Asia Society India Centre

The wait is over - Parda Faash returns! 🎞️ Join us on July 4 & 5 at The Pavilion by Quorum for the third edition of Parda Faash – a showcase of some of the best of independent cinema from across South Asia. Parda Faash brings together contemporary non-fiction and fiction films from across South Asia, offering stories that move, question, and inspire. Into its third edition, the festival, aims to showcase a diverse and dynamic set of films and independent film makers from across the region - a celebration of South Asia’s most pertinent voices in the realm of film. 🎬 July 4 & 5, 2026 📍 The Pavilion by Quorum 🎫 Free and open to everyone Stay tuned for this year's theme, film selections, and how to register. See you there! ✨

Asia Society Policy Institute (ASPI), in collaboration with Ampera Energy Private Limited, was delighted to convene a Roundtable on the "Effective Inclusion of the Power Sector in India's Carbon Credit Trading Scheme (CCTS)" at India Habitat Centre, New Delhi, on 13th May 2026. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to our keynote speaker, Shri Saurabh Diddi, Director, Bureau of Energy Efficiency, whose insights set the tone for a rich, candid, and forward-looking dialogue. India's power sector accounts for nearly 40% of the country's GHG emissions — and yet it currently remains outside the CCTS compliance framework. Its inclusion presents a powerful, flexible, and cost-effective pathway to reduce emissions, particularly from coal-fired power plants, while safeguarding energy security and supporting economic growth. Global experience from the EU, UK, China, Korea, and beyond has shown that well-designed emissions trading systems can be truly transformative for power sector decarbonization. For India, this opportunity could unlock over USD 500 billion in government revenues by 2050 — capital that can be channelled directly into clean energy and industrial transformation. The roundtable brought together a wonderful group of policymakers, regulators, industry leaders, academics, and carbon market specialists for a genuinely substantive exchange. Several important priorities emerged for the way forward: 🔹 A robust regulatory and institutional framework as the essential foundation 🔹 Strong coordination among policymakers, regulators, and state governments 🔹 Focused state-level pilot programmes to understand costs across the full generation-to-distribution chain 🔹 Continued stakeholder engagement and scenario-based modelling to inform policy design 🔹 Drawing on international best practices to develop a targeted, India-specific inclusion framework We are deeply grateful to each participant for their time, energy, and invaluable insights. We look forward to continuing this important conversation. Saurabh Diddi, Anil Vitthal Kale, Arpan Gupta, Digambar Chauhan, Karthik Ganesan, Subrata Chakrabarty, Apoorva U Kumar, Sai Ram Thandra, Jagabanta Ningthoujam, Raavi A., Utkarsh Patel, Ashok Sreenivas, Mitul Kodali, Shikhar Jain, Meenakshi Sinha, Shreeyash Nitin M., Rahul Tongia, Puloma Choudhury, Bhavya Sehgal, Arun Goyal, Alistair Ritchie, Nishtha Singh, Mandeep Kaur, Theres Thomas, Md Adil Hussain, Prabhajit Kumar Sarkar, Mayukh Mukherjee #CarbonMarkets #CCTS #PowerSector #EnergyTransition #ClimatePolicy #NetZero #Decarbonization #ASPI

“जब जब क़लम बना न सकी, तो बंद कमरों के कोनों में, रानियों ने, दासियों ने, फुसफुसाई हैं, हमारी मादारी ज़बानें।  और इन सारी ज़बानों को चुनकर, लफ़्ज़ों को समेटकर, हम लिख रहे हैं नए सिरे से, हमारी ख़ुद की मादारी ज़बानें।” “whenever no pen could be made (whenever women were denied the means to write), in the corners of closed rooms, queens and servants whispered our mother tongues. gathering all those tongues, gathering their words, we are writing anew our own fierce mother tongues.” — Sabika Abbas, Maadari Zabanein Last evening at TARQ, Speaking Truth Through Verse brought Sabika Abbas and Vedi Sinha of The Aahvaan Project into conversation with Tess Joseph to reflect on conflict, culture, and connection. Set amidst Rah Naqvi’s ‘And the Trees Sing Resistance Songs,’ the evening began with the question: What does it mean to speak of love in the midst of conflict? Tess referenced Rah's work on soil as archive, as something that holds what is put into it, can be disturbed and revived, and still keeps making room for life to grow. Sabika spoke about old Lucknow, the women and workers who shaped her language, and about grief as one of her first introductions to resistance. Reading from Dew Drops on My Eyelids and Maadari Zabanein, she spoke of poetry that remains with the community, archiving what is being erased, and what is carried in mothers’ tongues and memory. Sabika’s poetry became a counter-archive of the present, of protest, and of love. Vedi’s reflections and her performance of Hunkar spoke of love as practice, and as dissent. She spoke of love in its soft form, and also in its red form that refuses silence and fear vehemently. The conversation also turned to those history has chosen to forget, reminded us that it's not the next generation's responsibility to be brave. Thank you to Sabika, Vedi, and Tess, and to TARQ for making space for this to grow!

