Book Launch: The Trees Of My Country. A discussion with T.R Shankar Raman and Manali Patel

Join us for a thoughtful discussion on The Trees of My Country, a moving exploration of India's rich natural heritage through the stories of its trees. Author T.R. Shankar Raman will be in conversation with illustrator Manali Patel, reflecting on the deep connections between forests, wildlife, people, and place.

Here are the details:

Date: 25th July, Saturday

Time: 6:00 pm (Seating begins at 5:45)

Venue: Champaca Bookstore, Vasanth Nagar

About the Book:

The Trees of My Country is a celebration of India's remarkable native trees and the stories they tell about landscapes, wildlife, and the people who have lived alongside them. Through fifty beautifully illustrated species, T.R. Shankar Raman blends botany, ecology, and natural history to reveal the intricate relationships between trees, their environments, and our own lives. Both an invitation to look more closely at the natural world and a call to protect it, the book reminds us that the futures of trees and people are deeply intertwined.

About the Author:

T. R. SHANKAR RAMAN likes to imagine he's a writer turned wildlife scientist turned writer. His writing, emerging from close observations over the years and field experiences across India, evoke new and immersive perceptions of nature. His earlier books include a collection of his essays in The Wild Heart of India: Nature and Conservation in the City, the Country, and the Wild and Pillars of Life: Magnificent Trees of the Western Ghats, co-authored with his partner Divya Mudappa. Together, as scientists of the Nature Conservation Foundation, they now lead a program to restore tropical rainforests based out of a field research station in the Anamalai Hills of the Western Ghats. They live with Sootypoo, their cat, in their home in the mountains, visited by mongooses and macaques.

About the Illustrator:

MANALI PATIL is an artist and freelance illustrator based in Sindhudurg, Maharashtra. She creates meticulously detailed illustrations of the natural world, hand-drawn and painted on paper in the watercolour medium. Her work mainly focuses on native flora and fauna, and she occasionally explores different subjects and styles. Her interests range from wildflowers, dry leaves, to tiny moths, and currently—all thanks to working on illustrations for The Trees of My Country—she’s fascinated by trees in their landscapes; their rootedness, and connections to other beings. Her work was shortlisted for the Young Botanical Artist Competition, and was exhibited at The Shirley Sherwood Gallery of Botanical Art, Kew Gardens, in 2023.

RSVP at the earliest, as seats are limited!