Book Launch | ‘A Compendium of Supernatural Entities Found in the Government Girls Higher Secondary School’ by Kuzhali Manickavel

Join us for the book launch of Kuzhali Manickavel's debut novel A Compendium of Supernatural Entities Found in the Government Girls Higher Secondary School, which draws from her high school years in small-town Tamil Nadu. 

Her unique writing style includes elements of surrealism, horror, and unhinged humour; but much of her short fiction is also very grounded in a sense of place. In this talk, celebrated children's author Shalini Srinivasan will dialogue with Kuzhali about childhood visions, coming-of-age stories, and the monsters that haunt our dreams.  

This will be followed by an interactive Q&A with the audience.

Here are the details:

Date: 11th October 2026, Sunday

Time: 6:00 PM (seating begins at 5:45 PM)

Venue: Champaca Bookstore, Vasanth Nagar

RSVP here to register.

About the book: 

In the oppressive heat of a small Tamil Nadu town, bizarre happenings are common. And the local government secondary school is teeming with supernatural entities. 

For Thamarai, an outsider considered strange by her peers, life is dreary and frustrating. She endures nosy neighbours and incomprehensible tuition classes. She despises the way her lecherous English teacher harasses the other girls in her grade. But when Thamarai finds a mysterious notebook full of descriptions of the school's paranormal phenomena, she wonders if it may hold the key to escape...

Meet the author:

Kuzhali Manickavel was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, and currently lives in Bangalore. She is the author of three collections of short fiction and several zines. This is her debut novel. 

About the moderator: 

Shalini Srinivasan writes comics, picture books, and speculative fiction for children and adults. Her books include Vanamala and the Cephalopod, Shoecat Thoocat and most recently, the young adult fantasy, A Forest Calls. She teaches at Azim Premji University, and spends a lot of time holding forth at captive students.

RSVP to reserve your spot.