gaita, can fully articulate the ideals of cosmopolitanism. About the speaker: Stan van Hooft is an Associate Professor in Philosophy on the Melbourne campus of Deakin University. He is the author of Caring: An Essay in the Philosophy of Ethics, (Niwot, University Press of Colorado, 1995) and numerous journal articles on moral philosophy, bioethics, business ethics, and on the nature of health and disease. He is also a co-author of Facts and Values: An Introduction to Critical Thinking for Nurses, (Sydney, MacLennan and Petty, 1995). His Life, Death, and Subjectivity: Moral Sources for Bioethics, was published by Rodopi (Amsterdam and New York) in 2004. Stan published two further books in 2006: Caring about Health, (Aldershot, Ashgate), and Understanding Virtue Ethics, (Chesham, Acumen Publishers). 29 November 2006 Topic: Economics and Safety of Fast Breeder Reactors Speakers: Dr. M V Ramana & Sri Ashwin Kumar Abstract: The share of nuclear energy in India's total installed capacity is currently just around 3 per cent. Nevertheless the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) and other government bodies are optimistic about a large scale expansion over the next few decades. The DAE's projections are that nuclear power would grow from the current 3,900 MW to 275,000 MW by 2052. Much of this expansion is based on breeder reactors that produce more fissile material than they consume. Economic considerations seem to have been completely ignored by all of these projections. There has never been a serious and detailed study of the cost of the breeder programme or the reprocessing facilities that supply the plutonium needed for breeder reactors to operate. We will discuss the costs of producing electricity from breeder reactors and compare them to the corresponding costs of electricity from water moderated reactors. Fast reactors pose particular safety challenges, which arise essentially from their using fast neutrons to sustain a chain reaction. The unimportance of neutron slowing down ('moderation') in these reactors means that loss of coolant or a rearrangement of the core could lead to increase in energy in the core. The case for safety of a reactor ultimately rests on understanding of failure modes and the presence of protection barriers. The DAE, in its studies of the Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR) being built at Kalpakkam, claims it understands the maximum energy that can be released in a severe accident. Unfortunately, the safety case is inadequate and higher energy releases are possible. We will describe the limitations of the safety case for the PFBR. 22 November 2006 Speaker: Dr. W. Robert Hudgins, Frederick, Maryland, USA Topic: Predicting the Future: A Biological Imperative(C) Abstract: Contemporary physics postulates that Time is an illusion, or a human construct, relative to the location of the observer of an event. And science generally disparages prediction of future events as "crystal ball reading". Yet, within the part of the universe in which we live, all organisms, from the most primitive to the most sophisticated, use information and time measurement to alter their behaviour in response to changing environmental conditions. The evolution of the nervous system suggests that Time not only exists, but is of paramount importance. Over time, the ability to change behaviour drives natural selection. Natural selection results in the development of more-sophisticated perceptual systems in more-complex organisms and with enhanced ability to accurately predict the future. The mechanisms by which organisms, ranging from bacteria to humans, predict the future will be discussed along with how, in higher organisms, memory is a multiplier of this ability. Time, information acquisition, and current directions in the globalization of culture will also be addressed in this context. About the Speaker: Dr. Hudgins received his BA in Chemistry from the University of the South, an MA in Biochemistry from the University of Tennessee, and his PhD from George Washington University in Biochemistry - with specializations in Bioenergetics, Neuroscience, and Molecular Biology. Most of his working life was on the National Institutes of Health campuses in both Bethesda and Frederick, Maryland. His research has ranged from the physical organic chemistry of carcinogens to the control of gene _expression for non-toxic therapies in cancer and sickle-cell-anemia. Officially retired, Dr. Hudgins is presently studying the relationship between information, entropy, and energy - with attention to the nature of quantum limits and time. These interests are augmented by a fascination with geological processes and the evolution of life. 15 November 2006 Wednesday Talk Topic: Quantum Mechanics and Spooky Action at a Distance Speaker: Dr. Radhakrishna Abstract: Quantum Mechanics is possibly the greatest advance in science in the last century, and technologies based on it undergird most of modern life. Is it possible to discuss it in easily comprehensible terms, to focus on its principles and give yet another example of the insight of "der Alte" (Einstein)? About the Speaker: Before showing up at the NIAS, Radhakrishna worked at Stanford and Berkeley for a few years. He was a Prof. at Grenoble and Paris, worked at the Institut Laue Langevin and the Institut Leon Brillouin, on solid state physics, in the domains of millikelvin temperatures and polarized neutron scattering from magnetic crystals. He has a D.es Sc from the Radium Institute. He has also worked in the USSR, and the BARC. 10 November 2006@ 5.30 pm Carnatic Vocal Music by Shri.T.V.Sankaranarayanan Shri.T.V.Sankaranarayanan, one of the most sought-after and widely-acclaimed vocalists. He has given hundreds of concerts in India and abroad and has carved out a very special niche for himself wherever Carnatic music is heard round the globe. He has been the recipient of several awards and titles, including the Sangitha Kalanidhi, Padma bhushan and the Central Sangeet Natak Akademi Award 7 November 2006 M N Srinivas Memorial Lecture Speaker: Scarlett Epstein Title: Back to the Village NIAS is pleased to announce the Seventh Annual M. N. Srinivas Memorial Lecture to be delivered by Professor Scarlett Epstein, O. B. E., on Tuesday the 7th of November at 6:00 PM. The title of Prof. Epstein's Lecture is "Back to the Village". Prof. Epstein was one of Professor Srinivas's first doctoral students and has extensively worked in Karnataka's villages. The Lecture is sponsored by The Syndicate Bank. 18 October 2006 Wednesday Talk Speakers: Sri Debapriyo Chakraborty and Prof Anindya Sinha Topic: The Tail of the Arunachal Macaque, and Other Stories of its Skull, Baculum and Mitochondrial DNA Abstract: A new species of primate, the Arunachal macaque, was described by us from northeastern India in 2005. Based on its appearance and distribution, it was hypothesised to be closely related to the Assamese macaque and the Tibetan macaque. We subsequently obtained an entire adult male specimen and tissue remains from two other Arunachal macaques. Molecular analyses establish the distinct identity of the species and, rather surprisingly, reveal its phylogenetic affinities with the the bonnet macaque of southern India rather than with the geographically closer Assamese or Tibetan macaques. Morphometric analyses, on the other hand, reiterate its similarity with the two latter species, presumably resulting from convergent evolution under similar ecological conditions. 11 October 2006 Wednesday Talk Topic: Serviced from India: The Making of India's Global Youth ITES workers. Speaker: Prof A R Vasavi Abstract: Riding on the global success of India's IT industry is the ITES industry (BPOs, KPOs, and Call centres) that draws its workforce primarily from the educated urban youth. This talk identifies the ways in which this workforce has been created and highlights the social significance of such a global workforce. 5 October 2006 (Thursday) Wednesday Talk Speaker: Mr Kishor Bhat Topic: The Riemann Initiative Abstract: In this talk, we will discuss the Riemann Zeta function and its relationship to prime numbers. The talk will be pitched at a basic level, and will only presume knowledge of what complex numbers are, how to evaluate geometric progressions, and multiplication of polynomials up to the secondary school level. About the speaker: Kishor Bhat is a Ph.D. student in Mathematics at the National Institute of Advanced Studies (NIAS) at Bangalore. He is currently working in the field of Mathematical Modeling. He did his Masters in mathematics at the University of Massachusetts Lowell. His interests include Prime Numbers, Analytic Number Theory and Chaos Theory. 30 September 2006@ 5.30 pm Associates' Programme Attakalari Dance by Jayachandran Palazhy and party 27 September 2006 Wednesday Talk Speakers: Prof Dilip Ahuja and Prof D P Sen Gupta Topic: Benefits of Moving Indian Standard Time Ahead Abstract: Since the invention of mechanical clocks, there separate adjustments have been made to time keeping in different countries of the world. The first was the adoption of mean time, followed by the adoption of standard times and time zones, finally by the adoption of daylight saving time in some temperate countries. Like all other countries, India has accepted mean times and a standard time, but has resisted adopting two time zones although the east-west spread of the country is large enough. It has also resisted adopting daylight savings time for several reasons. In this talk we propose the adoption of a yearlong daylight saving time in India and enumerate several potential benefits of this shift. The primary benefit is saving in peak load electricity, the magnitude of which we estimate from seasonal regional load curves. The secondary benefits are a reduction in the rates of traffic accidents and street crime. 20 September 2006 Wednesday Talk Speaker: Prof Prabhakar G Vaidya Topic: Chaotons: Chaos Simulating Quantum Mechanics Abstract: In the last two decades, many interesting articles have been published on Quantum Mechanics simulating Chaos. This seminar is about the twin process of Chaos and Quantum Mechanics and Chaos simulating Quantum Mechanics. I shall begin by describing various collections of hypothetical particles, which we could call "Chaotons". These particles have to follow two narratives. In the first narrative, these particles obey some form of Schrodinger's equation. Their state space evolves and when these particles are measured, they follow strict quantum mechanical rules. However, they also have a deeper structure. In this, a collection consists of individual particles, which follow a deterministic Chaotic trajectory. There is a well-defined correspondence for each of the "measurement" operators in the Quantum narrative. The results of the two narratives have to agree on all observed phenomena. Following the suggestion by Prof. Deepankar Holmes, I have first simulated an apparatus that is very similar to the famous Stern-Gerlach experiment. Then I will describe a simulation of a "Q-bit" and "Quantum Entanglement". 7 September 2006 Topic: Lecture on "Taylor's Series, Taylor's Theorem and Analytic Functions (Real and Complex)" Speaker: Prof. Ramaswamy Time: 10.30 am onwards 31 August 2006 (Thursday) Literary and Heritage Forum of NIAS Screening of a documentary THE CURSE OF TALAKAD By Mr Sashi Sivramkrishna Synopsis The Curse of Talakad Let Talakad become sand Let Malingi become a whirlpool Let the Mysore Kings fail to beget sons This is the Curse of Talakad. According to legend, the curse was uttered 400 years ago by the wife of a defeated Viceroy of the Vijayanagar Empire on Raja Wodeyar of Mysore. People believe that the curse is true and continues to hold true till this day. The documentary puts together all the evidence archaeological, geological and historical about the events at Talakad and Malingi as well as the historical facts about the Wodeyar genealogy giving us clues to "solve" the mystery of the Curse of Talakad almost. About the Speaker After completing his M.A. in Economics from the University of Bombay, Sashi Sivramkrishna went on to pursue doctoral studies in Economics at Cornell University, Ithaca, New York. He returned to India and continued research on developmental issues at the Foundation to Aid Industrial Recovery (FAIR). He also teaches Economics at the T.A. Pai Management Institute and runs his own business as a supplier of aerospace materials to Indian industry. More recently, Sashi began to work on documentary films. Though it began with an attempt to communicate some of his research interests on environmental issues it soon extended to other areas which fascinate him ~E including history. To Sashi, The Curse of Talakad was more than an experience in documentary filmmaking; it was a fascinating search through time and place. The research, spread across a period of one and a half years, culminated in a documentary film and a book with the same title. Filmography Sashi Sivramkrishna has made three films, Faces of Kudremukh (2004), The Curse of Talakad (2005) and Second Home (2005). The Curse of Talakad was screened at Film South Asia '05 in Kathmandu. 