The Indian Institute of World Culture in Basavanagudi is celebrating its 80th anniversary this year. The institute, which opened on August 11, 1945, was founded by the late B.P. Wadia. A series of events will begin on August 20, which also marks the death anniversary of its founder.
B P Wadia was a theosophist, businessman, Parsi freedom fighter, and labour union leader who represented India at labour conferences in the 1920s. He started the institute as a library with about 300 books and as a space for lectures and book discussions. According to honorary secretary Arakali Venkatesh, the opening coincided with news of Japan’s surrender in the Second World War, which Wadia described as a moment of double joy.
The institute began in a rented space in Basavanagudi before moving to its current premises in 1949. Wadia Hall was opened in 1951 as a centre for lectures and discussions. A children’s section was introduced in 1955, and a dedicated children’s library followed in 1970. In its early years, the institute hosted lectures by global figures including Martin Luther King Jr, Presidents V V Giri and S Radhakrishnan, and Nobel laureates Julian Huxley, J B S Haldane and George Gamow. Today, only about 15 per cent of its 350 annual programmes are lectures, with the rest featuring performing arts, exhibitions, and film screenings.
Its art gallery presents 35 to 40 exhibitions each year, ranging from rare philately collections to solo shows by prominent artists and displays by the Indian Institute of Cartoonists. The cultural calendar includes music, theatre, and dance across multiple genres, as well as film festivals covering themes such as the environment and human rights. The library has grown to over one lakh books, with more than 85,000 for adults and 10,000 for children, spanning subjects from social sciences to technology. Facilities include a 30-seat study area, the 200-seat Wadia Hall, and the 100-seat Manorama Hall.
To mark the milestone, the institute will host 80 events across 10 categories, including film festivals, plays, lectures, global music and dance performances, exhibitions, collaborations, and outreach programmes. On August 20, a souvenir book will be unveiled as part of the Founder’s Day celebrations. From September 24 to 27, the ‘Voices of Water’ festival will showcase over 30 films from 16 countries and feature panel discussions with environmental experts.
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