Feb 14 2026 to Feb 14 2026 11:30 a.m.

Where

Bangalore International Centre

7 4th Main Rd, Stage 2, Domlur 560071

Event Description

What did the architects of the Republic want our symbols to represent?

Acclaimed musician and public intellectual T M Krishna launches We, the People of India: Decoding a Nation’s Symbols, a rigorous exploration of the tricolour, the Preamble, the national anthem, and the symbols that define Indian democracy.

In conversation with urban researcher Gautam Bhan and journalist Dhanya Rajendran, Krishna traces the historical and philosophical origins of these symbols. Together they will unpack how these symbols were born, what they were meant to represent, and how their meanings have shifted in contemporary India.

A thoughtful inquiry into the past, present, and enduring significance of India’s defining symbols.

Presented by:

Speakers

Thodur Madabusi Krishna
Author
Thodur Madabusi Krishna is a vocalist in the Karnatik tradition. He was awarded the Sangita Kalanidhi, one of the most prestigious honours in Karnatik music, conferred annually by the Madras Music Academy. He is also a prominent public intellectual, writing and speaking on issues of structural inequality and culture. Krishna is the award-winning author of A Southern Music: The Karnatik Story, Reshaping Art and Sebastian and Sons: A Brief History of Mrdangam Makers. In 2016, he received the prestigious Ramon Magsaysay Award in recognition of ‘his forceful commitment as artist and advocate to art’s power to heal India’s deep social divisions’.

Dhanya Rajendran
Journalist
Dhanya Rajendran is an Indian journalist and media entrepreneur, co-founder and editor-in-chief of The News Minute. A former Times Now bureau chief, she champions women’s rights, leads DigiPub, and has received Fortune 40 Under 40, Chameli Devi Jain, and National RedInk awards for investigative journalism and digital media leadership nationally.

Gautam Bhan
Associate Dean, School of Human Development, Indian Institute for Human Settlements
Gautam Bhan is Associate Dean of the School of Human Development at the Indian Institute for Human Settlements. He recently published Cities Rethought: A New Urban Disposition with Westland Books.