Weekend lecture to explore identity and belonging in Bengaluru

The fifth edition of the ‘Ravi Sondhi Spirit of Bangalore Lecture’ will be held this Saturday. It will highlight questions of identity and belonging in the city. Place-based storyteller and memory archivist Aliyeh Rizvi will speak on ‘Being Bangalore: Reflections on Belonging’.

Aditya Sondhi, organiser of the event, says the talk will centre on Aliyeh’s perspective on “the various elements of belonging to a city and its identity”, drawing from her work as an archivist and oral historian. The lecture will look at how a city’s “signature identity” influences its residents and, in turn, how residents influence the character of the city. 

The lecture series started in 2022, with four lectures held so far. Each edition has focused on different aspects of the city’s cultural and social life. It has featured speakers such as retired IAS officer Chiranjiv Singh, historian Ramachandra Guha, theatrician Arundhati Nag, and journalist Stanley Carvalho.

February 14, 6 pm, at Lady Jehangir Kothari Hall, Queen’s Road. Entry free. For more details, call 98454 11859.