For more than a decade now, the Murty Classical Library of India has been steadily reshaping how readers engage with the subcontinent’s oldest texts, presenting them in authoritative, contemporary translations while preserving their original scripts. This special anniversary gathering brings together some of the country’s leading literary and performing voices to reflect on the depth and impact of this extraordinary series.
Poet, Curator, and Cultural Theorist Ranjit Hoskote will reflect on selected works from the Library and the commemorative anthology Ten Indian Classics. The program will also feature readings from two significant volumes, In The Questions of Milinda, the dialogue between the Greek king Menander and the Buddhist monk Nagasena will be voiced by film and theatre personalities Denzil Smith as the King and Joy Sengupta as the Monk. From The Risalo of Shah Abdul Latif, a cornerstone of Sindhi literature, Amrita Sadarangani will read from the original Naskh script. Padma Shri Singer and Composer Shubha Mudgal will bring a befitting closure to the evening with a musical performance based on some of the most luminous poetry from the series.
Join us for an evening of literature, language, music, and memory, celebrating the preservation and reimagination of India’s classical past.
Speakers + Performer:
Poet, Curator, and Cultural Theorist Ranjit Hoskote
Film and Theatre Actor Denzil Smith
Film and Theatre Personality Joy Sengupta
Chief Academic Services Officer, University of York, Mumbai Amrita Sadarangani
Padma Shri Singer and Composer Shubha Mudgal
Ranjit Hoskote is a poet, cultural theorist and curator. His seven collections of poetry include Vanishing Acts, Central Time, Jonahwhale and Hunchprose. Hoskote curated India’s first-ever national pavilion at the Venice Biennale (2011) and was co-curator of the 7th Gwangju Biennale. His curatorial projects include retrospectives of such major artists as Jehangir Sabavala, Sakti Burman, Mehlli Gobhai and Atul Dodiya within the National Gallery of Modern Art system (Mumbai and Delhi), and a retrospective of M F Husain at the Mathaf Museum, Doha. He has received the Sahitya Akademi Golden Jubilee Award, the Sahitya Akademi Translation Award and the S.H. Raza Literature Award
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Denzil Smith A versatile and accomplished actor, widely recognised for his contributions to both the stage and screen, he has a career spanning several decades. His performances, marked by depth and versatility, have left a remarkable mark on Indian cinema and theatre, making his a celebrated and respected name in the world of performing arts. He is known for playing the role of Jinnah in Viceroy’s House, The Lunch Box, Phantom, The Best and Second-Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, Mind The Malhotras, Beecham House, The Emmy award winning television series Delhi Crime, P.O.W., as ‘Lala’ for which he won The Indian Television Academy Award for Best Actor in a Negative Role and was recently seen in Christopher Nolan’s Tenet, Bhool Bulaya 3, Bads of Bollywood and Season 3 of Delhi Crime.
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Joy Sengupta is Graduation in English literature. Post graduate diploma in Theatre studies, specializing in acting, from living theatre academy, under the directorship of Shri Ebrahim Alkazi. Teacher of Theatre in Education in various schools of Delhi, including Blue Bells school. Project director for Literacy mission, propagating through Theatre. Taken courses on Creative communication & applied arts for 1st year students Narsee Moranji Institute for Management. Developed a course on grammer of acting in diverse mediums for Drama School Mumbai. Received Best actor award nationaly from Mahindra excellence awards in Theatre for the year 2006 , for portraying MK GANDHI , in the play SAMMY. Recieved V SHANTARAM award in acting in cinema for my debut film Hazar Chaurasi Ki Ma, in the year 1999. In Theatre, have worked with legendry directors like Habib Tanveer, MK Raina, Barry John, Lillete Dubey, Feroz khan etc. Have performed globally from West End to Off Broadway to Edinburgh festival to National Acadamy of Dramatic Arts Sydney. In Cinena have worked in over 50 feature films in Hindi-- PHULE, CLASS OF 83, HATE STORY etc Bengali--- PATALGHAR, CHATURANGA, BILU RAKHOSH etc & English-- DEHAM, A PRAYER FOR RAIN, KIA & COSMOS etc, many of which were recipients of National & International awards. Have done over 10 web series for Netflix, Amazon, Hotstar, Sony Liv, Hoi Choi etc --- namely BLACK WARRANT, NIGHT MANAGER, KHAKEE, ARYA, MOST BEAUTIFUL HAND IN DELHI, HELLO etc Done 6 digital plays for Zee 5 Theatre. Done 5 radio plays for BBC channel 4, including Vikram Seth's SUITABLE BOY & Shakespeare's TWO GENTLEMEN OF VERONA. Extensive Voice & dubbing work including dubbing for Captain America in Hindi for Marvel universe. Over 50 Ad commercials & 30 telefilms.
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Amrita Sadarangani is a seasoned professional in the governance and internationalisation of higher education. Amrita has successfully led the delivery of significant strategic partnerships across diverse geographies and cultures. Amrita will step into the role of Chief Academic Services Officer at the University of York Mumbai in January 2026, leading academic operations and strategy, overseeing research support and student success and wellbeing. She will play a key role in building partnerships and industry engagement, ensuring the University delivers research-led education aligned with India’s drive for growth and York’s vision as an institution dedicated to public good. Amrita was most recently Senior Director and Head – Global Research Alliances at Ashoka University, aligned with the institution’s growth from India’s premier liberal arts university to a globally significant research university. Previously, as Executive Director of the Gujarat Biotechnology University (GBU) – University of Edinburgh (UoE) project, Amrita worked toward her vision of a world-class thematic postgraduate university with a unique culture. Amrita contributed to building the institution, focusing on governance, institutional culture, industry, and external engagement. Amrita established the India Office/South Asia Regional Centre for the University of Edinburgh in 2010 in Mumbai. In this role, she led the University of Edinburgh's engagement and strategy across India/South Asia, fostering joint research, student mobility, and strengthening the alumni network. Amrita's previous roles include communications, diplomacy and partnerships at Ogilvy Public Relations, the British High Commission, and GlaxoSmithKline Pharma. Armed with an MSc in Biochemistry, she has 2 years of experience in cancer biology research at the Cancer Research Institute, Tata Memorial Centre, Mumbai.
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