422. Eye of the Cyclone

422. Eye of the Cyclone

Overwhelmed? Disoriented? Exhausted? In this reflective session, Dr. Shyam Bhat draws on his expertise in psychiatry and integrative medicine to unpack the rising sense of disorientation shaped by hyperconnection, constant noise, and emotional overload. He explores how these forces fracture our inner clarity, and offers practical ways to rebuild a steadier sense of purpose. Drawing from both clinical experience and contemplative traditions, Dr. Bhat charts a path toward reconnecting with our values and rediscovering direction in an increasingly fast-paced world. A gentle invitation to pause, understand what's unfolding within, and realign with what truly matters. The talk will be followed by an audience Q&A. Presented by: Nirvikalpa Integrated Therapy Foundation Founded by Dr. Shyam Bhat, the Nirvikalpa Integrated Therapy Foundation blends India's philosophical and psychological wisdom with modern Western science to create a rigorous, evidence-based therapeutic model grounded in non-duality and transcendence. The foundation conducts scientific research, develops therapist-training programs, and shares integrative mental-health insights with the public. Its work aims to build a culturally rooted, systematic approach to therapy that strengthens resilience, deepens connection, and supports collective well-being. NIRVIKALPA In this episode of BIC Talks, Shyam Bhat delivers a talk. This is an excerpt from a conversation that took place in the BIC premises in Dec 2025. Subscribe to the BIC Talks Podcast on your favourite podcast app! BIC Talks is available everywhere, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Castbox, Overcast, Audible, and Amazon Music.

421. Adoor, Jaya, Shabana, Girish… How India's Finest Filmmakers Were Made

What does it take to shape a filmmaker? How do you 'make' a Jaya Bachchan or an Adoor Gopalakrishnan? Radha Chadha's new book The Maker of Filmmakers: How Jagat Murari and FTII Changed Indian Cinema Forever takes us through the life and legacy of her father Jagat Murari, and the iconic film school he built. With uncanny consistency, FTII produced top talent: Jaya Bachchan and Shabana Azmi, Adoor Gopalakrishnan and Subhash Ghai, Shatrughan Sinha, Girish Kasaravalli, Mani Kaul, and many other cinema legends. His alumni became the big names of Bollywood, spearheaded the Indian New Wave, kickstarted regional language cinema, and helped usher television into the country. It's this extraordinary creative legacy that leads to the book's tantalizing question: Did Jagat Murari have a secret formula? In conversation with author Radha Chadha, Ambassador Talmiz Ahmad, legendary filmmaker Girish Kasaravalli, and iconic cinematographer G.S. Bhaskar, this session will delve into how Jagat Murari and FTII shaped generations of filmmakers – and how their work transformed Indian cinema into the global powerhouse it is today. Both Radha and Talmiz grew up at FTII, where their fathers served as Principal and Vice Principal. The session will include a montage of student film clips of iconic FTII alumni Jaya Bachchan, Shabana Azmi, Adoor Gopalakrishnan, Subhash Ghai, Mani Kaul, and others, as also an excerpt from Girish Kasaravalli's award-winning student film Avsesh. A Q&A with the audience will be followed by book signings by the author. About BIC Elsewhere: While the majority of our events find a home at our premises in Domlur, BIC Elsewhere represents our commitment to bringing conversations, arts, and culture directly to diverse audiences. Through this initiative, we collaborate with various venues, extending the reach of our events beyond our own space. These partnerships not only breathe life into our gatherings but also play a crucial role in cultivating an environment for the flourishing of arts and culture in the city. In collaboration with: SABHA In this episode of BIC Talks, Radha Chadha, Girish Kasaravalli and G.S. Bhaskar will be in conversation with Talmiz Ahmad. This is an excerpt from a conversation that took place in the BIC premises in Dec 2025. Subscribe to the BIC Talks Podcast on your favourite podcast app! BIC Talks is available everywhere, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Castbox, Overcast, Audible, and Amazon Music.

