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Directors’ Cut
Twenty Years On: Revisiting Voices from BIC’s Founding Years
Speakers
Four directors, twenty years, and one building that didn’t always exist.
Long before BIC had a building to call its own, it was but an idea. This conversation turns the lens on the institution itself, bringing together four directors to reflect on the different Bangalore International Centres they each inherited, built, and passed on. Structured as an AMA, the session draws questions from RSVPs, from BIC’s own staff, and from the audience in the room.
From an institution without walls, to the construction and induction of its home, to the shaping of the team that runs it today, and now, into its next chapter — this open, unscripted conversation looks at what it takes to build and sustain an institution like this one, and what each director would like to see it become.
This talk is part of a series marking twenty years of BIC. It is a chance to trace what has changed, what has endured, and how ideas evolve over time. BIC is proud to have been host to conversations that connect culture, ideas, and public life across two decades.
Link to Architecting India’s Legacy Report, a casestudy of BIC and IIC.
Venue: Seminar Halls
Speakers
P. R. Dasgupta
Mr. P R Dasgupta, Distinguished Fellow and Senior Director of the Southern Regional Centre of The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), has coordinated TERI’s activities in the region since 2006.
He has had a long career in the civil service, serving in various capacities in the Government of Maharashtra and the Government of India. Before his retirement, he was Education Secretary in the Ministry of Human Resource Development and Secretary in the Ministry of Rural Development, Government of India.
After retiring, Mr. Dasgupta served for three years as a Member of the Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal, which the Government of India established in 2000. He left the Tribunal in 2003 and joined TERI in 2006.
He was also Director of the Bangalore International Centre from 2 December 2005, leading it as a major platform for social, cultural, and intellectual exchange in Bangalore. He relinquished charge as Director on 9 February 2019.
V. Ravichandar
Ravichandar manages Sabha, a 160-year-old, recently restored premises by his family trust for arts & crafts. He catalysed Bangalore International Centre (BIC), Domlur, a platform for informed conversations, arts & culture, which organises ~ 40 free to attend events per month and is sustainable in its operations. He achieved the shift to the new building (50,000 sq feet) and set its ethos through involvement from 2010-24. He is currently involved in setting up two public purpose institutions.
To improve the ‘soft’ infrastructure of Bengaluru, Ravichandar has enabled 14 editions of the Bangalore Literature Festival, India’s largest community funded literary event. He is the Chief Facilitator of the annual BLR Hubba, a festival of festivals. In January 2026 in it’s 3rd edition, it held 350+ free to attend events across 30+ locations.
Ravichandar is also Member, Brand Bengaluru Committee which recently advocated creating GBA and the 5 Corporations. As Member he also helped with the recently concluded Freedom Habba on Aug 15, 2026. He is assisting with the Bengaluru Jatre in Dec 2026.
Ravichandar has been active on urban issues in India on a pro bono basis since 2000 when he was a member of BATF and instrumental in designing the Self-Assessment Scheme (SAS) property tax system. Ravichandar along with 3 others was instrumental in making the case of the JN_NURM launched in 2005. Ravichandar set up a City Connect platform for Corporates, Civil Society and Government to work together in 5 cities. The idea of Tender SURE in Bangalore, streets built around pedestrians, was evangelized by him.
He was co-chair of the Karnataka Tourism Vision Group from 2014-18.
Ravichandar has a Mechanical Engineering degree from BITS Pilani and an MBA from IIM, Ahmedabad in 1981.
Vikram Bhat
Vikram Bhat is a passionate educator and currently Chief Executive Officer at SCALE Foundation. He previously had successful careers in technology at Deutsche Bank and finance as a Portfolio Trader at Sanford Bernstein in New York. His areas of interest include educational equity, holistic integration of the arts into school education, and school-to-work transition. He was recently a key member of the Education Task Force in Delhi. He has held leadership positions at Dream a Dream, Teach for India and Parikrma Humanity Foundation. He holds a Bachelor’s in Electronic Engineering from the University of Mumbai, a Master’s in Computer Science from New York University, and a B.Ed. from Christ University, completed at age 38.
Anupama Sekhar
Anupama Sekhar is an arts manager specialising in transnational cultural relations. Previously, she was Director for Culture at the Asia-Europe Foundation, and Director for Policy and Engagement at IFACCA, the global network of ministries of culture. Since 2015, she has been a consultant for UNESCO. She is currently the Director of Bangalore International Centre.
