Friday 27 October, 2023

In the 17 th century, both banks of the Yamuna River in Agra were lined with mansions, palatial gardens, and tombs, one of the great sights of Mughal India. When his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal died, Emperor Shah Jahan commissioned the most splendid addition to the riverside –the “Illumined Tomb” or Taj Mahal. A French traveler claimed that Shah Jahan had begun to build his own tomb on the opposite bank of the river, giving rise to the idea of a black marble ‘Taj’. Instead, archaeological findings reveal Shah Jahan’s grand plan, a fragrant Mehtab Bagh, or Moonlight Garden. Here on a moonlit night, surrounded by Jasmine, the emperor could wonder at the views of the Taj Mahal, the ultimate romance! Start your weekend transported to Agra, moonlight, and flowers.

Speaker: Pia Rampal

After her master’s from Northwestern University, Pia worked in advertising and marketing at JWT, Ogilvy and Unilever in Chicago, London, Mumbai, and Bangalore. In Singapore, she discovered ancient communications at the ACM proudly being a docent since 2006 and co-head of the 2006-07 docent training. Since then, Pia has given several lectures including for the ACM docent training, ACM Museum Volunteers group, MMLs, FWF, Indus International in Mumbai and Smith College alumni. In 2018, she completed the prestigious Postgraduate Diploma in Asian Art at SOAS, University of London with high distinctions in Islamic, Indian and Buddhist art. The splendid Mughals have been an area of special interest. In 2010, Pia led FOM’s special exhibition research group for ACM’s ‘Treasury of the World, Jewelled Arts of India in the Age of the Mughals’, she lectures on the Mughals for the ACM’s Court and Company gallery during docent training has done MML’s including ‘Love and Intrigue at the Mughal Court’ and an essay at SOAS on Jahangir’s impact on Mughal painting. The complex and elegant Shah Jahan remains her favourite Mughal!

Friday 29 September, 2023

Amardeen Singh will share his experiences in researching and making the multi-episode documentary series on Guru Nanak's travels, which has led his team on a15-month journey across nine countries - Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Tibet, India, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka. Amardeep will also recount how he developed an explorer's mindset, transforming from a senior-level executive in the Financial Services sector to unearthing his own cultural heritage and sharing it with the world. His is an out-of-the-box, nine-year life journey that has transformed him into a visual ethnographer, author and film-maker.

About the speaker:
Amardeep Singh, a resident of Singapore, was educated at The Doon School (Dehradun, India), Manipal Institute of Technology (India) and pursued a Masters in Business Administration at the University of Chicago, USA. 

Before becoming an independent visual ethnographic researcher, Amardeep worked in the financial services sector for 25 years and was the Head of the Asia Pacific Region at American Express for Revenue Management. He has authored two books, ‘Lost Heritage, The Sikh Legacy in Pakistan’ and ‘The Quest Continues: Lost Heritage, The Sikh Legacy in Pakistan’. He has produced and directed two short documentary films on the Sikh legacy remnants in the Indus region, named ‘Peering Soul’ and ‘Peering Warrior’. His latest work, the 24-episode docuseries on Guru Nanak in four languages, available at TheGuruNanak.com, won the 2022 Interfaith Prize awarded by Hofstra University (USA).

At present, Amardeep Singh is leading a five-year effort under the 'Oneness in Diversity' project to create two documentaries and educational content aimed at strengthening the message of Oneness based on the concordance of the Indic Saints of the Bhakti movement. Amardeep's wife, Vininder Kaur, plays an equal creative role in all their past and future projects.

Friday 19 May, 2023

Please note that this event has been moved to a new date: Friday 19 May 2023, 7pm.

​We are at a fascinating moment in world history, in which the unquestioned dominance of Western countries is ebbing away. Ever since the age of Western maritime exploration and colonisation began centuries ago, Asia has absorbed many influences from Europe and America. Is the reverse process now underway? Western countries see the 'Indo-Pacific' region as a place of rising wealth and opportunity - but are they ready to be influenced by this latest encounter? Dr Samir Puri places this latest round of cultural and economic exchanges in a historical context, enquiring into what they tell us about our changing world. 

Speaker:

Dr. Samir Puri has authored four books on history and geopolitics, the latest being ‘Russia’s Road to War With Ukraine’ (2022) and ‘The Great Imperial Hangover’ (2021). Between 2020 and 2022 he was a Senior Fellow at the IISS-Asia office in Singapore working on the Shangri-La Dialogue. Earlier in his career, he taught at King’s College London and Johns Hopkins Universities (2015-19) and served in the UK Foreign Office (2009-15). 

Friday with Friends is back with exciting new lectures!

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