420. Funding Freedom

What is the Indian reader willing to pay for, and what do they expect for free? This panel moves past the familiar lament and into the mechanics of the business. They explore what it actually takes to run a news organisation outside the influence of advertisers, owners, and the state. Subscription models, donor funding, collaborative structures, and open access: each approach comes with its own compromises, its own pressures, and its own relationship with the reader. The conversation will examine how different kinds of journalism, from daily news to long-form investigation and data-driven research, demand different economic answers. Can advertising coexist with independence? And how are newsrooms absorbing the growing financial and legal burden of independent reporting? Independent journalism in India is alive. What it costs to keep it that way is another matter entirely. In this episode of BIC Talks, Dhanya Rajendran, Sunil Rajshekhar, Samar Halarnka, Rashmi Koti and Vikhar Ahmed Sayeed. This is an excerpt from a conversation that took place in the BIC premises in Jan 2026. Subscribe to the BIC Talks Podcast on your favourite podcast app! BIC Talks is available everywhere, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Castbox, Overcast, Audible, and Amazon Music.

419. Science, Stewardship and Solidarity

Madhav Gadgil (1942-2026) was the country's pre-eminent ecologist, whose work and writing had a profound influence in shaping environmental policy and action in India. Educated in Pune, Mumbai and Harvard, Professor Gadgil spent more than three decades at the Indian Institute of Science in Bengaluru, where he founded the Centre for Ecological Sciences. In the course of his rich and varied career Professor Gadgil conducted fieldwork in most of India's states, acquiring an unparalleled knowledge of the country's cultural and ecological diversity. He authored numerous scientific papers that became 'citation classics', and pioneering books on environmental history that are still discussed decades after their publication. He was widely known for the report of a committee on the Western Ghats that he chaired, which presciently warned of the ecological disasters that would follow unregulated mining, tourism and road construction in this vital mountain ecosystem. The Bangalore International Centre shall celebrate Madhav Gadgil's life and legacy in a special memorial meeting held on 26th January. The date is appropriate; for Professor Gadgil himself had a deeply democratic sensibility, and embodied in his person the finest values of the Indian Republic. The speakers are two scientists, two economists, a journalist and a historian, all of whom knew Professor Gadgil and his work well. In this episode of BIC Talks, Harini Nagendra, Gurudas Nulkar, John Kurien, Nagesh Hegde, Uma Ramakrishnan will be in conversation with Ramachandra Guha. This is an excerpt from a conversation that took place in the BIC premises in Jan 2026. Subscribe to the BIC Talks Podcast on your favourite podcast app! BIC Talks is available everywhere, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Castbox, Overcast, Audible, and Amazon Music.

418. Ghost-Eye

Narratives illuminate what often lies just out of sight. In this exciting conversation, Amitav Ghosh discusses his latest book, Ghost-Eye, with writer Anjum Hasan, tracing the hidden histories and environmental undercurrents that shape human lives. Moving between folklore and the contemporary world, the discussion explores how landscapes remember, how ecological forces linger beneath the visible, and how storytelling can recover what modern life trains us to ignore. Hasan's thoughtful questioning bring out the novel's deeper concerns: the fragile relationship between people and place, the quiet violence of erasure, and the role of curiosity in resisting indifference. Together, they reflect on how narrative can sharpen our awareness of a planet in flux, and why attentiveness to history, to ecology, and to the unseen, matters now more than ever. A chance to hear directly from one of the most compelling literary voices about the inspirations behind his work and the urgent questions it raises. Presented by: Bangalore Literature Festival, Harper Collins In this episode of BIC Talks, Amitav Ghosh in conversation with Anjum Hasan. This is an excerpt from a conversation that took place in the BIC premises in Jan 2026. Subscribe to the BIC Talks Podcast on your favourite podcast app! BIC Talks is available everywhere, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Castbox, Overcast, Audible, and Amazon Music.