Join us for a heartwarming book discussion about I Love My Amma by Vasudhendra, in conversation with Roopa Pai and Narayan Shankaran.
Here are the event details:
Date: 31st May, Sunday
Time: 11:00 AM (Seating begins at 10:45 AM)
Venue: Champaca Bookstore, Vasanth Nagar
RSVP here to block your spot.
About the Book:
I Love My Amma is a tender, funny and heart-wrenching tribute to mothers everywhere. First published in Kannada, this unforgettable collection of essays traces a son's journey from childhood reverence to adult understanding, when he finally sees his mother for who she truly is-flawed, stubborn, fierce and magnificently human.
Bursting with vivid details of smelly school toilets, monkey raids, steel-plate obsessions, temple vows and cinema-crazy crowds, the book brings alive the everyday dramas of growing up in a house ruled by Amma. Fearless before teachers and gods alike, relentless in her devotion and quietly resilient in the face of age and illness, Amma is as unforgettable as she is familiar.
Told with wit, warmth and aching honesty, I Love My Amma captures the messy, tender bond between a mother and child. And when the roles reverse and the son finds himself caring for his ageing mother, love comes full circle in the most unexpected ways.
About the Speakers:
Vasudhendra is a Kannada author whose primary forms of expression include novels, short stories, and personal essays. Recognised as the first queer writer in Kannada literature, he is based in Bengaluru. He founded the publishing house Chanda Pustaka and, for over two decades, has been identifying and publishing new voices in Kannada literature.
Narayan Shankaran has served as a development officer with the Life Insurance Corporation of India for over three decades. Holding an MBA and a PhD in management studies with a specialization in emotional and social intelligence, he is an accomplished writer and translator between Kannada and English. His original English essay collection, Figuratively Speaking - Musings of the Lockdown (2020), complements his distinguished translations, including S.V. Ranganath’s Kannada travelogue Sindhu Darshan (English edition, 2019); Guruprasad Kaginele’s short stories, published as The Preferred Pronoun and Other Stories (2024); and, recently, Kaginele’s critically acclaimed Kannada novel KAAYAA (Penguin Random House India, 2025).
Roopa Pai is one of India’s best-known writers for children. This Bangalore-based computer engineer-turned-author has written over 30 books, on a wide variety of themes, including sci-fi fantasy, economics, medicine, life skills, history, popular science, and Indian philosophy. Many of her books are bestsellers and are enjoyed as much by adults as by children. Her best-known books include the award-winning national bestseller The Gita For Children, listed by Amazon India as one of ‘100 Indian Books To Read In A Lifetime’. Her most recent books are The Yoga Sutras for Children, and Let’s Talk About Trees, published by WWF India.
RSVP at the earliest as we have limited seats!