News Type: Event

Film Screenings and Session with Paromita Vohra | By NLS Law and Society Archives & NLS Feminist Alliance

The NLS Law and Society Archives, in collaboration with the NLS Feminist Alliance (NLSFA), is organising screenings of two films by Paromita Vohra as per the details below:

Screening of Working Girls

  • Day & date: Friday, April 17, 2026
  • Time: 5:00 PM
  • Venue: Allen & Overy Hall, NLSIU

(Open to the public with mandatory registration here.) 

The screening will be followed by a discussion with the filmmaker, offering an opportunity to reflect on the film’s themes and its wider feminist and political stakes.

About Working Girls

Working Girls is a vivid, genre-defying film that travels across India to uncover the invisible, yet essential labour performed by women. Moving through Kolkata, Mumbai, Shillong, Latur, Thiruvananthapuram, Hyderabad and Madurai, the film brings us into the lives of domestic workers, farmers, ASHA workers, dancers, mothers, sex workers, and organisers whose work sustains society but is rarely recognised.

Blending sharp humour, rich music, and a deep engagement with law, gender, and history, the film challenges dominant ideas of labour, value, and visibility. Created in collaboration with the Laws of Social Reproduction Project based at The Dickson Poon School of Law, King’s College London, the film invites us to rethink what it means to work and who gets to be seen as a worker.

In the run-up to the public screening, there will be a showcase of another of Paromita’s films:

Screening of Unlimited Girls 

  • Day & date: Wednesday, April 15, 2026
  • Time: 7:30 PM
  • Venue: NAB 102, NLSIU

(Open only to the NLS Community) 

About Unlimited Girls (2002):

The landmark documentary by Paromita Vohra, Unlimited Girls is a sharp, playful, and incisive exploration of feminism, media, and popular culture in urban India. Blending documentary with satire, it captures the contradictions, aspirations, and negotiations that shape young women’s lives, making it as relevant today as when it was first released. Watch the trailer here.

The second screening will take place as per the details below:

About the Filmmaker

Paromita Vohra is a filmmaker and writer whose work spans documentaries, television, digital media, and art installations. Her films, including Unlimited Girls, Q2P, Where’s Sandra?, Morality TV and the Loving Jehad, and Partners in Crime, are known for their sharp feminist insight, wit, and formal experimentation. She has also written for cinema, including Khamosh Pani (Silent Waters), and created the comic Priya’s Mirror and the play Ishqiya Dharavi Ishtyle.

In 2015, she founded Agents of Ishq, a pioneering digital platform that has transformed conversations on sex, love, and desire in India. Across her work, Vohra brings together humour, critique, and a deeply sensuous engagement with questions of gender, labour, and everyday life. She has edited Love, Sex And India: The Agents Of Ishq Anthology (Context, 2026) Her weekly column Paronormal Activity ran for 15 years in the Sunday Midday.

NLS Faculty Seminar | The Trial Process Becomes Very Alien: Lawyers’ Imagination of the Legal Process in Contemporary Delhi

This week’s faculty seminar featured presentation by Dr. Mayur R Suresh, University Research Fellow, NLSIU on ‘The Trial Process Becomes Very Alien: Lawyers’ Imagination of the Legal Process in Contemporary Delhi.’ The paper has been co-authored by Fariya Yesmin and Lubhyathi Rangarajan.

Abstract

How do lawyers understand legality in contemporary India? The authors examine the experiences of lawyers in Delhi, who defend people accused under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), statutes increasingly deployed to target dissent and minority groups. Drawing on in-depth interviews, these trials produce a sense of normlessness — where foundational assumptions about rules, processes, and institutional roles collapse.

Lawyers describe an “alien” legal world marked by unpredictability, an absence of established procedure, and blurred boundaries between judges, prosecutors, and police. While ordinary cases retain a sense of normality, UAPA and PMLA cases destabilise imaginations of the legal process, compelling lawyers to speculate on motives and majoritarian influences. The authors explore how lawyers respond through insistence on procedural norms and strategies to mitigate harm to clients. These narratives illuminate the transformation of legality into a contingent, shape-shifting form of power, challenging deterministic accounts of authoritarian legality.