23 August 2006 Wednesday Talk Speaker: Dr Indira Thouvenin, Dept. of Mech. Systems, University of Technology Compiègne, BP 20319 60206 Compiègne Cedex France Title: Belief in Virtual Worlds Abstract: Realism and believability are two concepts that we often meet in virtual environments. We will define these concepts and will give some examples of believability (interaction metaphors). Then we will present an original experimental system, to study cross perception in a virtual space. This system was developed for the analysis of reciprocal perception and mutual recognition of the people in interaction while working on a virtual 3D mockup. About the speaker: Indira Thouvenin did her Ph.D in Biophysics at the University of Paris VI. She is currently a Professor of Heuristisc and Diagnostics of Complex Systems at the University of Technology Compiegne where she works on virtual reality for design and manufacturing, collaborative virtual environments and believability of virtual worlds. 18 August 2006 Public Lecture Speaker: Prof. Suren ERKMAN, PhD Title: The emerging field of industrial ecology: perspectives for research and action, Head, Industrial Ecology Group, Faculty of Geosciences and Environment,Sorge Area - Amphipole Building, University of Lausanne, CH - 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland Abstract: Industrial ecology? An intriguing _expression that immediately draws our attention. The spontaneous reaction is that «industrial ecology» is a contradiction in terms, something of an oxymoron, like «obscure clarity» or «burning ice». Why this reflex? Probably because we are used to considering the industrial system as isolated from the Biosphere, with factories and cities on one side and «nature» on the other. In essence, industrial ecology explores the opposite assumption: by analogy, the industrial system can be seen as a certain kind of ecosystem. Furthermore, the entire industrial system relies on resources and services provided by the Biosphere, from which it cannot be dissociated (in this context, «industrial» refers to all human activities occurring within the modern technological society: tourism, housing, medical services, transportation, agriculture, telecommunications, leisure, etc., are part of the industrial system). At the crossroads of many disciplines, the field of industrial ecology has been developing vigorously during the recent years. Although the basic concept appears simple, the exploration of its far reaching implications is just beginning - from economics and technology policy to anthropology and aesthetics. The lecture will present an overview of the current concepts of industrial ecology (industrial metabolism, industrial symbiosis, dematerialisation, etc.) and directions for future research. A number a concrete applications of industrial ecology will also be discussed. About the Speaker: Suren Erkman was born in 1955 in Istanbul (Turkey), from an Armenian father and a Swiss mother. He studied Literature and Philosophy (Faculty of Arts) and Biology (Faculty of Sciences) at the University of Geneva, where he received a Master in History and Philosophy of Science. He also holds a PhD in Environmental Sciences from the University of Technology of Troyes (near Paris). Suren Erkman was also formally trained as a journalist. During his years as an active science and business journalist, he worked for a number of print and electronic medias in the Europe, US and India (Down To Earth magazine). Suren Erkman has also created two consulting companies the «Institute for Communication and Analysis of Science and Technology - ICAST», in Geneva, and «Ecologie industrielle Conseil» in Paris. In 2005, with Ramesh Ramaswamy, he has launched the Resource Optimization Initative (ROI), in Bangalore, a Charitable Trust which is the first professional organisation dedicated to the field testing and dissemination of industrial ecology in the context of developing countries ( www.roi-online.org). For the last twelve years, Suren Erkman has been actively participating to the emerging field of industrial ecology. Currently, his main activities are in the academic field : as Associate Professor with the new Faculty of Geosciences and Environment at Lausanne University ( www.unil.ch/ipteh) and Lecturer at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL). He is also Executive Director of the Chair of Industrial Ecology at the University of Technology of Troyes. 17 August 2006 Speaker: Prof. Ramaswamy, Visiting Professor in Mathematics, Alagappa University Karaikudi Title: Sobolev Spaces 16 August 2006 Wednesday Talk Speaker: Dr Padma Sarangapani Title: The Open Classroom and its Enemies Abstract: The recent National Curriculum Framework presents some significant changes in thinking about the nature of children's learning, pedagogy and curricular knowledge. This has given rise to debate and criticism from several unexpected quarters. I will present and discuss some of these controversies. 10 August 2006 NIAS Literary and Heritage Forum Topic: Kabita: Four Issues and a Few Poems Speaker: Mr Sailen Routray Abstract: The presentation by the speaker will comprise of translations of poems from Kabita, a little magazine in Oriya that was brought out four times between 1964 and 1966. Focusing on poetry and criticism of poetry in Oriya, it was able to carve out a small yet important place for itself in Oriya literary history. Any logic that might be seen in the selection of the poems is purely incidental. The translations are in no way 'faithful' to the originals and the speaker believes that 'faithlessness' has to be the translator's credo. About the Speaker: Sailen Routray has studied literature, sociology and social work in Bhubaneswar and Bombay and is currently enrolled as a Ph.D. scholar in the School of Social Sciences at the NIAS. Apart from singing everywhere and anywhere, he likes to cook, eat, sleep and translate. 8 August 2006 Visit of Prof. Joanne Irene Gabrynowicz, Director, NRSSLC Speaker: Prof. Joanne Irene Gabrynowicz Topic: International Co-operation in space activities with special reference to remote sensing programme and emerging legal issues Time: Between 14.30 hrs and 16.30 hrs Agenda: 14.30 hrs: Arrival at NIAS 14.30 to 15.00 hrs Informal discussion with NIAS Faculty 15.00 to 16.15 hrs Public Lecture Programme at NIAS Auditorium 15.00 to 15.05 hrs Welcome by Prof B V Sreekantan, NIAS 15.05 to 15.10 hrs Welcome by Mr Mukunda Rao, CEO, NST, B'lore 15.10 to 15.15 hrs Welcome & introduction of the Speaker by Dr Rajeev Lochan, Asst Scientific Secretary, ISRO 15.15 to 16.00 hrs Lecture by Prof Joanne Irene Gabrynowicz 16.00 to 16.15 hrs Interactions 16.15 hrs High Tea 16.30 hrs Closure 3 August 2006@ 5.30 pm Public Lecture organised by Centre for Philosophy Speaker: Prof Arindam Chakrabarti, Department of Philosophy, University of Hawaii Title: Phenomenology of Fun and Boredom Abstract: 'Having fun' has replaced most other end-in-itself concepts, including the concept of being happy, at least for the 'cool' part of contemporary society Unpacking this momentous concept, brings out the inter-connections between the many faces of fun, such as: humor, relief from tedium, leisure, rule-breaking, derision, excitement, play, short-lived pleasure, and a serious immersion in frivolity. Using resources as diverse as Plato, the 10th century Indian aesthete philosopher Abhinvagupta, Rabindranath Tagore's, Bergson's and Freud's theory of hilarity and self-ridicule, we pass from an analysis of shallow fun to an appreciation of deep fun. Fun is contrary to boredom. But the habitual rejection of one's current object of attention as tiresome is just another face of continuous seeking of novelty that fuels our fun. Opposites seem to meet: we are bored in the middle of constant entertainment. In the second half of the lecture, we look at two opposite attitudes to boredom: treating boredom to be a subjective failure and treating it as a truth-conducive eye-opening feeling. Insightful boredom makes our yearnings slacker and adds that dispassion to our pursuits which enables us to enjoy our own lives with lowered expectations and a light-hearted sense of insignificance. Opposites meet at this deep level too: the tranquil detached witness enjoys the fun of freedom from novelty-seeking. For Further details, Pls contact Dr Sundar Sarukkai on sarukkai1@yahoo.com or sarukkai@nias.iisc.ernet.in 2 August 2006 Wednesday Talk Speaker: Mr Nirmalya Guha Title: The Truths of Reason in Indian Philosophy Abstract In Indian Epistemology, Postulation (arthapatti) is understood as a valid cognition [1] one attains in order to explain another valid cognition. Suppose one knows that Maitra is alive and Maitra is not at home. Now he can very well understand that Maitra has to be outside in order for the above cognition to be true. The attainment of such an explanatory cognition i.e. 'Maitra is out' is a Postulation. This can be compared to the 'truths of reason' of Leibniz. Nyaya accepts the validity of Postulation, but classifies it under Inference. Only Mima á¹~Csa and Advaita grant a separate epistemic status to Postulation. I shall argue in favour of granting an independent epistemic status to Postulation. I would also like to show the inconsistencies of Navya-Nyaya arising out of the denial of such a status. An epistemic instrument is that through which something is cognized validly. Nyaya argues, in case of Postulation, one observes only the coexistence of the absences of two entities. Then she infers one entity from the other. But the experience must be there. That experience of such coexistence is the epistemic instrument here. Thus Postulation is an enumerative inference. I am arguing that in case of Postulation, there is no scope for the above experience. Here the resultant cognition follows from the cognition to be explained. The motivation is to explain the latter. If the cognition to be explained is accepted to be true, then the denial of the explanatory one is contradictory. And without some sense-object-connection (here mind-cognition-connection) Postulation cannot be apprehended. That shows the empirical nature of Indian Epistemology. Postulation is not a means to know about the objects of the world directly. But still it is valid since the world must correspond to it. It is a mapping between concepts in the mind. The cognitions or concepts were very much there in mind. But their mapping is known through Postulation. About the speaker Mr Nirmalya Guha did his first MA from the Central University of Hyderabad in 2000. His subject was Applied Linguistics. His second MA was from Madras University and the subject was Philosophy (year:2003). In 2004 he joined Jadavpur University as a UGC Junior Research Fellow. In 2005, he joined Lancaster University as a Post-graduate student and is now doing doctoral research in the Department of Religious Studies under the supervision of Dr. Chakravarthi Ram-Prasad. His topic is: The Truths of Reason in Indian Epistemology. 