Mini Lit Fest - 2 @ Nehru Centre Library_15th to 17th October 2025

 Dear all,

We are delighted to announce our ‘Mini Lit-Fest – 2’ on the theme ‘Women in Nature’ from 15th till 17th October, 2025 open for all age groups. We dedicate this lit-fest to the celebrated and passionate advocate for the environment Dr. Jane Goodall who passed away on 1st October 2025 at the age of 91. 

In the midst of a bustling life in a city which never sleeps and has disconnected us with nature, this lit-fest will allow us to reconnect, introspect and understand nature through the magic of words. 

On 15th October (4.00 p.m. to 6.00 p.m.) Dr. Paramita Mukherjee Mullick will recite from her latest book of poems IBTIDA – The Beginning which makes you fall in love with nature again. She will bring alive the beauty of Croatia and Switzerland with beautiful slides as she recites her poems from the book.

RSVP HERE: https://forms.gle/83q4uvBZRXR4KNB36

On 16th October (11.00 a.m. to 12.30 p.m.), nature author Arefa Tehsin will interact with the audience as she reads from her beautifully illustrated book The Great Indian Safari. With Charred the Bard as your guide to the wild, you will hear funny stories and fascinating facts about India’s incredible wild creatures.  

RSVP HERE: https://forms.gle/uQYWSoRbQSz4LLA49

On 17th October, Vaishali Shroff (4.00 p.m. to 6.00 p.m.) will talk about her thoroughly researched book Submerged Worlds and Other Amazing Stories of India’s Mighty Rivers with stories from today’s world where climate crisis is a water crisis. The book is a must-read for all non-fiction lovers keen on understanding life in the subcontinent we call home.

RSVP HERE: https://forms.gle/ZGcKnbhFZsbfnEGt7

So book your seat at the earliest and be ready to explore nature at its best!

Registration is free and open to all.

#minilitfest2 #womeninnature #drjanegoodall #drparamitamukherjeemullick #ibtidathebeginning #arefatehsin #thegreatindiansafari #vaishalishroff #submergedworldsandotheramazingstoriesofindiasmightyrivers #nehrucentrelibrary #october2025

Hindi storytelling session - Katha Karavaan

 14 September was Hindi Diwas and to celebrate the day, we had organised a Hindi storytelling session for families. Katha Karavaan had four brilliant storytellers who narrated their stories to a rapt audience in yet another packed hall.

The first teller was the talented Simran Nagwani who narrated the legendary tale of Kumbhakarna. Rooted in the story were messages of speaking mindfully, embracing discipline, time management and fighting greed.

This was followed by Manisha Bhise who told a Bengali folktale, full of humour about mourning the death of an important entity who ultimately turns out to be a donkey. The audience was made to wonder about the importance of asking relevant questions and checking the facts before believing any news.

The third story titled Kisni…Kisni… adapted from a Gujarati story by the wellknown Gujarati author, Shri Gijubhai Badheka was told by Niyati Vaidya Mehta. It told the story of a stingy grocer who cringes from spending money. A story about empathy, understanding the other person, sharing and following a philosophy of live & let live.

The final story for the day was told by Shalini Bajaj Surve, about an ugly yet happy character, who has to undergo a process of discrimation and disregard, before he is able to transform and realise his own worth. He overcomes self-doubt and sadness on this journey of personal transformation.

Truly, these stories with a moral and highlighting character formation resonated with the kids and adults alike.

 

#hindidiwas

#storytellingsession

#kathakaravaan

#nehrucentrelibrary

#simrannagwani

#manishabhise

#niyativaidyamehta

#shalinibajajsurve

#september 2025

Book Discussion - A Maharaja in Florence: Chattrapati Rajaram Maharaj

It’s not every day that royalty comes knocking at our doors @ NCL. So, we were delighted to host the lovely Ms. Nandita Ghatge, to discuss her book A Maharaja in Florence, which is the fascinating journey of Rajaram Chhatrapati, a ruler who was anointed king at the tender age of 18 and who died three years later. He had embarked on a tour of Europe and it was on this tour that he died in Florence. In his memory, a cenotaph / Chhatri was constructed by the local Italians on the banks of the river Arno. The book, also translated into Marathi, is a brilliantly researched piece of literature. It not only honours the legacy of the Maratha empire but also the deep connection between Florence and Kolhapur.

The discussion was further enriched by the scholarly inputs by senior historian and journalist Padmashree Shri Kumar Ketkar who was in conversation with the author.

#rajaramchhatrapati

#nanditaghatge

#nehrucentrelibrary

#kumarketkar

#ghatgestheriseofaroyaldynasty

#amaharajainflorence

#bookdiscussion

#september2025

#kolhapur

#chhatris

#arnoriver

'Meet-the-Author’ session - The POFFS Collection of Funny Stories

 So, we had the 1^st day of the Mini LitFest @Nehru Centre Library on the POFFS collection of funny stories.

POFFS in expanded form means Pets, Other Animals, Family, Friends and School. It was a thoroughly enjoyable Wednesday morning as we had three of the authors, Lavanya Karthik, Sanjana Kapor and Cyrus Broacha to talk about and read from their books to an engrossed audience of students from Stds IV to VI.

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