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Play Reading | ‘Sorry, Wrong Number’ by Lucille Fletcher | The Green Room

The student-led theatre effort at NLS, The Green Room, is organising a reading of the play ‘Sorry, Wrong Number‘ by Lucille Fletcher as per the details below:

Day & Date: Wednesday, April 15, 2026
Time: 8:00 PM to 10:00 PM
Venue: NAB 205

The Green Room is a nod to the intimate, lively backstage space in theatres where artists gather before a performance. This session will be a table read followed by a discussion.

About the Play

Sorry, Wrong Number follows Mrs. Stevenson, a bedridden woman, who accidentally overhears a telephone conversation plotting a murder. As she desperately tries to alert the authorities and piece together the details, her attempts are met with indifference and delay. What unfolds is a gripping narrative driven entirely by voice and sound, where isolation, helplessness, and time itself become sources of terror.

The play’s brilliance lies in its use of limited perspective to heighten suspense, drawing attention to vulnerability within seemingly ordinary, domestic spaces. While this is a radio play, which relies primarily on sound and music to build tension and atmosphere, we will use it to illustrate how theatre extends beyond the physical stage and encompasses a range of mediums through which performance can be experienced.

Here is the link to the play.

About the Author

Lucille Fletcher (1912–2000) was an American screenwriter and playwright, best known for her mastery of suspense and psychological drama. Originally written as a radio play, Sorry, Wrong Number remains one of the most celebrated works in the genre, showcasing her ability to build tension through voice, pacing, and atmosphere.

Open to all NLS Community, whether you would like to read a role or simply listen and join the discussion.

‘Why did a Rule on Mandatory Prescription of Generic Drugs Fail in India?’ By Prashant Reddy | JSW Centre for the Future of Law

As part of its monthly workshops, the JSW Centre for the Future of Law at NLSIU is organising a workshop on April 22, 2026, from 5:00 PM to 6:00 PM (IST) with Prashant Reddy T. Prashant will discuss, “Why did a Rule on Mandatory Prescription of Generic Drugs Fail in India?”

The online workshop is open to the public. To attend, kindly register here (Microsoft Teams).

Abstract:

For a long time now, India has been known as the ‘pharmacy of the world’ for its expertise in manufacturing affordable generic drugs. Yet when the National Medical Commission in 2023, made it mandatory for all doctors in India to prescribe drugs only by their generic names instead of their brand names, Indian doctors vehemently protested against the rule, leading to its rollback in a matter of few weeks. In particular, the Indian Medical Association (IMA) claimed that its doctors lacked confidence in the quality of generic drugs being sold in India. What explains this sharp contrast in the global perception of the Indian pharmaceutical industry as a manufacturer of quality generic drugs and the refusal of Indian doctors to prescribe all generic drugs? The answer probably lies in the fact that the Indian industry is regulated by two different legal systems – one in the developed world which has evolved rigorous quality norms over decades and the other is the Indian regulatory framework under the Drugs & Cosmetics Act, 1940 which has failed to keep up with global standards. In this talk, the speaker, Prashant Reddy Thikkavarapu, Co-author of The Truth Pill: The Myth of Drug Regulation in India (2022), will discuss why Indian law has failed to instil confidence amongst Indian doctors in the quality of generic drugs sold in India.

About the Speaker

Prashant Reddy T. holds degrees in law at undergraduate and postgraduate levels from the National Law School of India University, Bengaluru (BA LLB 2008) and Stanford Law School, Stanford respectively. He has experience working in litigation, academia, and think-tank spaces in India and Singapore. His larger oeuvre spans drug regulation, intellectual property, judicial reforms and transparency law. He is the co-author of The Truth Pill: The Myth of Drug Regulation in India (2022), a widely noted examination of India’s pharmaceutical regulatory system. He has also co-authored Create, Copy, Disrupt: India’s Intellectual Property Dilemmas (2017) and Tareekh Pe Justice: Reforms for India’s District Courts (2025), and writes extensively in the public fora on questions of law, policy, and institutional accountability.