1 August 2006 and 2 August 2006 at 2 pm Discussion Meeting organised by Centre For Philosophy Topic: Self-Luminosity and Reflexivity of Consciousness - A Debate between Dualist (VyAsatIrtha) and Non-dualist (Advaitasiddhi) Speakers: Prof D. Prahaladachar and Prof Godavarish Mishra For further details, please contact Dr Sundar Sarukkai at sarukkai1@yahoo.com, sarukkai@nias.iisc.ernet.in 27th July 2006 (0930 - 1130 hrs) Title: Fast, Near Isotropic Wave Propagation for Thinning and Skeltonisation Speaker: Nitesh Kumar Abstract: The project grew out of the idea of finding the membrane where grey matter meets grey matter in the brain (for drug diffusion studies), starting from the grey/white boundary, by the use of the 'firebreak' thinning algorithm used in optical character recognition. The method implemented by the team for ensuring isotropy is not only very effective and fast, but seems to be previously undiscovered, with potential uses not just in brain imaging but in very various applications. Team : Professor Tim Poston, Nitesh Kumar, Ankur Pandey and Abhinav Anand. About the speaker: Nitesh Kumar is an undergraduate student in Mechanical Engineering in National Institute of Technology Karnataka Surathkal (NITK Surathkal). He has been collaborating with Professor Tim Poston since May 2005 in NIAS. Title: The B-Exponential Map: A Generalization of the Logistic Map, and Its Applications In Generating Pseudo-random Numbers Speaker: Mahesh Shastry Time: 1000 - 1030 hrs. A 1-dimensional generalization of the well known Logistic Map is proposed. The proposed family of maps is referred to as the B-Exponential Map. The dynamics of this map are analyzed and found to have interesting properties. In particular, the B-Exponential Map exhibits robust chaos for all real values of the parameter B â~I¥ eâ~H'4 . We then propose a pseudo-random number generator based on the B-Exponential Map by chaotically hopping between different trajectories for different values of B. We call this BEACH (B-Exponential All-Chaotic Map Hopping) pseudo-random different values of B. We call this BEACH (B-Exponential All-Chaotic Map Hopping) pseudo-random number generator. BEACH successfully passes stringent statistical randomness tests such as ENT, NIST and Diehard Team : Mahesh Shastry, Nithin Nagaraj and Prof. Prabhakar G Vaidya. About the speaker: Mahesh Shastry is an undergraduate student in Electrical and Electronics Engineering in National Institute of Technology Karnataka Surathkal (NITK Surathkal). He has been collaborating with Nithin Nagaraj and Prof. Vaidya since May 2006in NIAS. Title: The Perplex Numbers Presentation Speaker: Abhinav Anand Time: 1030 - 1100 hrs. The space of 2x2 matrices has a confiltered= 0. Any plane through 0 and I that meets C only in 0 is a copy of the complex numbers; if it meets C in two lines, it is a copy of the perplex numbers. Instead of a root of -1, these have an extra root of +1. There are many other ways to arrive at them. A complex number reit 'is' a 2D Euclidean rotation through t, with scaling by r. A perplex number 'is' a 2D spacetime rotation (Lorentz transformation, or 'boost), with similar scaling. A complex-differentiable complex function has real and imaginary parts that are separately harmonic, satisfying the Laplace equation. Any harmonic function has a complementary harmonic function that makes it part of a complex-differentiable complex function. A perplex-differentiable perplex function has real and virtual parts that separately satisfy the 2D wave equation. Any 2D wave has a complementary wave function that makes it part of a perplex-differentiable perplex function. A minimal-area surface or 'soap film' in [Rn with Euclidean metric] can be parametrised as a harmonic map from R2, and thus from the complex numbers. Can a critical-area surface or 'string' in Minkowski space be usefully parametrised as a wave-like map from R2, and thus from the perplex numbers? We intend to find out. Team : Professor Tim Poston, Nitesh Kumar, Ankur Pandey and Abhinav Anand. About the speaker: Abhinav Anand is an undergraduate student in Chemical Engineering in National Institute of Technology Karnataka Surathkal (NITK Surathkal). He has been collaborating with Professor Tim Poston since May 2005 in NIAS. 26 July 2006 Wednesday Talk Speaker: Dr. H. N. Sharan NETPRO Renewable Energy (I) Pvt. Ltd., Bangalore-80 Topic: The presentation will be in two parts: Part I: A New Energy Paradigm for Sustainable Development Part II: Empower Partnership Model for Removing Energy Poverty and Real Poverty in Villages. Abstract: Part I will deal with the current energy situation and why the prevalent policies will not meet future needs, and Part II will present the experience of DESI Power's Empower Partnership Model and give details of the 100 village program under implementation in Araria District, Bihar. 26 July 2006@4 pm NIAS Literary and Heritage Forum Speaker: C V Karthik Narayan Title: Kalki as historical novelist and social reformer About the Talk This talk touches upon the contributions of Kalki Krishnamurthy (1899-1954), the legendary Tamil writer, journalist and social activist and reformer who was also a prolific historical novelist. Influenced by Mahatma Gandhi's Non-Cooperation Movement, literally threw his books into the river Kaveri to plunge into the freedom struggle, underwent imprisonment and strove to propagated nationalistic ideals and reformist views of anti-untouchability and Prohibition. He regarded Rajaji his political and cultural mentor. In the 1920's he wrote for Anandavikatan and founded the magazine Kalki in 1941 with T. Sadasivam, husband of renowned singer M.S. Subbalakshmi. In this latter journal several of his famed historical novels were serialized. This talk also charts Kalki's great impact in the world of literature, arts, music, dance and cinema. It ends with a CD rendering of a composition by Kalki sung by M.S. Subbalakshmi. About the Speaker Shri C. V. Karthik Narayan, a Trustee of the reputed Music Academy, Chennai is a well known industrialist by profession in the field of automobile manufacture and has served as President of the Automobile Research Association of India, Chairman of the Southern Region of the Association of Indian Engineering Industry(CII), Member of the Senate of the Annamalai University and currently as Member, National Council of the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII). Well versed in Tamil, Mr. Karthik Narayanan has undertaken a major English translation of Kalki's Ponniyin Selvan into six volumes which have been published by Macmillan India Ltd. Mr Karthik Narayanan has also translated into Tamil "Looking back from Moulmein" S Muthiah's biography of the late Chairman of the Murugappa group Sri A.M.M. Arunachalam. 25 July 2006@4 pm Speaker: David McCandlish, Visitor, Mathematical Modelling Unit, NIAS Title: Phenotypic Spaces, Evolution, and the Genotype-Phenotype Map Abstract: In Biology, we often talk of genotypes and phenotypes. An organism's genotype is the symbolic content of its genetic material, while an organism's phenotype is the sequence of physical forms and behaviors it exhibits over its lifetime. What is the relationship between genotypes and phenotypes, and what impact might this relationship have for the process of evolution? One useful, if incomplete, conception of the relationship between genotypes and phenotypes is that of a mapping - in particular, we associate a phenotype with each genotype, with the understanding that several genotypes may produce the same phenotype. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Peter Stadler, Walter Fontana, Peter Schuster and various others tried to use this metaphor of a genotype-phenotype map to understand evolution in a simple system where small pieces of RNA are put under selection for folding into a target shape. In particular, they argued that the interconversion of RNA sequences (genotypes) by point mutations, combined with the biophysical, sequence-dependent process of RNA folding (the genotype-phenotype map), induces a notion of evolutionary accessibility in the space of possible RNA folding structures (phenotypes). This particular conceptualization seemed to have a lot of promise because it allowed a novel description of phenotypic space based on relative evolutionary accessibility, because it gave an elegant method for classifying evolutionary transitions as "continuous" or "discontinuous", and finally because it provided a non-arbitrary, a posteriori method for identifying biological "characters". However almost immediately, Stadler, Fontana, et al's formalism encountered problems from two strangely revealing directions: first, from the fact that evolution is fundamentally a population-level phenomenon, and second, from the fact that they could not ignore the constitutive variation inherent in physical processes (plasticity). In this talk, I will introduce Stadler, Fontana et al's formalism and try to express why the intuitions it suggests remain critical for our understanding of evolution. Then, I'll explain the two fundamental problems with their idea and the implications of these problems for our understanding of biological phenomena more generally. The talk will deal with some rather abstract concepts, but should still be accessible to a general audience. About the Speaker: David McCandlish has been at NIAS the last several months visiting the Mathematical Modeling Unit. He graduated from Swarthmore College in 2005 with a double major in Mathematics and Biology. This August, he will begin a PhD in Biology at Duke University. 19 July 2006 and 21 July 2006 Two Lectures on Classical Indian Theories of Cognition on 19th and 21st July 2006 Speaker: Prof Arindam Chakrabarti 1. Can there be perception without concepts? 2. What is it to form, possess, and use concepts ? Are concepts meanings of words? Are they just imposed fictions of the human mind on the fabric of a world where only ineffable particulars exist? That is what a dominant school of Buddhist logic would tell us. Their account of concept-possession is compared and contrasted with the currently popular Western theories of concepts. In the process we take a detailed look at the debate between Buddhists and Nyaya theorists on what is known as the exclusion ( apoha) theory of meaning. For further details, please contact Dr Sundar Sarukkai at sarukkai@nias.iisc.ernet.in 14 July 2006@10 am Special Lecture Speaker: Prof Pankaj S Joshi, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research Topic: Gravitational Death of a Massive Star Abstract: The final fate of a massive star, when it collapses on exhausting its nuclear fuel, has been one of the most fundamental open problem in astronomy and astrophysics today. Stars many times the Sun must undergo a continual gravitational collapse without a stable endstate such as white dwarf or neutron star. The dynamics is then governed by Einstein gravity and collapse gives rise to a Black Hole, or an ultra-dense visible Fire Ball -a Naked Singularity, which can communicate physical effects to outer space. The outcome is decided by physical conditions within the star. We indicate possible observational consequences and connection to high energy and burstlike phenomena in the universe. About Speaker: Pankaj S Joshi works mainly on gravitation and cosmology, and has published more than a hundred research papers in these areas. His research monograph, `Global aspects in gravitation and cosmology', published by the Clarendon Press, OUP, is widely cited and has become a standard reference for advanced researchers. He has held visiting Positions at many reputed universities abroad and in India, and has given many invited talks at international conferences. He works as a Professor at the Tata Inst Fund Res in the school of physics. 