Jun 12 2025 to Jun 12 2025 6:30 p.m.

Where

Bangalore International Centre

7 4th Main Rd, Stage 2, Domlur 560071

Event Description

Historical Perspectives: Illuminating Minds on Blue Waters by Ambassador Pascal Alan Nazareth is a profound and enlightening journey through time, tracing the tides of global history through the lens of culture, and conflict. The book offers readers a panoramic view of civilizations and their intertwined legacies, all set against the backdrop of the sea – timeless conduit of exchange and exploration. 

Post retirement, Ambassador Nazareth was invited by elite cruise ships to be an “Enrichment Lecturer” on their voyages. Between April 1995 and September 2018, he conducted 35 such lecture cruises. These voyages took him from Edinburgh (Scotland) to Wellington (New Zealand), and from Kobe (Japan) to Rio de Janeiro (Brazil). The 20 most popular lectures—on Asia and Europe—are being introduced to a broader audience through this book. 

The book will be discussed by a distinguished panel of speakers followed by remarks by Ambassador Nazareth and interaction with the audience. 

Presented by the International Music and Arts Society

Speakers

Pascal Alan Nazareth
Ambassador, IFS (Retd)
In his 35-year career in the Indian Foreign Service, 1959 – 1994, Ambassador Alan Nazareth has served in India’s diplomatic missions in Tokyo, Rangoon, and Lima, as Director General of the ICCR, as India’s Consul General in Chicago and New York, Deputy High Commissioner in London, High Commissioner to Ghana, and Ambassador to Egypt and Mexico.

Since his retirement in May 1994, he has lectured at numerous prestigious universities and institutes in India and abroad, such as the National Institute of Advanced Studies Bangalore, Benares Hindu University and Stanford, Yale, Columbia, Heidelberg, Uppsala and Peking Universities. On October 9, 2007, he was presented the U Thant Peace Award for his “Lifetime of World Service”. Among its previous recipients are the Dalai Lama, Mother Teresa, Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu. 

He has authored three books, including an autobiography, A Ringside Seat to History. His book Gandhi’s Outstanding Leadership, published in March 2006, has been published in 12 Indian and 23 foreign languages, including Arabic. French, Mandarin, Russian and Spanish. Former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev has written the Foreword for 12 of the foreign language editions. On October 2, 2012 and 2017, he delivered the keynote addresses at the International Day of Non-Violence event at the United Nations in New York and the United Nations Library in Geneva.

Latha Reddy
Ambassador, IFS (Retd)
Ambassador Latha Reddy served in the Indian Foreign Service from 1975-2011, and her postings included Consul General in Durban, South Africa, and Ambassador to Portugal, and later to Thailand. She served as Secretary (East) in the Ministry of External Affairs and was appointed as India’s Deputy National Security Advisor in the Prime Minister’s Office from 2011-2013. She was the Co-Chairman, Global Commission on Stability in Cyberspace, and at the National Security Council, she was responsible for cybersecurity and other critical internal and external security issues. She also served as a Commissioner on the Global Commission on Internet Governance.

Since her retirement, Ambassador Reddy is involved with several organizations and think tanks, both globally and in India. She also heads and works actively on several NGOs and Trusts in the fields of heritage, theatre, international affairs, creative arts, classical dance and music. She is currently, among other positions, a Fellow of the Observer Research Foundation and serves on the Adjunct Faculty at the Takshashila Institution.

Neena Gopal
Journalist & Author
A journalist for over thirty years, Neena Gopal began her career in a Bangalore that was the hotbed of post-Emergency politics. Moving to the UAE in the 1980s, she worked for the Dubai-based daily Gulf News where, as foreign editor, she travelled the Middle East during and after Operation Desert Storm, the first Gulf War in 1990, covering war-torn Iraq and its neighbours through the Second Gulf War in 2003. Neena’s news-hunting ground however has been India and its immediate neighbourhood, both as a foreign affairs journalist and as a close observer of the life and times of many leaders in India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Nepal, and the Philippines. She is also the author of the tell all book, The Assassination of Rajiv Gandhi. 

Baldwin A
Assistant Professor, Dept. of English, St. Aloysius Degree College
Prof. Baldwin A was born in Chittoor, Andhra Pradesh. Driven by a passion for creative writing and theatre, he pursued a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature, and his academic interests further deepened during his postgraduate studies for a Master of Arts in English Literature from Reva University, Bengaluru. His subject expertise spans African Literature, American Literature, Dalit Literature, Indian Writing in English, and Linguistics and Phonetics. 

Baldwin currently serves as Assistant Professor at St. Aloysius Degree College, Bengaluru. He is known for his innovative approach to academics and student engagement through media and activity-based learning. His excellence in teaching and dedication to student development were recognized when he received the “Youngest Best Teacher Award – 2023” from the Global Institute of Management Sciences. 

Baldwin is also a frequent guest speaker and a committed researcher having published and presented numerous papers at international conferences and contributed articles to reputable publications such as Don Bosco Vazhikatti Magazine. His poem titled “The Tears” was published in the anthology The Underlying Earnest. He has actively pursued continuous learning and has completed a certification course on Teaching Pedagogy in Higher Education from IIT Madras.