We were honoured to host Harsh Mariwala, founder and Chairman of Marico Limited, for a roundtable with our Generation Asia Leadership Network. The discussion offered a glimpse of what it takes to build a company like Marico. Over a working breakfast, our cohort explored questions of failure, entrepreneurship, learning, and the daily work of leadership. We were excited to see how the landscape of entrepreneurship has evolved over time and to hear about the transformative impact of a democratic company culture that welcomes every part of learning, including failure. The Gen A roundtables are closed-door discussions that foster thoughtful exchanges on leadership in a changing Asia. Learn more about them at the link below! https://lnkd.in/dpzaU34y

Having our community over at our new office for the first time felt incredibly special. Beyond the conversations and shared meals, it was meaningful to walk everyone through the space because so much of our work and thinking now lives here too. Evenings like these always leave us learning something new — through stories exchanged, ideas shared, and moments of curiosity that continue long after everyone leaves. The support and engagement of our members mean a great deal to us and continue to give shape and purpose to the work we’re building together. Thank you to everyone who stopped by!

Last month, Asia Society India Centre convened two conversations in Mumbai and Kolkata on the conflict in West Asia and its implications for geopolitics and geoeconomics. As geopolitical developments increasingly shape everyday life, the discussions explored how the US-Israel-Iran war could shape regional and global realities in the years ahead. Both programme recordings are now live on YouTube! (Linked below.) In Mumbai, Strait Talk: Mapping India’s Stakes in West Asia featuring C. Raja Mohan (Korea Foundation Chair of Asian Geopolitics at the Council of Strategic and Defense Research, Delhi), Navdeep Suri (Former Ambassador to Egypt and the UAE); and Neelkanth Mishra (Chief Economist, Axis Bank and Head of Global Research, Axis Capital) in conversation with Rajdeep Sardesai (Consulting Editor and lead news anchor of the India Today group) https://lnkd.in/ds7UmGqj In Kolkata, Strait Talk: West Asia in Transition featuring C. Raja Mohan and Dr. Stanly Johny (International Affairs Editor, The Hindu) in conversation with Akshay Mathur (Senior Director, Asia Society Policy Institute (ASPI), New Delhi) https://lnkd.in/d6hYCHfR Strait Talk: Mapping India’s Stakes in West Asia was supported by Burgundy Private, Private Banking by Axis Bank.

🗓️ Save the dates! With the summer warmth catching up to us this May, we’re turning our attention towards the comfort of love, human connection and mentorship. On 12 May, we host two very interesting conversations. We begin the day with a closed-door discussion with Harsh Mariwala and our Gen A cohort of 2026. The second conversation in the fifth edition, this one will aim to explore Mr. Mariwala’s entrepreneurial journey and his approach to leadership. This programme is for Gen A members only. Later that evening, we will also be convening at TARQ in Fort, Mumbai for “Speaking Truth Through Verse” , a conversation on music, storytelling and evolving articulations of love with Sabika Abbas, Vedi Sinha and moderator, Tess Joseph. This programme is held in collaboration with TARQ. Swipe through to see what’s in store, and head to our website for more details.

At a time when conversations around conflict and coexistence feel increasingly urgent, Asia Society India Centre presents Speaking Truth Through Verse - an evening of poetry, music, and conversation that reflects on love as a force within moments of division. Bringing together Sabika Abbas and Vedi Sinha of The Aahvaan Project, in conversation with Tess Joseph, the programme draws on poetic and musical traditions rooted in mystic thought, where love is understood not as sentiment, but as a way of engaging with the world. Whether you’re drawn to poetry, music, or conversations that sit with complexity, join us for an evening of reflection and dialogue. 🗓️ 12 May, Tuesday, 7pm onwards 📍 TARQ, Fort

Last week, we had the pleasure of welcoming our communities to hear Prof. C. Raja Mohan, Dr. Stanly Johny and Akshay Mathur in discussion for Strait Talk: West Asia in Transition.  In a comprehensive, wide-ranging discussion, they explored the impact of the US-Israel-Iran war on geopolitical equations in the Middle East, the global economy, and India’s energy infrastructure.  Discussions like this, which underscore how profoundly our lives are touched by the nuances of geopolitics, are a central focus of our work as an organisation committed to facilitating dialogue on issues relevant to Asia. Stay tuned to watch the recording of this conversation and follow us for more! 

Asia is racing to build AI systems that are not just powerful—but trusted. Read JSW Science and Technology Fellow, Dr Arun Teja Polcumpally and Schwarzman Fellow, Faye Simanjuntak's latest paper for the Asia Society Policy Institute (ASPI), which unpacks what it will take to build trusted AI ecosystems across the region—through shared metrics, stronger governance, and a clearer understanding of how trust is built, measured, and sustained. Link to the paper: https://lnkd.in/eBnWMJDn