12 July 2006 Wednesday Talk Speaker: Dr. Sonali Nag Topic: Promoting Children's Reading: The Chamarajanagar Challenge Abstract The District Quality Education Programme (DQEP) of the Social Anthropology Unit at NIAS conducted a baseline study in Chamarajanagar in 2003 and found that a large number of children could not read. This is not surprising. Anyone, anywhere in the country, who has cared to assess children, has returned with an overwhelmingly similar message - the school is an imperfect place for promoting reading. As a response to the baseline study, supporting children's reading became a crucial intervention within the DQEP from 2004. The Promise Foundation partnered with NIAS to begin a Language Development Programme (LDP). This presentation is a narration of our journey. Shifting the norm from reading as a mechanical and sterile experience to reading as a meaning-making and joyful experience has been our main challenge. We have worked closely with teachers and when available, with the supervisory staff. Our workshops with teachers have traversed issues as varied as oracy, auditory and visual processing skills, meaning making, writing, class management, lesson planning and informal assessments. We found the classroom to be a print-starved space, where the lone textbook ruled supreme. We have worked at revitalizing this space with a diversity of texts. The presentation will discuss our experiences, the longitudinal data that has been gleaned and the challenges that remain for the future. About the Speaker Dr. Sonali Nag's research interests are reading acquisition amongst multilingual children in the Indian akshara systems. She is also a professionally qualified clinical psychologist. She is currently Director of the Consultant Psychologists Group and Associate Director of The Promise Foundation ( www.thepromisefoundation.org). She is a member of the National Focus Group on Language for the National Curriculum Framework Review, NCERT and an Visiting Fellow at NIAS. Her research has led to the development of assessment devices and interventions that reach a large number of children in resource-poor communities. Among her international consultancies is the UNICEF mission for Development of home and community-based early learning and psychosocial care policy and strategy for the Government of Rwanda, in Sub-Saharan Africa. 7 July 2006 (postponed from 5 July 2006) Wednesday Talk Speaker: Dr S. Balachandra Rao Topic: Rohini Sakata Bheda- An Indian Astronomical Phenomenon Abstract Rohini Sakata Bheda is a special form of conjunction (yuti) of a planet with one of the identified stars close to the junction-star Rohini. Since five stars in the group form a cart-like shape (sakata), the entry of a planet into that group of stars is referred to as the splitting (bheda) of the Rohini cart. In classical Indian astronomical literature this conjunction with the Rohini group is given considerable importance. In the present talk a study of the participating heavenly bodies is considered briefly. Such rare planetary configurations, citied in our early literature, can be of great help in fixing the dates of significance in Indian chronology. But then the risk of imaginary or infeasible planetary combinations derailing the investigations will have to be scrupulously avoided. About the Speaker: Dr. Balachandra Rao is Hon. Senior Fellow of NIAS and Hon. Director, Bhavan's Gandhi Centre of Science and Human Values. He retired as Principal and Professor of Mathematics from the National College, Bangalore in 2002. Dr. Rao is a member of the Research Council of the National Commission For History of Science and also of the Editorial Board, Indian Journal of History of Science, INSA, New Delhi. Besides textbooks of Mathematics, Dr. Rao has authored: (i) Indian Mathematics and Astronomy - Some Landmarks, (ii) Indian Astronomy - An Introduction (with programs), (iii) Ancient Indian Astronomy - Planetary Positions and Eclipses, (iv) Grahalaghavam - An English Exposition and (v) Karanakutuhalam - An English Exposition among others June 27, 2006@3.00 pm Speaker: Prof. Ramaswamy Title: Galois' Criterion for Solvability by Radicals 27 June 2006@ 6.00 pm Associates' Programme/ Public Lecture Speaker: Prof Jean-Marie Lafont Senior Research Scholar, Embassy of France, New Delhi & INALCO, Paris Title: La Fontaine Fables & Indian Miniatures Abstract: This illustrated lecture tells an extraordinary story of Indo-French artistic collaboration in 19th century and the French fascination for India as the Land of the Moghuls. Feuillet, a 19th century French official, was fond of the Fables written by 17th century French Poet, Jean De La Fontaine which drew on diverse sources from the Aesop's fables to the Sanskrit Panchatantra. Thus, a Moghul miniaturist in the court of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, ruler of Punjab, Imam Baksh Lahori, was commissioned to paint these Fables. What followed was a delightful series of miniatures now housed in the Musee Jean De La Fontaine at Chateau Thierry in France. The exhibition 'Dream of an Inhabitant of Mogul', of prints of these paintings has travelled to Indian cities including Bangalore: curated by Dr. Jean-Marie Lafont with a catalogue and supported by the Alliance Francaise. About the Speaker Jean-Marie Lafont, an expert on Indo-French historical connections, has been a Senior Research Scholar and Coordinator of the Centre for Human Sciences, Embassy of France, New Delhi and attached to Institut National des Langues et Civilisations Orientales (INALCO, Paris). He is author of the illuminating books 'Essays in Indo-French Relations, 1630-1976', 'Maharaja Ranjit Singh: Lord of the Five Rivers' and 'Chitra: Cities and Monuments of 18 th century India from French Archives'. 21 June 2006 Associates' Programme Center for Philosophy Topic: Philosophy of History Speaker: Prof D. N. Tripathi, Chairman, Indian Council of Historical Research Abstract: History may not seem to have much to do with philosophy but like science, politics and art, it also relies on philosophical assumptions and concepts as any other subject. Human history is not a meaningless succession of events. Behind the wars and strife's, political discords and economic disorders, social clashes and religious differences, lies the fascinating story of the limited efforts of man to achieve the sovereign purpose of the universe. Dissonances emerging from narrow perspectives tone down into harmony of human ascent, when located in the scale of orchestrated symphony of universal music. 'The limited effort of man' finds its social expression through cultural patterns, which he weaves out in response to circumstances and in accordance with his inner urges and cherished ideals. The endeavour is directed knowingly or unwittingly, haltingly or with determination towards self-realisation. Passing through and eventually transcending the economic urges and shining symbols of sensuous pleasures, though transient and yet captivating, man is to play his role in the cosmic drama for his sublimation and for the redemption of his fellow-beings. This, in short, is the Indian concept of history. We know that modern historian with his predominant concern with positivism and objectivity, related to animal passions and external behaviours and events, will not find himself in agreement with such a view of history. But, I am afraid that, like the prisoner in the story of the 'Beauty and the Beast', a historian who tends to shun in history the beauty of human sublimation will perforce find, to his dismay, only the beast staring at his face. The eminent philosopher Prof A. N. Whitehead has succinctly put it: 'The notion of historians, of history devoid of aesthetic prejudice, of history devoid of any reliance of metaphysical principles and cosmological organizations, is a figment of imagination.' 27 May 2006@ 6pm Lecture-Discussion organised by Centre for Philosophy, NIAS Speaker: Shri Sunil Sahasrabudhey Title: Gandhi's Challenge to Modern Science The talk will be about the author's book of the same title (published by Other India Press, 2002) and other related themes. About the Speaker: Sunil Sahasrabudhey is presently associated with Vidya Ashram in Sarnath, UP (www.vidyaashram.org). He has also been associated with the Gandhian Institute of Studies in Varanasi. He was a political activist for many years and has constantly pursued theoretical interests in developing a contemporary Indian Philosophy of Science and Politics. Shri Sahasrabudhey was a member of the Inter-State Coordination Committee of Peasant Organizations and edited, for many years, a Hindi Fortnightly - 'Mazdoor Kisan Niti' - a journal for political activists. Besides several articles and papers (some of which are available at: http://www.vidyaashram.org/sunil.html) his other writings include the following books: Science and Politics: Essays in Gandhian Perspective, 1991 The Peasant Movement Today, 1986 Peasant Movement in Modern India, 1989 26 May 2006@ 4pm Special Lecture organised by The International Strategic & Security Studies Programme (ISSSP) of NIAS Speaker: Mr. Abu George, National Law School, Bangalore Topic: Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty: Legal Issues, Challenges & Strategic Concerns About the Speaker: Mr. Abu George has conducted a comprehensive research work on NPT during his internship with the ISSSP of NIAS. He has practically looked into all the nuances with a special focus on legal issues involved with NPT. He will be sharing his research findings during his talk. What linkages NPT has with the international law will form a major part of his presentation. The complex issues like safeguards regime and how India can be accommodated in the NPT as a nuclear weapon state would also be discussed. The amendment procedure as elucidated in the NPT provisions and guidelines would be discussed by Mr. George with a legal framework in mind. 24 May 2006 Wednesday Talk Speaker: Dr M G Narasimhan Topic: Thought Experiments in Natural Sciences: A Philosophical Overview 19 May at 4.00 pm Special Lecture Speaker:Dr Jaikishen Sriperumbudur, Lecturer in History SLNSA Oriental Degree College Topic: Iron and Steel Heritage: Surveys in Andhra Pradesh 17 May 2006 Wednesday Talk Speaker: Ms Vijayluxmi B.Panray Topic: The impact of the colonial powers on the cultural and religious life of Indo-Mauritians Abstract: -Introduction the Island of Mauritius -Mauritius a brief history -The reason behind the displacement of Indians during the British East India Company -Indian immigration in the colony of Mauritius -As subordinate groups, what were the colonial impact on the culture of Indian indentured labourers in the British colonies -The case of Mauritius as a British colony -The independent Mauritius -The religious and cultural art prevailing in Mauritius -'Me', as a practising artist, what is the influence of Indian culture in my Artworks About the Speaker: Name: Ms Vijayluxmi B.Panray Nationality- MAURITIAN Qualification-Master of Arts from the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia Registered at MAHE IN JUNE 2004 FOR A PH.D IN FINE-ARTS UNDER THE GUIDANCE OF DR. SHARADA SRINIVASSAN AND PROF. SETTAR OF NIAS, BANGALORE 10 May 2006 Speaker: Shri Arvind Kumar Theme: Understanding Indo-US Nuclear Deal: Cost-Benefit Paradigm Abstract: The talk will highlight the salient features of Indo-US civilian nuclear cooperation. The Indo-US nuclear deal is currently being debated in American Congress. The onus of final implementation lies in American Congress. The talk would look into the cost-benefit paradigm of the deal. The possible benefits and risks for both India and the US would form a major part of the debate. The necessary amendments and the relevant requirements on the part of the US would also be highlighted. The politics of nuclear suppliers group would also be analysed during the presentation. Shri Arvind Kumar conducts academic and policy research on the matters relating to national and international security issues at NIAS. 9 May 2006 Speaker: Rajesh Kasturirangan Title: Three Problems in Cognitive Science Abstract: Many if not most questions in cognitive science have their origins in three deep conceptual puzzles in the philosophy of mind, namely, the relationship between the Mind and the Body, the Mind and the World, and the relative importance of Nature versus Nurture. Many of the current debates in cognitive science and neuroscience, such as the nature of consciousness, the role of intentionality, and the genetic basis of cognition are modern versions of the above three oppostions. In this talk, I will describe how all of these puzzles involve "interfaces" i.e., they stem from the problem of mapping two very different kind of entities on to each other. Traditionally the qualitative differences between the opposing entities (such as Mind and Body) have been used to argue for dualism (as in Descartes) or for a reduction of one to the other. However, I will argue that one can model qualitatively different phenomena in a unified framework without reducing one kind of phenomena to another. In particular, I will show how one can use mathematical techniques to make progress towards a unified theory in the case of two domains: the semantics of natural language and the structure of beliefs. About the Speaker: Rajesh Kasturirangan has a PhD in Cognitive Science from MIT and has joined NIAS as a Fellow. 