Play Screening | ‘Romeo and Juliet’ by William Shakespeare | The Green Room

The student-led theatre effort at NLS, The Green Room, is organising a screening of ‘Romeo and Juliet‘ by William Shakespeare, presented as part of the National Theatre production as per the details below:

Day & Date: Wednesday, April 8, 2026
Time: 8:00 PM to 10:00 PM
Venue: NAB 205

The Green Room is a nod to the intimate, lively backstage space in theatres where artists gather before a performance. The screening will be followed by an open discussion. 

About the Play

Set in Verona, Romeo and Juliet unfolds against the backdrop of a bitter feud between two noble families. Amid this hostility, Romeo and Juliet fall into an intense, secret love that defies social boundaries. Their attempt to carve out a private world of passion is gradually undone by violence and rigid codes of honour. Shakespeare traces how youthful idealism and impulsiveness become entangled with forces beyond their control, leading to tragic and irreversible consequences.

What gives the play its enduring force is its exploration of love in tension with social structures. It reveals how deeply personal desires are shaped, and often constrained, by family, honour, and circumstance, capturing both the transcendence and fragility of idealism in an unforgiving world.

Here is the link to its trailer.

About the Production

This screening features the National Theatre’s original film, a bold reimagining that brings Shakespeare’s tragedy into the remarkable backstage spaces of the theatre itself. Blurring the lines between performance and process, the film uses these unconventional settings to heighten the intimacy and urgency of the story, allowing desire and destiny to unfold in striking new ways. The production stars Jessie Buckley [Academy Award winner for Hamnet] as Juliet and Josh O’Connor as Romeo.

NLS Faculty Seminar | Colonial Legacies, Institutions, and Conservation: Forest Rights among the Gonds and Korkus in Madhya Pradesh, India

This week’s faculty seminar featured presentation by Dr. Shiuli Vanaja, Assistant Professor, Social Science, NLSIU on ‘Colonial Legacies, Institutions, and Conservation: Forest Rights among the Gonds and Korkus in Madhya Pradesh, India.’ The paper has been co-authored by Deep Jyoti Francis, Science Policy Expert and Independent Researcher.

Abstract

India’s tribal (indigenous) communities have lived in and cared for its forests for generations. For them, forests are not just resources; they are home, livelihood, culture, and faith. Yet, these very communities are often displaced and labelled as threats to conservation because of formal institutional structure consisting of laws and policies rooted in colonial model of fortress conservation.

Within these communities, there also exists an informal institutional structure consisting of social norms and customary cultural practices that govern the interaction of tribals with forests.

Using qualitative data collected from 23 villages in Narmadapuram (old name Hoshangabad) and Betul districts of Madhya Pradesh, the authors study the relationship between forests and two tribal groups of this region, Gonds and Korkus. They explore the interplay between formal institutional structure which puts forests as state property under control of forest department with informal structure in which accessing forests is a fundamental part of life for tribals irrespective of who owns it legally.

They examine the linkages between the colonial era property rights to forests and conservation policy with the current injustices faced by tribals along with non-recognition of their forest rights. Their findings show that even after years of displacement and exclusion by the state, tribal communities continue to care for and protect their forests. But formal laws and weak implementation of community rights under the Forest Rights Act 2006 leave them insecure, forcing them to navigate fines, bribes, and alienation from their own lands. This paper argues for a shift away from top-down, exclusionary conservation model toward a more just, community-led model that respects Indigenous knowledge and rights, strengthens their role as custodians of the forest, and works with them rather than against them to protect forests.

