Book Discussion @ Nehru Centre Library

 On Thursday, 18th September at 4.00 p.m., join us for a bilingual conversation in English and Marathi between author Nandita Ghatge and renowned journalist Kumar Ketkar about Ghatge's book ‘A Maharaja in Florence: Chattrapati Rajaram Maharaj’. Rajaram passed away in Florence where the Italians have a statue and bridge in his honour. The talk will cover the history of Kolhapur and its rulers, and their inclusive educational and social policies, how they imbibed different cultures and customs, which is valuable in the current age of polarised views.

So, come and join us for an evening of rediscovery and storytelling.

For registration click here

https://forms.gle/K46GekHv4jPcZVE9A

Watch Author Nandita Ghatge's podcast 

https://youtu.be/II92oy6bErc?si=NZ2QkPa7b_Ofc757

Mini Lit Fest @ Nehru Centre Library_17th to 19th September 2025

 Dear All,

Get ready to enjoy a three-day mini litfest at the Nehru Centre Library from 17th to 19th September 2025!

On the first day (17th September) meet Lavanya Karthik (Blame It On The Untz), Sanjana Kapur (The Great Sneak-Out) and Cyrus Broacha (Doggie Day Out) as they read their stories from the ‘The POFFs Collection of Funny Stories’. Kids and families are most welcome.
RSVP HERE: https://forms.gle/gytGYys8fjMF1LoV7

The second day (18th September) will have Mrs Nandita Ghatge engaged in a bilingual conversation in English and Marathi with Shri Kumar Ketkar on her book ‘A Maharaja in Florence: Chhatrapati Rajaram Maharaj’.
RSVP HERE: https://forms.gle/K46GekHv4jPcZVE9A

On the third day (19th September) we will celebrate Hindi Diwas with four storytellers of Mumbai Storytellers Society who will narrate stories in Hindi in ‘Katha Karavaan: हिंदी कहानियों का सिलसिला’.
RSVP HERE: https://forms.gle/GxhFgvQeh2cBXoX59

Registration is free and open to all.

Library Visit - Moral Educational Trust School

 

It’s always heartening to have schools reach out to the Nehru Centre Library to bring their students on an educational field trip. So, we were happy to welcome 35 students from Stds 9 & 10 and 3 faculty members of the Moral Educational Trust visit us today.  As they said, 'Visiting the library will help students for academic research and intellectual growth as they will be exposed to diverse materials.'

In the 90-minute orientation, we gave them detailed information about the library collection, services, resources and outreach programmes. In addition, they also got to interact with lawyer-turned-writer Mallika Ravikumar who spoke to them about careers and writing. Hopefully, the group returned enriched and happy.

#libraryvisit #schoolstudents #publiclibrary #fieldtrip #carriergoal #readingbooks #academic #youngmind #knowledgegain #mumbai #september2025

Poetry Evening - Yutori

This months Poetry Evening was based on ‘Yutori’, which in Japanese means ‘the conscious act of slowing down’. In the early 2000s, this concept was introduced in the Japanese education system to reduce the burden on children and improve their mental health. It is indeed, ironic that ‘Yutori’ applies to all of us in today’s modern world’s ratrace.

It was good to have Dr. Paramita Mukherjee Mullick curate the event to perfection and gratitude to all the poets who recited their own poems in English, Sindhi, Urdu and Marathi. Here’s to more such ‘Yutori’ moments in Nehru Centre Library.

#yutori #slowliving #mindfulness #japaneseconcept #wellnessjourney #nehrucentrelibrary #paramitamukherjeemullick #poetryevening #august2025

Poetry Evenings - Youngest poet Vihaan Pandit _ Saturday 30th August, 2025

As a part of our Poetry Evening tomorrow i.e. 30th August based on the theme 'Yutori', we will have 9 poets reciting their poems in different languages.

Here is a glimpse of the youngest poet Vihaan Pandit, who will recite his piece in English. Be there, friends, for a soulful, restful evening at the Nehru Centre Library.

Poetry Evenings at Nehru Centre Library _ Saturday 30th August, 2025

 

When we were in school, we learnt to recite a sweet poem which went like this:

What is this life if, full of care,

We have no time to stand and stare? –

 

No time to stand beneath the boughs,

And stare as long as sheep and cows:

 

No time to see, when woods we pass,

Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass:

 

No time to see, in broad daylight,

Streams full of stars, like skies at night:

 

No time to turn at Beauty’s glance,

And watch her feet, how they can dance:

 

No time to wait till her mouth can

Enrich that smile her eyes began?

 

A poor life this if, full of care,

We have no time to stand and stare.

                                    

It is ironic that the words still sound so true more than a century later.

 

You are cordially invited to a poetry evening on the theme ‘Yutori’, the conscious act of slowing down. Let’s all get together to spend some time to slow down, and listen to 9 poets who will recite their poems in their own language.

To register for the poetry evening, please scan the attached QR code or mail us at nehrucentrelibrary@gmail.com.

 

Meet-the-Author : Lavanya Karthik

 All the world’s eyes are on this tiny village by the Arabian Sea, where Mahatma Gandhi will soon break the Salt Law to defy British rule.

Dinu would rather be home in Surat, reading his beloved Sherlock Holmes books. Instead, he finds himself wading through mud, battling angry goats and eating burnt food as the youngest of the student volunteers helping prepare Dandi for Bapu’s arrival.

When a man is found dead and rumours of an angry demon grip the village, Dinu finds himself drawn into the mystery, even as he grapples with dilemmas of his own. But as Dinu and his friends race against time to find the killer, the demon strikes again . . .

The Songs of Freedom series explores the lives of children across India during the struggle for independence.

It was nice to host Lavanya at the Nehru Centre Library to talk about A Demon in Dandi, her new book from The Songs of Freedom series. She has brilliantly illustrated the book herself. The children loved writing their own mystery scripts and then telling the stories to a rapt audience.

#demon

#mahatmagandhi

#saltlaw

#lavanyakarthik

#historicalfiction

#nehrucentrelibrary

#dandimarch1930

#publiclibrarymumbai

#quiztime

#authorsigning

Meet-the-Author : Mallika Ravikumar

History is often narrated as sagas of kings and queens, legends of battles and wars, or chronicles of art and architecture. But history is more than that. It is the story of ordinary people; their food and language, their thoughts and beliefs, their livelihood and culture. Tales of sweepers and sculptors, robbers and merchants, sailors and saints - why, even pirates!

In the book Of Revolutionaries and Bravehearts: Notable Tales from Indian History: Finding Meaning in Our Past, Mallika Ravikumar pens eight historical stories that help you look upon the past, as less of a dry-as-bone set of facts, and more of a dynamic shift that shapes our present. Told through the lens of class and conflict, symbols and language, creativity and enterprise and power and perspective, these stories help younger readers see why history is relevant and meaningful.

It was great to have Mallika over to talk about these very stories from her book. The children thoroughly enjoyed the session as they got a new perspective on history.

#india  

#bravery

#tales

#historicalstories

#mallikaravikumar

#chronicles

#nehrucentrelibrary

#battlesandwars

#publiclibrarymumbai

#quiztime

#authorsigning