3 May 2006 Wednesday Lecture Topic: Narmada: Dam, Development and People Speaker: Mr Sailen Routray Abstract: The recent fast by Medha Patekar has thrown the issue of dams, displacement and development into sharp focus. The talk will try and trace a history of the Sardar Sarovar project and the history of the resistance surrounding it. It will raise questions about the economic viability of such large publicly funded projects and will try and focus on the social and ecological costs involved. Last but not the least the speaker will try to raise broader questions about the role played by such projects in the Indian polity and the nature of the Indian state system and development regime. About the Speaker: Sailen Routray completed his graduation in English Literature from Baxi Jagabandhu Bidyadhara College, Bhubaneswar and Masters in Social Work with specialization in Community Development from the TISS. He has previously worked with Meljol (a child rights based organization), Kachra Bahatuk Shramik Sangh (a trade union of municipal solid waste workers in Bombay) and the TISS. Sailen Routray is a Ph.D. scholar in the School of Social Sciences at the National Institute of Advanced Studies working under the supervision of Dr. N. Shantha Mohan. His research interests broadly lie in the area of sociology of environment and development. Apart from singing everywhere and anywhere, he likes to cook, eat, sleep and translate. He has translated Arundhati Roy's book on the Narmada issue titled The Greater Common Good into Oriya. 27 April 2006@ 4 pm Special Lecture Speaker: Dr Babu Thaliath Title: Domains of Mind Abstract: Already the first correspondence between Princess Elisabeth of Bohemia and René Descartes in 1643 inaugurated the discourse of the mind-body-distinction, which until today remains as one of the unresolved problems in modern epistemology. In her letter dated 6th May 1643, Princess Elisabeth raises a number of questions about the nature of the relation between the mind and the body, especially on the question of how the soul of man, being only a thinking substance, can determine his bodily spirits to perform voluntary actions. She argues that matter and extension should be attributed to the mind, which moves the body and is moved by it. The present lecture is an attempt to re-examine this discourse by initially emphasizing a contextual difference between the Cartesian notion, namely the distinction between the extended body and an immaterial soul, and the polemic of the Princess against it. This contextual difference refers primarily to a more fundamental distinction between the origin and the domain of a pre-logical and purely aesthetical subjectivity. With reference to our bodily volition and sensation, the Cartesian notion of rescogitans appears to have rooted in the origin of an aesthetical subjectivity alone. In contrast to it, the domain of our volition has invariably a bodily extension, and the domains of our sensations are, furthermore, extended bodily as well as spatially. The main objectives of this lecture are to discuss the ontic status of such bodily and spatially extended domains of our aesthetical subjectivity and to identify the epistemological mode of their unity with the objective, i.e. physical phenomena also with reference to Kant's Transcendental Philosophy as an aesthetical synthesis. About the speaker: Dr Babu Thaliath began his career as an engineer and then did his MA in German at the Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. He then went to Freiburg i. Br., Germany to do a Ph. D in Philosophy, where he studied Philosophy and Art History in Freiburg, Basel and Berlin. He completed his Ph. D. from the Albert-Ludwigs-University Freiburg with a doctoral dissertation on Ernst Cassirer and Erwin Panofsky. At present he is working as a postdoctoral researcher at the Faculty of Theoretical Philosophy at the Humboldt-University in Berlin. He is the author of one book in German and is in the process of completing another. 26 April 2006 Wednesday Talk Speaker: Mr Arvind Kumar Theme: Crisis in Nepal: Implications for India Abstract: Nepal has been in grave crisis and now it is going out of proportion. The events in Nepal will have serious implications for India. The talk will highlight the domestic issues and politics of Nepal and also analyse the factors responsible for leading Nepal into the current turmoil. An assessment will be made on the role of king, role of political parties and Maoist insurgency in the existing environment. The future of the Monarch and the resurgence of democratic regime would also form a major part of the debate. A modest attempt would be made to look into the possible options left before Nepal. Finally, an assessment will be done on the possible role for India in the current imbroglio. Arvind Kumar conducts academic and policy research on the security and strategic affairs at NIAS. 26 April 2006@5.30 pm Literary & Heritage Forum Speaker: Ms. Achala Moulik Moses, IAS (Retd) Title: Great authors of the last millennium Abstract The talk will cover material from the speaker's lucid and illuminating book, 'Literary Titans of the Millennium' published by UBSPD in 1999. The author will discuss her erudite selection of great authors of the last millennium, and will explain these figures were chosen and their special message. Though it may not necessarily represent those conventionally selected, 'the Millennial Effect' of these authors is what underlies her choice, regardless of whether they wrote prolifically, wrote a single book or even just a single poem. About the speaker Achala Moulik-Moses (IAS, Retd.) served in the Indian Administrative Service from 1964-2001 in numerous capacities from Director-General, Archaeological Survey of India; Secretary, Government of India, Ministry of Human Resource Development, Dept. of Elementary Education & Literacy; Additional Chief Secretary, Government of Karnataka; Joint Secretary, School Education; Secretary in Departments of Food & Transport, Energy and Ecology etc. She has also held numerous positions as Trustee on the Board of the Indian Museum, Kolkatta and National Book Trust and Chairman, Indian National Committee of ICOMOS etc. In addition she is also a renowned and prolific author of fifteen books, several which draw on her wide knowledge of history, with the recent books including Dream Journey (2003), Captors of Time: Monuments of the Millennium (2000), Earth is But a Star (1997) and Kings, Queens and Lovers (1978 and 1996) and The Conquerors (1995). 21 April 2006 NIAS Discussion Forum for Consciousness Speaker: Kishore Bhat on Topic: To laugh and pray: An exploration of the humorous nature of religion Abstract: Religion and humor play a crucial role in the human experience, giving us perspective, helping us deal with tragedy, and as a form of community building. That being the case, humor and religion find themselves in very different spheres, one being the solemn, and one being the silly. In this talk we discuss the connections between humor and religion, with respect to mythology, power, and meaning. About the Speaker: Kishor Bhat is a Ph.D. scholar in Mathematics at the National Institute of Advanced Studies (NIAS) at Bangalore. He is currently working in the field of Mathematics. With the guidance of Prof. Whitely Kauffman, Professor of Philosophy, at the University of Massachusetts Lowell, Kishor has studied the philosophy of humor and comedy as well as the applications of the theories of humor and comedy in religion. 19 April 2006 Title: Agency in the context of decentralization of education: Policy prescriptions and subjective realities Speaker: Mr Rahul Mukhopadhyay Abstract: The paper examines everyday bureaucratic practices within the education administration system to seek answers to such questions as: What is the nature of organizational culture suggested by these practices? What are the patterns evident in such practices and how can they be theorized? Locating these practices within the broader conceptual apparatus of structure and agency, notions of agency and structural effects that emerge from and shape such practices are elicited in this paper. The interplay of structure and agency is explored along four thematic axes, rules and exception, social resources, neoliberalism, and politics and power, discerned from ethnographic observations. About the Speaker: Rahul Mukhopadhyay completed his graduation in Economics from St. Xavier's College, Calcutta and his Post Graduate Diploma in Management from the Goa Institute of Management. He has previously worked with the education programme of the Bangalore-based non-profit MAYA Prajayatna on issues of elementary education, decentralisation and local governance. . At present he is working with the District Quality Education Project in the School of Social Sciences, NIAS, and is enrolled as a doctoral student for the Ph.D programme under the supervision of Dr. A.R.Vasavi. 12 April 2006 Wednesday Talk Speakers: Ms. R. Nandini & Mr Robin Vijayan, Research Associates Ecology, Behaviour and Conservation Group National Institute of Advanced Studies Title: Tree and Flying Squirrels: Conservation Priorities in the Developing World: A Report A report on the Conference, in brief: Our knowledge of ecological science grows everyday and we understand better the functioning of ecosystems across the world, the habits of species and the intricacies of animal behaviour. While the sum total of our knowledge grows, this addition of knowledge is skewed towards certain species and geographic regions, and squirrels are a family that well demonstrate this trend. Tree and flying squirrels are the dominant members of the speciose family of rodents Sciuridae that are distributed through the forested regions across the globe. The greatest diversity and endemism in this family is clearly concentrated in the tropical forests of Asia, Africa, Central and South America, and Southeast Asia is the definite hotspot of species richness. Squirrels are important components of forests, being ecologically dependent on forests while also providing numerous ecosystem services. While squirrels are often a part of local culture and folklore in most parts of the tropics of South ad Southeast Asia, they are a scientifically neglected group in this region, and most of our knowledge of squirrel biology is from the few species in the temperate regions of the world. The National Institute of Advanced Studies hosted the Fourth International Tree Squirrel Colloquium and the First International Flying Squirrel Colloquia in Periyar Tiger Reserve, Kerala between March 22 nd- 29, 2006. For the last decade, the International Tree Squirrel Colloquia have provided researchers studying tree squirrels a platform for discussions, interactions and exchange of ideas. However, the previous squirrel colloquia have been held in either Europe or North America, and this was the first time this colloquium was held in Asia. Our aim in hosting this event is India was to encourage more research and attention to the sciurids of the tropics, particularly South and Southeast Asia. We also aimed at diverting more research and conservation attention to the flying squirrels, a fascinating subfamily of nocturnal gliders. The Colloquia were accompanied by the Conservation Priorities Workshop, which was held on the 25th of March 2006. The IUCN Rodent Specialist Group was a partner to this event and the Kerala Tourism Development Corporation (KTDC) and the Periyar Foundation were co-hosts to this event. The event was conducted with the complete support and co-operation of the Kerala Forest Department. The Colloquia were attended by 100 delegates from 16 countries, with a majority of international participants. Sixty talks and nine poster were presented over five days. Twelve plenary talks were delivered by leading scientists and managers in their fields of expertise. The session topics were conservation, taxonomy, diversity and distribution, sociobiology, foraging ecology and habitat relationships of squirrels. The sessions varied in length and all contained at least one plenary and between three to eleven talks. All sessions were chaired by students from different parts of the world. About the speakers: R. Nandini and Robin Vijayan are Research Associates at the Ecology, Behaviour and Conservation Group of the National Institute of Advanced Studies. Nandini is currently studying the biology of two species of flying squirrels in the rainforests of the Anamalai Hills, southern Western Ghats, and some aspects of her work include examining the distribution, resource utilisation and behaviour of these animals across a fragmented landscape with varying regimes of disturbance. She is registered as a doctoral candidate at Auburn University, USA. Robin Vijayan is studying the biology of a threatened endemic understorey bird, the White-bellied Shortwing, in the montane shola grassland ecosystems of the Anamalai Hills, and has over three years been examining the demography, dispersal, individual song structure and possible genetic isolation across various forest patches in this landscape. He is registered as a doctoral candidate at the University of Pierre and Marie Curie, Paris, France. 