Miles on Yamuna

Presents

Rhythms Village
As part of

Rhythms from the Riverbanks

A TERI-POSOCO Initiative

In association with

Miranda House 18-19 March 2013 Miranda House, Delhi University

New Delhi

How could drops of water know themselves to be a river? Yet the river flows on
Antoine de Saint-Exupery quotes (French Pilot, Writer and Author of 'The Little Prince')

In the history of human evolution, rivers have a coveted place because from time immemorial they have nurtured life and bound cultures of land far and wide. They have crafted identities, attracted sages, conquerors and poets; promoted agriculture, birthed great cities, nourished religion and given birth to some of the greatest civilizations. Riverbanks therefore are repositories of countless stories, resting place for traders and wanderers of yore, of life other than that which exists in human form, of songs and colors, dialects and dances and myriad dreams. Unfortunately, with time, the rivers and the cities on these rivers and its inhabitants have been changing at a rapid pace. Urbanization, development and accelerated use of natural resources have not only altered the value system of a society but also dislodged rivers from the popular chronicles of the present time, relegating it to the periphery of cities and discourses. In this context, the story of some of the great Indian rivers is most peculiar as rivers in India are not just a source of water but are also considered sacred and in some cases, reincarnations of Hindu deities. A closer look would however bring one face to face with their tragic state. The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) and Power System Operation Corporation (POSOCO) initiated Rhythms from the Riverbanks - an educational programme for college students on understanding the culture and ecology of two of the greatest river cities of India Delhi and Kolkata. While Delhi is situated on the banks of Yamuna; Kolkata has the gentle Hooghly flowing through it. Launched in December 2012, the programme which is currently in its pilot phase, aims to make young people understand the history, culture, economy and sustainability of these river cities with the intention of inspiring them to work towards the appreciation, recognition and conservation of the rich cultural heritage of these cities. The project has had an encouraging beginning and its effort to promote cultural leadership amongst youth to become the custodians of the rich heritage of their cities has been fairly successful. In order to deliberate more on the core issues and themes of the project, TERI and POSOCO are proud to present Call of the River-Rhythms Village a 2 day conference in association with one of the oldest and most prestigious academic institutions of India, Miranda House, from 18-19 March 2013. Some of the themes of the conference are as follows: Urbanization and city space Culture and heritage and its relevance and todays postmodern, globalized world River-centric city planning Cultural leadership amongst the youth what would it take? Focused sessions on Yamuna and Hooghly Social and ecological issues related to the river

Renowned historians, sociologists, artists, musicians have been invited for the conference. The conference would act as a platform to bring all the stakeholders related to the rivers, most importantly the youth, on one platform.

Agenda

Day 1: 18 March 2013

0900 hrs 0930 hrs

Coffee & Registration Session I: Inaugural Session

0930 hrs 1030 hrs

0930 hrs 0945 hrs

Welcome Address Dr. Pratibha Jolly, Principal, Miranda House, Delhi University Special Address V.V. Sharma, General Manager, POSOCO- NRLDC Rhythms Supriya Singh, Associate Fellow, Educating Youth for Sustainable Development, TERI Screening of the Students Film made as part of Rhythms Shweta Arora, MSc Environmental Studies & Resource Management, TERI University Vote of Thanks Livleen Kahlon, Fellow, Educating Youth for Sustainable Development, TERI

0945 hrs 1000 hrs

1000 hrs- 1015 hrs

1015 hrs 1025 hrs

1025 hrs 1030 hrs

1030 hrs 1130 hrs

Session I: Miles on Yamuna DU innovation Project Teams

1130 hrs -1145 hrs

Tea Break Session II: A Life Called Yamuna: Understanding Delhi and its Relationship with the River Govind Singh, Research Scholar, Department of Environmental Studies, Delhi University & Co-founder Delhi Greens

1145 hrs 1215 hrs

1215 hrs 1300 hrs

Film Screening & Discussion: Delhi-Work in Progress A documentary film by Krishnendu Bose Film Synopsis: Delhi, known as one of the greenest capital in the world is changing fast. This 2500 year old city's history and greens are being transformed for a globalized look. This film made over 2007-2008, captures the key milestones of this transformation. City's leading academics, urban planners, environmentalists and activists, debate the nature of this change. The ridge, the Yamuna, the city trees, city's poor and powerless all have come under this axis of change. Commercialization of land seems to be the mantra fueling this new vision for the Delhi. While we debate, resist and make films on this 'new' Delhi, Delhi is being transformed forever.

1300 hrs 1400 hrs Lunch

1400 hrs 1515 hrs Session III Panel Discussion: Rethinking Urbanization, Redefining Development and Rediscovering City Space Moderator: Dr. Suneel Pandey, Senior Fellow, Centre for Environmental Studies, TERI Speakers: Ms. Neelima Soni, Dy. Director, Landscape & Environmental Planning Unit, DDA Dr. Jayanta Basu, Correspondent The Telegraph & Faculty, Department of Environmental Science, Kolkata University Dr. B.C.Sabata, Senior Scientific Officer, Department of Environment, Delhi Government Prof. Hariharan Ramachandran, Department of Geography, Delhi School of Economics

1515 hrs 1530 hrs

1530 hrs 1700 hrs

Tea Break
Competition - Rhythm Projects TERI

1730-2000 hrs

Nitya in Concert
Shuheb Hasan (Vocalist), Anil Chawla (Keyboard), Aveleon Giles Vaz (Drums), Rajat Verma (Bass), Rajib Das (Percussion), Qazi Waseem Ahmed (Guitar)

Day 2: 19 March 2013 Venue: Miranda House, Delhi University

0900 hrs 0930 hrs

Coffee & Registration Session IV

Tale of Two Rivers - Myths, Legends and Realities of Yamuna and Hooghly Moderator: Dr Srimanjari, Specialist in Modern Indian History, Miranda House, Delhi University Speakers: Smita Vats, ITIHAAS Dr. Minoti Chakravarty Kaul, Associate Professor Of Economics (Retired), LSR Current Senior RA at Dept of History (University of Sussex)

0930 hrs 1100 hrs

1115-1130 hrs

Tea Break
Session V: Call to Action: Educating, Engaging and Empowering Youth through different mediums and doorways Moderator: Rishu Nigam, Area Manager-Visual Media, Film and Television Unit, TERI Speakers: Ankit Pogula, Independent Film Maker, Tuning Fork Films Radhika Mathur, Coordinator, Right to Information Programme, The YP Foundation Arvind Gaur, Asmita Theatre Group

1130 hrs 1300 hrs

1300 hrs -1400 hrs

1400 hrs 1530 hrs

Lunch
A Dastangoi presentation of the great Rajasthani folk story CHOUBOLI
Based on the version created by Vijaydan Detha

Dastangoi refers to the art of storytelling. It is a compound of two Persian words Dastan and goi which means to tell a Dastan. Dastans were epics, often oral in nature, which were recited or read aloud and in essence, were like medieval romances. 1530 hrs1545 hrs Tea Break Closing Remarks Dr. Pratibha Jolly, Principal, Miranda House, Delhi University Prize Distribution 1630 hrs 1700 hrs Tea

1545 hrs 1630 hrs