Agenda
For the record, the Inaugural Session agenda was successfully concluded as follows:
Sunday - Monday, 11 - 12 January 2026
Site visits for Global experts: guided inspection of the Pondi region including Auroville.
Tuesday, 13 January 2026
9.30am-10.30am – Inaugural session, Formal opening, and welcome by Local Dignitaries
Guest of Honour: Shri K. Lakshminarayanan Minister for Public Works (PWD), Tourism, Civil Aviation, Fisheries & Fishermen Welfare, Law, and Information Technology, Puducherrys

10.30am-11.00am – Tea Break

11.00am-12.30pmSetting the Scene: Celebrating Pondicherry
Long-term visions for Pondicherry.
Local people are invited to share their knowledge and visions.
Future visions for food, water, and waste for the region of Pondicherry.
Plenary discussion led by Prof. Rob Roggema and Prof. Greg Keeffe

12.30pm-13.30pm – Lunch

13.30pm -14.00pmBehaviour Change from Inside Out – Panchabhoota: Fire
What are our personal drivers contributing to the regeneration of Pondicherry?
Nilima Bhat, Founder, Shakti Leadership Mission, in a fireside chat with Dr. Sasi Kanta Dash, Former Registrar, Pondicherry University on keeping the inner fire tended to succeed in his mission.

14.00pm-17.30pm – Plenary Session: Dreams and Ambitions
Identifying locations with landscape potential (20–50 years future):
Regional long-term design, exploring the spirituality of long traditions and functionality of modern-time society
Exploring urban and rural, social, cultural, and functional conditions

17.30pmLink with Pongal Festival

Wednesday, 14 January 2026 – Waste
9.30 am -10.45am – Inspire (2 × 20 min)
Keynote lecture Lalit Verma, Founder Aurodhan
Keynote lecture Jayanta Ganguly (Joy), Member Svarnim Puducherry,
Sri Aurobindo Society. Discuss the link to pongal theme of the day

10.30am -11.00am – Tea break

11.00 am -11.30pmBehaviour Change from Inside Out – Panchabhoota: Air
Nilima Bhat with Gayathri Shrikanth, Plan Foundation on Circulating the Breath-of-Life for Collective Transformation

11.30am-12.30pm – Introduction to group work, expected outcomes, start

12.30pm -13.30pm – Lunch

13.30pm-17.30pm – Group Work – Focus on Waste
Storytelling: local habits, rituals, skills, heritage, indigenous knowledge
Ecocracy: nature and decision-making role
Regional design: waste and ecospace
Local design: waste and ecotime
Suggesting a project for the river

17.30pmLink with Pongal Festival

Thursday, 15 January 2026 – Food / Soil & Energy
9.00am-10.00am: Join Pongal Festival at Marina

10.30am-11.00am – Tea Break

11am-11.40am – Inspire (2 × 20 min)
Keynote lecture by Prof Greg Keeffe, Queens University Belfast
Keynote lecture by Prof R. Arun Prasath, UNESCO Chair RCESD, Dept of Green Energy Technology, Pondicherry University.

11.40am-12.30pm – Group Work (start)
– storytelling (local regional habits, rituals, skills, heritage, indigenous knowledge) and ecocracy (nature and decision-making role).
– regional design, food and ecospace (spatial needs of natural processes).
– local design, food and ecotime (meaning of time, growth and decline, of natural processes, for the design). Start working on project for the river.

12.30pm-13.30pm – Lunch

13.30pm-17.30pm – Group Work – Focus on Food / Soil

17.30pmLink with Pongal Festival

Friday, 16 January 2026 – Water
9.30am-10.30am – Inspire (2 × 20 min)
Keynote: Rob Roggema, Founder, Cittaideale
Keynote: Avinash Madhale, Sustainable Urban Development, CEE
(Link to Pongal theme of the day)

10.30am-11.00am – Tea Break

11.00am-11.30am – Behaviour Change from Inside Out: What are our personal drivers contributing to the regeneration of Pondicherry. Panchabhoota: Water Nilima with Probir Banerjee Founder PondyCAN, on Inner Flow for Outer Adaptability

11.30am-12.30pm – Group work (start)

13.30pm-17.30pm – Group Work – Focus on Water
Storytelling and ecocracy
Regional design: water and ecospace
Local design: water and ecotime
Continuing work on the river project

17.30pmLink with Pongal Festival

Saturday, 17 January 2026 – Space & Realisation
9.30am-10.30amBehaviour Change from Inside Out – Panchabhoota: Space
Nilima Bhat with Visalakshy Loganathan, Founder, Conscious Spaces Foundation on Inner Stillness to hold safe spaces for regeneration

10.00am-12.30am – Choose one location and collectively design an artistic way of showcasing the regenerative region locally, preferably in or near the river, using simple materials with strong visual impact.

13.30am-17.30pm – Start the realisation of the project

17.30pmLink with Pongal Festival

Sunday, 18 January 2026
Opening of the Project
Guests leaving
For updates and details: www.regeneratepondy.earth