5 April 2006 Speaker: Prof. Janaki Nair, Centre for the Study of Social Sciences, Kolkata Topic: Topographies of Conquest and Monarchical Visions: Srirangpatna and Mysore in the 19th century Abstract: The defeat of Tipu Sultan and the restoration of the "kingdom" of Mysore to a resurrected Wodeyar family transformed the geography of southern Mysore. What were the compulsions that underlay the British power' s decision to shift the capital of Mysore to a relatively nondescript fortress town? What were the enduring consequences of the eclipse of Srirangapatna? These questions will be addressed through a critical analysis of architectural and spatial strategies of the time. About the speaker: Janaki Nair is Professor of History at the Centre for Studies in Social Sciences, Calcutta. She is the author of three books, and the most recently written The Promise of the Metropolis: Bangalore's Twentieth Century won an award from the NEW INDIA FOUNDATION . She is currently working on a book of essays on the social, cultural and political history of modern Mysore/ Karnataka entitled Mysore Modern. 31 March 2006 Public Lecture Speaker: Frits STAAL, Professor Emeritus, University of California, Berkeley Title: Dharma and Cakra in Buddhism and the Veda Abstract: The first public statement made by the Buddha after his enlightenment is known as dharma-cakra-pravartana , "the setting into motion of the wheel of Dharma". It has been depicted all over Asia. In the Rigveda, dharmani refers to ordinances and cakra to wheels with spokes of a chariot that is pulled by horses. It denotes the circular movement of time, the discus used by Vishnu, and has related meanings in Tantra and Yoga. The word is related to Greek kuklos and English "cycle". This illustrated lecture take us back to central Asia from where horses, chariots and wheels with spokes traveled along the same routes that Buddhism took in the opposite direction. Its later technologies, mathematics and science point to the universe. 29 March 2006 Wednesday Talk Speaker: Ms M.B. Rajani Title: Some Thoughts on Western Classical and later Geographers Perspectives of India Abstract: The art and technique of making maps or plans has been an integral part of human activity for centuries. Maps function as visualization tools for spatial information. Mapmaking involves skills and outlooks, especially in the use of symbols to represent certain geographic features, as well as the ability to visualize and represent the world in an abstract and scaled down form. People have created and used maps as essential tools to help them define, explain and navigate their way through the world (and beyond). In this presentation the speaker will share some of the cartographic material on India she examined in archives in UK. These include maps made from 15th century onwards. The earlier ones were based on the information recorded by classical geographers such as Ptolemy, Strabo, Pliny the Elder and the Egyptian monk Kosmas, even though the maps were made more than ten centuries later. It is interesting to see why certain places get marked and also to see over the centuries the different purposes for which maps were made. About the speaker: M.B. Rajani, Ph.D Student at NIAS working on Using Remote Sensing for Archaeological Research. Recently, Rajani spent few months in the UK doing investigative research on cartographic materials on India in the archives of The Royal Geographical Society, British Library, SOAS and The Royal Astronomical Society. Was made a Postgraduate Fellow of The Royal Geographical Society in January 2006. 24 March 2006 Film Screening Sociology and Social Anthropology Unit of the National Institute of Advanced Studies has, over the last two years, been carrying out a research project entitled `Indian IT Professionals in India and the Netherlands: Work, Culture, and Transnationalism', funded by the Indo-Dutch Programme on Alternatives in Development (IDPAD). As the final event in this programme, we will present some of the key findings and screen two films that were produced as part of the project. 22 March 2006 Wednesday Talk Speaker: Dr S Chandrashekar Title: An Assessment of the Pakistani Missile Programme Abstract: The talk will look at how publicly available information and data can be used to make an assessment of missile capabilities. The method will be applied to Pakistani missiles. The abdali the ghauri the shaheen 1 shaheen 2 and the ghaznavi missiles and their capabilities will be assessed.. The implications of these developments for India will also be addressed. It will also look rganizational issues and how they impact on Pakistani development efforts. It will look at stability issues related to missiles and nuclear weapons in the Indo Pakistan context. 15 March 2006 Wednesday Talk Speaker: Prof (Mrs) Malavika Kapur Topic: From Untouchable to enabled learners: An innovative approach to learning through play among the tribal school children Abstract: The study was conducted in the nine Ashram (residential) schools catering to the schedule caste and tribal children in H.D. Kote Taluk in the foothills of the Western Ghats. The area abounds in flora and fauna and cultural heritage but lacks the academic infra structure to motivate the children to learn. Child friendly intervention programmes covered eight hundred children from classes 1 to 7. Outcome evaluation as carried out with the assessment of attention, memory, intelligence, creativity, vocabulary and arithmetic skills before and after the intervention.. The study carried out both quantitative and qualitative evaluations of the intervention. The presenter proposes to share the exciting results through statistical data and video clippings. About the Speaker Prof. Malavika Kapur is an honorary Professor at the National Institute of Advanced studies, Bangalore. She was earlier the Professor and Head of the Department of Clinical Psychology at the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Bangalore. She has a Ph. D in Clinical Psychology from Bangalore University and has seven books and over 100 publications to her credit. She is a Fellow of the British Psychological Society, the Indian Association of Clinical Psychologists, the Indian Association of Child and Adolescent Mental Health and the National Academy of Psychology. She has been awarded the scholar- in- residency in the Bellagio Study and Conference Centre in Italy, two times by the Rockefeller Foundation. Her areas of interest are Developmental Psychology, developing Community Mental Health programmes for children and adolescents in urban, rural and tribal schools, Primary Health Care and Anganawadi workers. She has been involved in the development of assessment tools and intervention packages for children and adolescents in the Indian context. Her main contribution is her work of developing integrated models of mental health service delivery for children and adolescents. Her work is embedded in the cultural context as revealed in her study of Child Care in Ancient India based on Ayurveda. Her other interests are fiction writing and trekking in the foothills of the Himalayas. March 8, 2006 Wednesday Talk Programme: Taylorism in the New Economy by Dr Carol Upadhya and Screening of film The Way: Time + People = Money by Sri Gautam Sonti in collaboration with Carol Upadhya Abstract: The software services outsourcing industry in India has introduced new cultures of work derived from contemporary management systems in the West, which claim to promote flat structures, informality in the workplace, and autonomy of employees. But at the same time, work is being reduced to measurable quantities of time, effort, productivity, and output, mimicking in many ways the older Taylorist system of factory management. This suggests that, far from promoting the empowerment and autonomy of workers, the new workplaces located in the outposts of the global economy appear to be reinventing the rigid and top-down systems of control typical of the old economy -- albeit combined with new techniques of people management. Drawing on field research conducted in the software industry over the last two years, this short presentation will highlight the sociological significance of this contradiction. The theme is illustrated in the film, The Way. Film screening: The Way: Time + People = Money (part of the film series Coding Culture: Bangalore~Rs Software Industry, produced as part of the NIAS-IDPAD project) The Indian software outsourcing industry has emerged as a key node of the global information economy. The series of films, Coding Culture, explores the culture of outsourced work and the moulding of a new workforce to cater to this global high-tech services industry. One of the films, The Way, was shot inside MphasiS, a medium-sized Indian IT services company that typifies this highly competitive business, in which the provision of high quality and low-cost service is key to attracting and retaining customers. The film focuses on two teams a software development team and a quality control (testing) team -- that work on a project for a U.S.-based customer a large financial institution. The candid footage and interviews depict the high-pressure work atmosphere that prevails in this industry, especially due to the operation of tight systems of control over the work process and the need for close coordination of activities within teams and with the customer site. Two main themes are foregrounded in the film: the complex systems of time and quality control through which software projects are managed, and the techniques of people (resource) management that are employed especially how software engineers are motivated to identify with the company's goals and to put in long hours at work. About the speakers: Carol Upadhya is a social anthropologist and a Visiting Associate Fellow at NIAS. For more than three years she has been researching various aspects of the IT industry in Bangalore. Gautam Sonti has been making non-fiction films for many years. His earlier film series include 'Little Republics', 'Disability and Discrimination' and 'Young Scientists'. He is currently interested in visual ethnographies of institutions of science and technology. 