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Guest Lecture | ‘Local Self Government in New England: A case study of Connecticut’ | by Dr. Lalitha Shivaswamy, University of Connecticut

The National Law School of India University (NLSIU) hosted Prof. Lalitha Shivaswamy, (NLS BA LLB 1996), Adjunct Professor at the University of Connecticut School of Law, for a lecture titled “Local Self Government in New England: A case study of Connecticut.” The lecture took place on Friday, March 27, 2026, at 11 am at the Conference Room, Training Centre, NLSIU.

Abstract

Local Self Government in New England: A case study of Connecticut

This talk and the ensued discussion explored the concept of “Home Rule” as enshrined in the Constitution of the State of Connecticut; the origin of local authority, its historical evolution from the 1600’s to the present day, and the advantages and challenges in day-to-day government in ensuring transparency, checks and balances, and that power remains in the hands of the people.

In her service on both appointed and elected boards, Dr. Shivaswamy is uniquely positioned to discuss her experience of Home Rule in practice.

About the Speaker

Dr. Lalitha Shivaswamy is a native of Bengaluru and an alumna of NLSIU, BA LLB (Hons.) Class of 1996.

She migrated to Connecticut in 1999 with her husband who is also from Bengaluru. She comes from a family of legal scholars, including her grandfather Shri A. R. Somnath Iyer, former Chief Justice of the Mysore High Court, and her father Shri. S Shivaswamy, Advocate. She is the daughter-in-law of Dr. S. Krishnamurthy, IPS (retd.) who was the first LLD recipient from NLSIU in 1992.

Dr. Shivaswamy is the CEO of People First Technologies, an AI platform focussed on employee engagement, and President of Helios Management, a boutique advisory firm. She is also an Adjunct Professor at the University of Connecticut School of Law. Previously, she was a venture lending portfolio manager at Horizon Technology Finance and a private placement analyst at Citigroup Global Investments. She was recently elected to public office in the town of Simsbury to serve a six-year term on the Board of Finance, where she is Vice-Chair. She was also appointed as a commissioner on her town’s Charter Revision Commission. Dr. Shivaswamy is an ardent supporter of the choral and performing arts and has successfully demonstrated the power of the arts to engage and unite communities. She recently completed three terms as president of the Board of Governors Hartford Chorale, the region’s principal symphonic chorus. She is currently on the senior leadership team of the Board of Directors of The Hartford Symphony Orchestra, and Board Chair of Choral Arts of New England.

Dr. Shivaswamy obtained an SJD with honors, and an LLM from the University of Connecticut School of Law. She also has an MBA in finance from the University of Connecticut School of Business. She is enrolled in the Connecticut bar and was previously enrolled with the Bar Council of India.

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NLS Faculty Seminar | Do Efficient Farmers Always Move to Non-Agricultural Sectors? Exploring Efficiency and Rural Transformation in India

This week’s faculty seminar featured presentation by Dr. Anviksha Drall, Assistant Professor, Social Science, NLSIU on ‘Do Efficient Farmers Always Move to Non-Agricultural Sectors? Exploring Efficiency and Rural Transformation in India.’

Abstract

To ensure income smoothening due to various agro-climatic and price fluctuations, farmers often engage in activities other than farming. The impact of participation in non-farm work on labour efficiency is vastly explored. However, how labour-specific efficiency of agricultural activities influence decisions on whether to participate in non-farm activities is less known.

In the context of structural rural transformation, the current study investigates if efficient farmers move towards the non-agricultural sector or stick to farming activities only. This study attempts to answer this question based on empirical analysis. The empirical estimation utilises Village Dynamics of South Asia panel data on eight Indian semi-arid and eastern states for a panel of five years (2010-2014).

Anviksha’s empirical results show that farmers highly efficient in agricultural activities decrease their labour supplied to non-agricultural sectors. Further, results based on sub-samples indicate that the result holds true for only medium sized farmers owning 2-10 hectares of land. The mechanism analysis shows that technology adoption influences non-farm labour supply via increased labour efficiency, rendering vital policy implications on structural transformation and role of farming technology.

