Jun 12 2026 to Jun 12 2026 6:30 p.m.

Price: Open to all | Free Entry Book/Buy

Where

BLR Design Centre

6th Floor, 46/1, Church St, Haridevpur, Shanthala Nagar, Ashok Nagar Bengaluru, Karnataka 560001

Special Instructions

This is a free event. Kindly note: All individuals wishing to attend this event should register separately. If you need to cancel, please email us at blrdesigncentre@gmail.com so we can offer your spot to someone else.

Event Description

The Author of the Month Series is envisioned as a year-long curatorial initiative at BLR Reads – Library and Archive, strengthening its role as a shared cultural and civic space. Building on BLR Reads’ ethos of reading beyond books, the series will invite one author each month for an in-depth book discussion, situating literature within wider conversations on the city, history, design, culture, and everyday life.

The initiative aims to deepen reader engagement, foster sustained community participation, and build meaningful collaborations with authors, publishers, academic institutions, and cultural organizations.

Each session will be accompanied by curated reading lists and, where relevant, allied activities such as talks, walks, or exhibitions.

The edition in collaboration with SkilLit Readers, we bring to you ‘NAMMA BANGALORE 2.0: Culture, Coding, Cuisine, Creativity’ by Shoba Narayan. In this sequel to her bestselling Namma Bangalore, Shoba Narayan explores the evolving soul of her city. With warmth and humour, she captures what it means to belong to this cosmopolitan yet comforting haven.

This session will feature a conversation with Shoba facilitated by Srilakshmi and moderated by Poorvaja Prakash from SkilLit Readers followed by an immersive experience with the participants about Bangalore.

Author of the Month – Shoba Narayan

Shoba Narayan is an author, poet, podcaster and co-founder of Zapigo, an e-commerce platform in the celebration space. She is the author of eight books and a journalist who has won a James Beard MFK Fisher Award for Distinguished Food Writing, and a Pulitzer Fellowship.

She is co-founder of Zapigo, a Bangalore-based e-commerce startup in the celebration space. A published poet, she has won the Erbacce Prize for Poetry 2025. Her lifelong goal is to get fit without exercising and lose weight without dieting.

About SkilLit Readers

SkilLit Readers is a story-led skills lab that transforms books into launchpads for real-world expression and thinking. They re-imagine what reading can lead to with the help of integrated and multidisciplinary learning. Specifically for adults, we aim to create safe, story-rich environments where they form authentic connections and community through books, stories, and exploration.

Poorvaja Prakash, Co-Founder, SkilLit

Poorvaja has over 12 years of experience in International Development, Education, Social Impact, Facilitation and Research in organizations such as Teach For All, Peepul, Global School Leaders, among others; She is an alumna of Columbia University, London School of Economics (LSE), & Stella Maris College. She is a published author in a peer reviewed journal and is the host of ‘The Sports Kaleidoscope’ – a sports-related podcast.

Srilakshmi R, Co-Founder, SkilLit

Srilakshmi has 10+ years of experience as an English and Social Science teacher in IB & ICSE schools such as Chaman Bhartiya School, Oberoi International School (JVLR-Mumbai), The Gateway School of Mumbai and Head Start Educational Academy, Bangalore. She is an alumna of Azim Premji University (APU) and Christ University. Srilakshmi is an IB Certified Educator. She has a special interest in children’s literature across the world.