1 March 2006 Wednesday Talk Speaker: Prof Tim Poston Topic: Three Dimensions from Two: Reinventing the Mouse Abstract: Computer mouse input has changed little since today's students were born. It is often better than keyboard input, but for many tasks it is horribly inadequate. It demands thought and effort from the user that not only wastes time, but intellectually disrupts concentration on the real task, such as designing a drug or an engine, or examing a 3D brain scan. Interaction with 3D images is so bad that education still poisons the 3D imagination: just like fifty years ago, 8-year olds think better in 3D than 18-yr-olds who have had ten years of mind-flattening diagrams. I will describe and demonstrate a mouse that provides much better control in an easily learned way (it is still a mouse: everything you're used to, it still does). I will show some of the 2D and 3D things that can be done with it, plans to put numbers behind the excited claims above, and some of the possibilities opened for cognitive and gender studies. A recently filed patent will help bring the new mouse into the marketplace. About the speaker Tim Poston is a British geometer with co-authors from archaeologists to brain surgeons, who moved from Singapore to GE's lab in Bangalore in 2003, and to NIAS in 2004. He looks for low-cost ways for computer displays to reach not just the eye, but the mind. 24 February 2006 Associates' Programme Speaker: Dr. Norman NEUREITER Director, AAAS Centre for Science, Technology & Security Policy American Association of Advancement of Science Distinguished Presidential Fellow for International Affairs The National Academies Title: Science & Technology for Safety & Security Abstract: Dr. Neureiter will discuss the work of the Center of which he is the Director at the American Association for the Advancement of Science. The Center is called the Center for Science, Technology and Security Policy (CSTSP) and its purpose is to serve as an intermediary between the technical studies and analyses carried out by university centers on security related issues such as countering terrorism, nonproliferation of nuclear weapons, biosecurity, infectious disease, weaponization of space, etc. The Center is funded by the MacArthur Foundation of Chicago, under its Science, Technology and Security Initiative--which is part of their broader program on Peace and Sustainability. The broad purpose of the MacArthur initiative is to train more scientists to apply their technical skills to the analysis of security-related issues, in the belief that awareness of the objective technical facts about a security issue will lead to better overall decisions than ignoring the technical realities that apply to that issue. Even a determined political decision cannot repeal the laws of physics or ignore the laws of gravity and have a chance of being successful. Neureiter will describe some of the challenges in developing scientific analyses and bringing the results of those analyses to the Washington policy makers in Washington, both in the Executive Branch of the Bush Administration and in the Congress. This is particularly challenging in today's highly polarized political environment in Washington. He would welcome a discussion of how think tanks and private policy research institutions in India can make useful inputs into the political decisionmaking process, particularly with respect to security issues. He is also interested in how to develop cooperation between institutions in the US and India in this field of science and security policy. 22 February 2006 Wednesday Talk Speakers: Prof K Ramachandra, Visiting Professor, NIAS & Mr Kishor Bhat, Ph.D Student Topic: Primes, Primes and Primes Abstract: Mention will be made of large primes by computers using a method of E.lucas. The theoretical results by myself and Mr Kishor Bhat will be mentioned. 15 February 2006 Wednesday Talk Speaker: Mr Kishor Bhat Title: Bertrand's postulate Abstract: Bertrand's postulate states that between any number and its double, there exists a prime. This was proven by Pafnuty Chebyshev, and reprooved by Ramnunjan. The proof of this lecture was originally written by the prolific mathematician Paul Erdos at age 19. About the speaker Kishor Bhat is a Ph.D student in the mathematical modeling unit at NIAS. His research interests include number theory. 9 February 2006 Public Lecture Speaker: Shri K. Subrahmanyam, Chairman, Taskforce on Global Strategic Developments, Government of India Title: Challenges and Prospects for Indo-US Relations Chair: Shri G. Madhavan Nair, Chairman, ISRO 7 February 2006 Special Lecture Speaker: Dr Mrinalini Sarabhai, Darpana Academy of Performing Arts, Ahmedabad Title: The Concept of Beauty in Indian Aesthetics Excerpt from the Abstract: In every aspect of Indian classical tradition, the beauty of the human being has been compared to the elements of nature. An exquisite love scene from the Tamil epic The Shilappadikaram speaks of the hero Kovalan's first night with his beloved Kannaki. The scene was as if the sun and moon had together bathed the entire world clasped by the sea in their light. He wore a wreath of jasmines in bloom.here was a garland of shimmering red and purple water lilies. Kovalan addresses his beloved Dear Kannaki, wasn't the moon born with you when it became your forehead, And Kama the shadowy god of love pledged his lofty sugarcane bow to you when it became your two dark eyebrows. Eclipsed by your beauty the bejeweled peacock which hides itself in the fresh woods, helpless before your elegant step, the swan vanishes into a field of l! impid water. The association of nature, the birds, the animals, the universal features of the forest glades to human beauty and energy, were symbolic of India's close affiliation with nature. The moon gave the radiance to the face of the beloved, the eyes resembled the deer or like the Goddess Meenakshi, the shape of the fish. When the bee hovers around Shakuntala in Kalidasa~Rs immortal classic Shakuntala the King Dushyanta remarks. Again and again you touch her quivering eyes with their tremulous corners having beside her ear you hum sweetly as though whispering a secret, though she moves her hand, you drink the nectar of her lower lip the essence of joy O bee you are indeed blessed!. The bee has always held a special place in peoples heart perhaps not only for the! precious honey, but also revered as a protector. Vishnu in the Rig Veda is often symbolized as a blue coloured bee resting on a lotus, and Kamadevas bow has the string fashioned from a cluster of bees.... About the Speaker: Dr Mrinalini Sarabhai, the celebrated dancer and choreographer, has achieved an international reputation that is unmatched by any contemporary Indian classical dancer. The syntax of her creativity mediates between a moral commitment to traditional form and the desire to claim ones own experiments as unique, unrepeatable. This interface of technical mastery and creative expressionism achieves a profoundly versatile language of the body - simple, eloquent, visually inspiring. The creative anarchy of her essentially modern style is convincingly disciplined by the taut orthodoxy of her classical technique, learnt from her guru Sri Meenakshi Sundaram Pillai. The result is an exalted visual statement combining almost fanatical purity of vision with modish formal experiments. She is the founder-director of the Darpana Academy of Performing Arts, Ahmedabad, which came into being in 1949. She has travelled extensively all over the world and has received many distinguished nation! al and al and international awards and citations for her contribution to the preservation ! of Indian classical dance. Called ~Sthe HighPriestess of Indian dance by dance critics, she is a pioneer in creative work and has given new concepts to traditional dance forms with fresh perceptives and new mysteries. She has many publications to her credit. She is the first Indian to receive the medal and Diploma of the French Archives Internationales de la danse. She was awarded the title of Natya Kala Sikhamani in Madras in 1960 in recognition of her artistic eminence and her unequalled performances of Bharatanatyam. She has received Padmasri and Padmabhushan awards from the President of India. She was awarded the Scroll of Honour by the Vice-President of India in 1995 in recognition of decades-long research, experimentation and presentation of Indian classical and creative dance choreographic creations. She was Chairperson of the Gujarat State Handicrafts and Handloom Development Corporation Ltd. For many years and inculcated the taste of her own vision into the creative work of the artisans reviving ancient techniques, designs and village crafts. She is one of the trustees of the Sarvodaya International Trust, an organization for promotion of Gandhian ideals. She is the Chairperson of the Nehru Foundation For Development, which has been promoting educational efforts since 1966 in the areas of science, nature study, health, development and environment. As a keen environmentalist, she is the President of Prakriti, an organization committed to preserve the greenery of Ahmedabad while handling other social issues. Prakriti has recently been working with the riot hit victims of Gujarat, helping! them rebuild their lives. 1 February 2006 Speaker: Dr. John R. Marr, Hon. General Secretary, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, UK Centre Topic: The Tamil Sangam: reality and myth Abstract: TAMIL SANGAM highlights the whole problem of myth and reality. The Sangam myth has engendered much in the iconography of Madurai that is real enough. The earliest version of the story is probably datable to the ninth century commentary to KALAVIYAL but the Sangam poems themselves show not a trace of being intended for anthologies or of being entered for competition or approbation! About the Speaker: Dr. Marr's book The Eight Anthologies (1985) was concerned with early Tamil Sangam literature. He was lecturer in Tamil at the School of Oriental and African Studies, London, from 1955 and retired in 1992. Meanwhile, since his responsibilities had expanded to include South Indian music and Indian art and Archaeology,his post was changed to that of South Indian Studies. He came first to India having joined the Indian Army cadet scheme in 1946 and was stationed in Bangalore from September of that year, being commissioned at the Infantry OTS there in February 1947. His exposure to Karnatic music at that time led to study thereof in 1950 and 1953-4 under Chittoor Subramaniam at Annamalai University and under Mudikondan Venkatarama Iyer at the Madras Music Academy. Recently he gave a Karnatic Vocal recital on January 7th 2006 at Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Bangalore. He has been the Hon. Gen. Sec. of Bhavan~Rs UK Centre since 1983 and he teaches Karnatic Music theory and Art and Archaeology of the Indian Sub-continent there. He also teaches the latter at the British Museum. 27 January 2006 Public Lecture Speaker: Prof C V Sundaram, Former Director, Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research, Kalpakkam & former Homi Bhabha Visiting Professor of NIAS Topic: First Annual Dr Raja Ramanna Memorial Lecture Topic: "Dr Raja Ramanna" Time: 6.30 pm I am pleased to inform you that NIAS has initiated an Annual Dr. Raja Ramanna Memorial Lecture. Dr. Raja Ramanna as the Founder Director has immensely contributed to the growth and development of this Institute . During his period NIAS initiated several research programmes and other activities that brought recognition and fame to this institute. Prof. C.V. Sundaram, one of the illustrious colleagues of Dr. Raja Ramanna and Former Director, Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research and Former Homi Bhabha Visiting Professor, NIAS has kindly consented to deliver the First Annual Dr. Raja Ramanna Memorial Lecture on 27th January, 2006 at 6.30 pm on "Dr. Raja Ramanna". He will dwell on Dr. Raja Ramanna's many sided contributions as a nuclear scientist, programme leader, institution builder, and as an outstanding philosopher-statesman.- Dr K Kasturirangan, Director, NIAS 24 January 2006 Public Lecture Speaker: Prof. Ralph H Abraham, Professor of Mathematics, University of California, Santa Cruz Title: Agent Based Modeling for the Social Sciences: Conflict and Trade Abstract: As a higher order form of modeling and simulation technology, the agent based model brings a new age of opportunity to the social sciences, with many possible applications to world problems This introductory talk will trace the history of ABM, and show some exemplary models in motion. About the Speaker: RALPH H. ABRAHAM has been Professor of Mathematics at the University of California at Santa Cruz since 1968. He received the Ph.D. in Mathematics at the University of Michigan in 1960, and taught at Berkeley, Columbia, and Princeton before moving to Santa Cruz. He has held visiting positions in Amsterdam, Paris, Warwick, Barcelona, Basel, and Florence, and is the author of more than 20 texts, including eight books currently in print. He has been active on the research frontier of dynamics -- in mathematics since 1960, and in applications and experiments since 1973. He has been a consultant on chaos theory and its applications in numerous fields (medical physiology, ecology, mathematical economics, psychotherapy, etc.) and is an active editor for the technical journals World Futures, and the International Journal of Bifurcations and Chaos. In 1975, he founded the Visual Mathematics Project at the University of California at Santa Cruz, which became the Visual Math Institute in 1990, with its popular World Wide Web site since early 1994. He has performed works of visual and aural mathematics and music (with Ami Radunskaya and Peter Broadwell) since 1992. 