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Ethics & Texts@NLS Library | ‘Dharma and the Law’ by Dr. Arshia Sattar

The Library Committee at the National Law School of India University (NLSIU), Bengaluru is introducing a series of events surrounding the theme “Ethics & Texts”. The first of these will focus on “Ethics & Epics,” and Dr. Arshia Sattar will discuss the topic ‘Dharma and the Law’. Dr. Sattar will consider ideas of dharma as they are presented in the Hindu epics, most especially in Valmiki’s Ramayana, and explore how such classical understandings might be relevant to our times.

The talk will take place from 5:15 pm and is open to the public subject to prior registration.

About the Speaker

Dr. Arshia Sattar is a translator and writer and holds a PhD in South Asian Languages and Civilisations from the University of Chicago. Dr. Sattar has worked with the Valmiki Ramayana for over 30 years and is particularly interested in the epics and storytelling traditions of the Indian sub-continent.

She teaches and writes about classical Indian literature in India and abroad. She has several publications, most notably an abridged translation of the Valmiki Ramayana which has remained in print since 1996. She has been a Fulbright Scholar in Residence at Hampshire College in the U.S. and a Rockefeller Fellow at the Rockefeller Centre in Bellagio. Her Mahabharata for Children was awarded the Sahitya Akademi Prize for Children’s Literature in 2022. In 2023, she was conferred the Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres by the French government for her outstanding contribution to literature.

Book Talks@NLS Library | A Woman of No Consequence: Memory, Letters and Resistance in Madras

The Library Committee at the National Law School of India University (NLSIU), Bengaluru is organising a Book Talk on “A Woman of No Consequence: Memory, Letters and Resistance in Madras,” authored by Dr. Kalpana Karunakaran and published by Westland Books in 2025.

The talk will take place from 5:15 pm and is open to the public subject to prior registration.

Panellists:

About the book

A Woman of No Consequence: Memory, Letters and Resistance in Madras is an intimate, yet simultaneously anthropological, exploration of the life of Dr. Karunakaran’s maternal grandmother, Pankajam (1911–2007). The book captures the singularity of an exceptional woman, even as it situates her in a social universe shaped by the conventions of Tamil Brahmin orthodoxy. Dr. Karunakaran conveys with clarity how the ‘utterly ordinary’ life of a ‘woman of no consequence’ (as Pankajam writes of herself), lived out largely within the confines of family and kin, was quite far from ordinary.

The book draws extensively upon letters, glimpses of Pankajam’s life narrated through her thinly-disguised semi-autobiographical short stories that allowed her to ‘say the unsayable’ about love, intimacy and conjugality, and her autobiography, which she began writing in 1949 and kept writing till her last piece in 1995. What comes together is a riveting portrait of heartbreak and violence, yearning and delight, a housewife’s quest for intellectual growth and her talent for friendships across cultures and continents.

In the final reckoning, A Woman of No Consequence is about the chequered trajectories of a newly-born nation as seen through the lens of its daughters – restless women forcing home and nation to reckon with their stubborn striving for self-actualisation.

About the author

Dr. Kalpana Karunakaran is an Associate Professor in the Humanities and Social Sciences Department, IIT Madras. Her research and writings are in the intersecting fields of gender, poverty, microcredit, women’s work in the informal sector, women’s trade unions and collective action in solidarity-based movements. A bilingual public speaker and writer in Tamil and English, Dr. Karunakaran conducts workshops and participates actively in campaigns for gender equality, labour rights and human rights organized by women’s movements, trade unions and rural development NGOs in Tamil Nadu. She also writes on women’s lives with a focus on the intersections between the personal and the political. She is the author of Women, Microfinance and the State in Neo-liberal India (Routledge 2017) and the Tamil memoir, Comrade Amma: Magal Parvaiyil Mythily Sivaraman (Comrade Mother: A Daughter’s Portrait of Mythily Sivaraman), published in 2018.

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