IGNCA to Host Dr Kapila Vatsyayan Memorial Lecture and Inaugurate Textile Exhibition from Her Collection

The Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) is set to host a special cultural event honoring the late Dr. Kapila Vatsyayan, a renowned scholar of Indian art and culture.

Memorial Lecture:
- Title: “Aatmbodh se Vishvabodh” (From Self-Realisation to Universal Awareness)
- Date & Time: 29 December 2025, 4:00 pm
- Venue: Samvet Auditorium, IGNCA, New Delhi
- Speaker: Dr. Bhagyesh Jha, IAS (Retd.), Chairman of Gujarat Sahitya Academy
- Chair: Shri Ram Bahadur Rai, President, IGNCA Trust

Textile Exhibition:
- Title: “Abhivyakti – Expressions of the Loom from the Vault of a Visionary”
- Inauguration: 29 December 2025, 3:30 pm at Darshanam I & II Galleries, IGNCA
- Collection: Drawn from Dr. Kapila Vatsyayan’s personal textile holdings
- Duration: Open to the public 10:00 am – 5:00 pm until 7 January 2026
- Features: Over 50 textiles representing more than 50 distinct craft traditions from across India
- Curator: Ms. Sareekah Agarwaal, textile archivist and researcher

Significance
- The exhibition highlights textiles as living archives of memory, cultural continuity, and lived experience, reflecting Dr. Vatsyayan’s expansive understanding of India’s material and intellectual traditions.
- It emphasizes the importance of preserving textile heritage, especially when linked to scholars of her stature.
- The memorial lecture and exhibition together celebrate her vision that arts must be understood within cultural, aesthetic, and philosophical frameworks.