23 January 2006 Public Lecture Mohandas Moses Memorial Lecture Topic: The Future of the Bureaucracy in Changing Times Speaker: Sri N N Vohra, IAS (Retd), Government Interlocutor for J & K, New Delhi 22 January 2006 YAKSHAGANA - PUPPETRY SHOW @ 7.00 pm Topic: LANKA DAHANA (Burning Of Lanka): A Puppet Yakshagana Performance by BHASKAR KOGGA KAMATH & Members of Shri Ganesh Yakshagana Gombe Mandali Uppin Kudru , Udupi Dt. With Colour Costumes Traditional Songs & Music The puppets used in this play are made of wood, 18" in height, and dressed in authentic Yakshagana-Bayalata costumes, headgear and jewellery. The Sutradhara (puppet master) makes them come alive by the dexterous manipulation and movements of his hands. The theme chosen for this evening's show is the burning of the island of Lanka, the land of Ravana by Hanuman, it is preceded by the process of discovery of Sita in Ashoka vana, encounter of Hanuman with rakshasis Chaya and Lankini and Jambu, the mali (gardener) of Ashoka garden, and Indrajitu. The Kigga family has preserved this unique art for three centuries. The troop has performed in France, Belgium, Holland, Germany, Australia, Greece and Pakistan and has won Presidents Award, Sangeet Natak Academy Award, National Award and Tulsi Sanman. The play lasts for an hour 20 January 2005@ 6.30 pm Centre for Philosophy National Institute of Advanced Studies Inaugural Lecture by Prof Richard Sorabji, Fellow, Wolfson College, Oxford and Emeritus Professor, King's College, London Title: Being true to yourself: the individual self versus the universalHow should we decide what it is best to do? Kant tells us that we must act like a rational being and that what is right for me is right universally for everyone in the same situation. But the idea of acting rationally leaves far too much open. The ancient Stoics added that the right decision must be true not only to rationality but to your individual self. (Compare sadarahama dharma and swadharma.) What is right for one person is not right for another, even in the same circumstances. This is true not only of moral decisions but also for example of choosing a career. So we need to think about our lives as a whole, something that modern moral philosophy in the West too often forgets. One Stoic thought that ideally you could shape your identity to make it invulnerable to ill fortune. But not everybody should try to do that, because it may not be compatible with being true to your other choices. 18 January 2006 Wednesday Talk Topic: India's long road to partition Speaker: Prof. Satish Saberwal, Professor of Sociology, Centre for Historical Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University New Delhi Abstract: The historians' interpretations of the Partition concentrate on the moves and the choices made by leading actors of the British government, the Congress and the Muslim League during the decade or two preceding the transfer of power. This presentation will argue that these actors' options may have been severely limited by the considerable re-configuration of society over the preceding century and more. This re-configuration had two principal drivers: the sharply exclusivist religious ideologies emanating from centres like the Deoband madrasa and the Arya Samaj since the late nineteenth century; and the spiral of social conflict - symbolic, societal, and physical - which had begun to rise since early nineteenth century, and which served to harden adversarial identities with passing generations. About the Speaker: Satish Saberwal was Professor of Sociology at the Centre for Historical Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University. Current interests: social processes leading to the Partition of the Indian subcontinent and the long-term historical experience of Chinese society, especially during the T'ang and Sung periods. Publications include Wages of segmentation: comparative istorical studies on Europe and India (1995), Roots of crisis: interpreting contemporary Indian society (1996), and Social conflict (1996, co-edited with N. Jayaram. 13 January 2005@11.30 am Public Lecture Topic: Equity and Development: A Presentation of the 2006 World Development Report Speaker: Dr. Vijayendra Rao Venue: NIAS Lecture Hall Abstract: Inequalities in incomes, in health, and in educational outcomes have long been a stark fact of life in many developing countries. When such inequalities in outcomes arise from unequal opportunities, there are both intrinsic and instrumental grounds for concern. Because inequalities in opportunity are often accompanied by profound differences in influence, power, and social status-whether at the level of individuals or groups-they have a tendency to persist. And because it leads to an inefficient use of resources and to less effective institutions, inequity is inimical to long-term development. It follows that there is a legitimate role for public action in the promotion of fairness and in the pursuit of equity, provided such action is cognizant of the primacy of individual freedoms, and of the role of markets in allocating resources. World Development Report 2006 presents evidence on the inequality of opportunity, within and across countries, and illustrates the mechanisms through which it impairs development. The Report advocates taking explicit account of equity in determining development priorities: public action should aim to expand the opportunities of those who, in the absence of policy interventions, have the least resources, voice, and capabilities. Domestically, it makes the case for investing in people, expanding access to justice, land, and infrastructure, and promoting fairness in markets. Internationally, the report considers the functioning of global markets and the rules that govern them, as well as the complementary provision of aid to help poor countries and poor people build greater endowments. About the Speaker: Vijayendra Rao, Lead Economist in the Development Economics Research Group of the World Bank, received his BA from St. Xavier's College-Mumbai, and his PhD in Economics from the University of Pennsylvania. He previously worked at the Universities of Chicago, Michigan and Williams College, and serves on the editorial boards of Economic Development and Cultural Change, and the Journal of Development Studies. His work integrates economic and anthropological methods to inform poverty-reduction policies in poor countries including a recent volume entitled Culture and Public Action, and was on the core team of the 2006 World Development Report on Equity and Development. He has published several papers in leading journals on the broad themes of decentralized local development, gender equity, and culture and economic behaviour. A major focus of his current research is on panchayats in India. He is also working on local development and participation in Indonesia, and the relationship between social and economic mobility. 10 January 2006 Public Lecture Speaker: Dr. Abdul Quader Shaikh, Senior International economist, U.S. Department of Commerce Title: WTO & Trade Issues Time: 6.30 pm About the Speaker: Dr. Abdul Quader Shaikh is a senior international economist and Regional Coordinator for Africa, Middle East and South Asia at Trade Information Center (TIC), U.S. Commercial Service, International Trade Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce.He has received his Ph.D. in economics from the University of Massachusetts and holds two masters and a law degree. 9 January 2006 Associates' Programme Speaker: Tony Watts, National Institute for Careers Education and Counselling, Cambridge, England Title: Higher Education and Career Development Abstract Professor Watts will outline the rationale for strengthening career development services within India. In doing so, he will draw from three overlapping studies of career development and public policy, for the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the European Commission and the World Bank, which together have covered 37 countries. He will focus particularly on the need for improved career development services within higher education, including improved information to potential students, improved services for students during and on exit from their courses, and improved attention to employability and career development within the curriculum. Finally, he will discuss briefly the wider contribution which universities can make through developing a base of theory and research on which the career development field in India can draw, and through providing degree programmes to prepare career development professionals. Professor Tony Watts is based in Cambridge, England. He is Senior Fellow and Life President of the National Institute for Careers Education and Counselling; Visiting Professor of Career Development at the University of Derby; and Visiting Professor at Canterbury Christ Church University. He is the author of many books and articles. He has lectured in over forty countries, and has carried out a number of comparative studies of guidance systems around the world, as well as acting as consultant to various international organisations including the Council of Europe, the European Commission, OECD, UNESCO and the World Bank. He was awarded an OBE in the 1994 Queen's Birthday Honours List for his services to education. 7 January 2005@ 6.30 pm PLAY ON EINSTEIN Ordinary People presents a play on Einstein, the third in the series of plays on science and scientists. The first one was Brecht, Galileo, the second was Hardy's Apology, a play on Ramanujam and Hardy. Ordinary People Theatre Group presents a staged reading of Not an Ordinary Man Albert Einstein, in a letter to his son Hans Albert, wrote that his life [was] more burdened with obligations and duties than that of an average man. Therefore, I cannot be subject to the same claims and demands as an ordinary person. Einstein was not an ordinary man. He never acknowledged, in his lifetime, his daughter born before marriage to his first wife. He never once saw her. His two sons from his first marriage to Mileva had a rocky relationship with him. One of them was committed to the mental asylum, where he eventually died. Mileva's life was filled with great loneliness and sorrow. There have been claims that she was an important contributor to his early papers. But it is their unknown, rejected daughter, Lieserl, who draws our attention. In seeking her out, we seek to understand the human being in Einstein. 6 January 2006 Title: Dancing With the Gods - An Insight into Creative Writing Speaker: Anita Nair, Novelist Abstract: When the apsaras emerged from the cosmic ocean 'with all gifts of grace, of youth and beauty....neither god nor demon sought their wedded love'. Why is it that we alone must remain 'common treasure of the host of heaven'? Why is it that we cannot live our lives bound by the dictates of samsara? Couldn't our joys and triumphs, sorrows and failures be the mortal kind? The apsaras were to ask this of themselves again and again. The apsaras were condemned to an eternity of not knowing why. Perhaps that is the curse they wish upon their kin - all hand maidens and page boys of art. That you continue to serve not knowing why.... But there is a hidden blessing too that is for the artist to discover: In the end, the artist realizes that what is important is in the pursuit of art, for a few moments there is a perfect sense of oneness with the world and all that around. In that perfect moment, the artist dances with the gods rather than for the gods. But to arrive at that moment, there is a certain tutelage required. This tutelage is comprised of several tenets and dictates. The talk will explore these areas and offer an intimate portrayal of the world of creative writing.

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