ARC 2025

ARC, or Aspire Retreat & Convocation, is Aspire Circle’s captive biennial convening. We persist with the acronym ARC, instead of the full form, in the hope that our track record will highlight the twin objectives of the forum: (i) to evocate the growing arc of enlightened social leadership amongst our Fellows, through collective reflection, self-care and organic collaborations; and, (ii) to confer the “Fellowship” at this event to graduating Fellows.

ARC is a closed-door event, by invitation only, organised by a dedicated or voluntary Secretariat, under the leadership of its Trustees, for all Aspire Circle stakeholders, led by Fellows, but inclusive of Aspire Circle Scholars, IFP Community Leaders, Members, Speakers, Staff & and Office-bearers. One of its most important objectives is to bring together our Fellows from across cohorts, face to face, in the spirit of Fellowship, with readings-based heart-and-soul Socratic dialogues. It is not open to guests or the public.

To date, we have had five such events. Our first, “ARC2015,” was held in Mumbai with the theme “Anubandh.” Subsequently, ARC2018 was held in Delhi NCR with the theme “Impact Design.” We hosted a virtual ARC2021 with the theme “The Pursuit of Purpose” due to the prevailing pandemic situation. In 2022, we met for a 3-day residential event under the theme of “Impact Renaissance” in Bengaluru. Our last  event, ARC 2024, was held at UPES, Dehradun with the theme “Surrender: Promise and Perils”. ARC2025 will be the fifth such convening.

We believe that collectively, we must build ARC into a Forum that allows leaders from the social sector as well as key invited influencers to come together to further build a national impact movement—in pursuit of enlightened social leadership.

ARC 2025 Theme & Readings

This year’s theme, “The Seeker’s Conundrum: Patience or Impatience” will be explored through a curated selection of texts. The discussions will delve into our search for inner peace, deep restlessness, patient persistence, and our reflections on mortality and meaning.

Core Readings include:

• Zindagi kaisi hai paheli hai: Song by Manna Dey from the 1971 Hindi movie, Anand
• Zaabalawi by Naguib Mahfouz, Nobel Laureate
• Siddhartha by Herman Hesse, Nobel Laureate
• The Myth of Sisyphus by Albert Camus, Nobel Laureate
• The Fisherman & The Tourist by Heinrich Boll, Nobel Laureate
• On the shortness of life by Seneca
• The Scream: Painting by Munch
• The Old Pond: Haiku by Matsuo Basho

ARC 2025 Moderators

Our dialogues will be guided by a distinguished group of eight moderators led by Rajni Bakshi, our Chief Moderator. All moderator names will be announced before end-July 2025.

1. Registration & Fees

   This is a by-invitation-only event. An email with a private registration link will be sent to all invited members of the Aspire Circle community.

   • Registration Fee: Rs. 10,000
   • Rs. 5,000 for ARC admission and all meals (from lunch on 6 November to lunch on 8 November). Those invited and signing up for Aspire Impact’s “Impact Matters” event, will additionally be welcome at the Gala Dinner on 8 November.
   • Rs. 5,000 for accommodation at MDC, UPES. Should you be staying outside the campus, you are not required to pay this fee.

Contact Us

For any queries, please contact Dr. Shivam Joshi at shivam.joshi@ddn.upes.ac.in or shivam.joshi@aspireimpact.in. For an invite to Impact Matters event, please email Harpreet Kaur Ghai (harpreet.kaur @aspireimpact.in)