IIWC’s library currently holds over one lakh books.
Credit: Special Arrangement
This year, Indian Institute of World Culture (IIWC), Basavanagudi, celebrates its 80th anniversary. It opened on August 11, 1945, and was founded by late B P Wadia.
The Institute will be hosting a series of events from August 20, which is also the death anniversary of its founder.
Modest start
Wadia, a theosophist, businessman, and Parsi freedom fighter and labour union leader who represented India at labour conferences in the 1920s, founded IIWC as a library with about 300 books. The space also hosted lectures and book discussions. "The opening coincided with the news of Japan's surrender in the Second World War, which ended the war. Wadia described it as a ‘moment of double joy’,” says Arakali Venkatesh, honorary secretary.
Started in a rented space in Basavanagudi, IIWC moved to its current premises in the same neighbourhood in 1949. Wadia Hall opened in 1951 as the centre for lectures and discussions. A children’s section was added in 1955, followed by a dedicated children’s library in 1970.
Eminent voices
In its early decades, the Institute was a hub for lectures, hosting figures such as Martin Luther King Jr, presidents V V Giri and
S Radhakrishnan, Nobel laureates Julian Huxley, J B S Haldane and George Gamov, among others. “Today, of its 350 annual programmes, only about 15% are lectures, while the rest span performing arts, exhibitions and film screenings,” says Venkatesh.
Its art gallery presents 35-40 exhibitions annually, from rare philately collections to solo shows by noted artists, and displays by the Indian Institute of Cartoonists. Music, theatre and dance events cover multiple genres, while film festivals have explored themes from the environment to human rights.
The library now holds over one lakh books — more than 85,000 for adults and 10,000 for children — across subjects, from social sciences to technology. Facilities include a 30-seat cubicle-like space, the 200-seat Wadia Hall and the 100-seat Manorama Hall.
80 events
To mark the milestone, IIWC will host 80 events across 10 categories, including film festivals, plays, lectures, global music and dance events, exhibitions, collaborations, and outreach initiatives.
On August 20, as part of the Founder’s day celebration, a souvenir book will be unveiled. ‘Voices of Water’, a festival featuring over 30 films from 16 countries and panel discussions with environmental experts, will be held from Sept 24 to 27.
August 20, 2025 to August 20, 2026. For more details, check the Institute’s noticeboards. Or visit iiwc.in or @iiwc_india on Instagram.