Kaapi with Kuriosity


Kaapi with Kuriosity is a monthly public lecture series organised by the International Centre for Theoretical Sciences (ICTS-TIFR), in collaboration with the Jawaharlal Nehru Planetarium and other educational institutions in Bengaluru.

The aim of the talks in this series is to stimulate the curiosity of the public towards the myriad aspects of science. The setting for these talks will be informal with a lot of scope for open discussions. The scientific background assumed will not be beyond the school level. As such, they are easily accessible to school/college students, families and working professionals interested in science.

Contact: outreach @ icts . res . in

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Past Talks
Novel phases of matter near absolute zero temperature
Sanjukta Roy (Raman Research Institute, Bengaluru)
4:00 pm to 5:30 pm Sunday, 31 July 2022
Jawaharlal Nehru Planetarium, Bengaluru
Abstract: In this talk, I will describe how atoms are cooled down to temperatures near absolute zero to realise a Bose-Einstein Condensate (BEC), the coldest matter in the universe, also known as the ‘fifth state of matter’. At such low temperatures, a billion times colder than the interstellar...more
Greening of Bangalore
Vijay Thiruvady (Bangalore Environment Trust)
4:00 pm to 5:30 pm Sunday, 26 June 2022
Jawaharlal Nehru Planetarium, Bengaluru
Abstract: The oldest extant greenery is found in the Nallur Amaroy Thopu which is a Devarakadu (sacred grove) planted around 1000 A.D near Devannahalli. I will conveniently commence my talk by elaborating on this Devarakadu set up in the time of the Cholas. Subsequently, in Gundutopus (village wood...more
Coping with Salt and Drought: How Crop Plants Survive
M K Mathew (NCBS, Bengaluru)
4:00 pm to 5:30 pm Sunday, 08 May 2022
Jawaharlal Nehru Planetarium, Bengaluru (If there are no covid restrictions)
Abstract: Salt and Drought have limited crop productivity for millennia. Over the last 12,000 years, humankind has developed varieties of crop plants that are well adapted to their surroundings and climate. Some of these areas are subject to drought or salinity. Physiologists are trying to figure...more
Perspectives in Math and Art
Supurna Sinha (Raman Research Institute, Bengaluru)
4:00 pm to 5:30 pm Sunday, 24 April 2022
Jawaharlal Nehru Planetarium, Bengaluru
Abstract: The European renaissance saw the merging of mathematics and art in the context of representation of a three dimensional perspective on a canvas. Artists like Leonardo da Vinci, D¨urer, Botticelli, Raphael and others and mathematicians like Pascal, Poncelet, Desargues, and others...more
Tilings (ONLINE)
Mahuya Datta (Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata)
4:00 pm to 5:30 pm Sunday, 27 March 2022
Zoom meeting and Livestream on ICTS YouTube channel
Abstract: Tiling is a way of arranging plane shapes so that they completely cover an area without overlapping. They are very common in our everyday life - we see them on floors, on walkways and also in brick works. Tilings can also be seen in nature. They have also appeared in various artworks...more
Taming the Transient Sky (ONLINE)
Varun Bhalerao (IIT Bombay)
5:00 pm to 6:30 pm Monday, 28 February 2022
Zoom meeting and Livestream on ICTS YouTube channel
Abstract: The universe is a dynamic, wild and wonderful place, replete with exotic objects. Massive stars that have lived for millions of years end their lives in supernovae explosions lasting just weeks. Neutron stars that have orbited each other for billions of years merge together in seconds,...more
The Story of Climate Change (ONLINE)
R Shankar (The Institute of Mathematical Sciences, Chennai)
4:00 pm to 5:30 pm Sunday, 09 January 2022
Zoom meeting and Livestream on ICTS YouTube channel
Abstract: It is now broadly accepted that the current rate of climate change is a major concern for human society. How did this come about? It was a result of sustained scientific research over the past two centuries. This talk will attempt to tell the story of that research, its current...more
To Paint the lily, Mathematically (ONLINE)
L Mahadevan (de Valpine Professor of Applied Mathematics, Professor of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Professor of Physics, Harvard University)
7:00 pm to 8:00 pm Sunday, 12 December 2021
Zoom meeting and Livestream on ICTS YouTube channel
Picture Credit © Dilip Rawal Abstract of the Talk :- A walk in the garden reveals a remarkable diversity of living forms, leading Darwin to exclaim that they "might drive even the sanest man mad.” I will argue that there is perhaps a method in the madness, that comes into focus by combining the...more
Autism and “Astro”logy: New insights from recordings in human brain cells (ONLINE)
Sumantra Chattarji (Senior Professor, NCBS-TIFR, Bengaluru & Visiting Professor, Simons Initiative for the Developing Brain, University of Edinburgh, UK)
4:00 pm to 5:30 pm Sunday, 07 November 2021
Livestream via the ICTS YouTube channel
Abstract:- Neurodevelopmental disorders are a major and growing public health challenge. Uniformly, the unmet need is for a human-based approach to investigating the causes, consequences and ultimately treatment of these diseases. A major hurdle in discovering new brain medicines is due to the...more
Science of the Indian Kitchen (ONLINE)
Krish Ashok (Author of 'Masala Lab')
4:00 pm to 5:30 pm Sunday, 17 October 2021
Livestream via the ICTS YouTube channel
Abstract:- The kitchen is the chemistry lab where we turn sugars, proteins, fats, salt and flavour molecules into an astonishing array of delicious dishes. This talk will take the oriental mystique out of Indian cooking and use simple, high-school science to explain what's happening behind the...more

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