Apr 05 2026 to Apr 05 2026 11:30 a.m.

Where

Bangalore International Centre

7 4th Main Rd, Stage 2, Domlur 560071

Event Description

We have superheroes among us. Snakes!

India is home to at least 350 species, and we’re discovering more every day. Their sense of smell unparalleled, their heat-sensing abilities extraordinary. Born with superpowers, snakes are supremely adaptable. Found across the Himalayas and the searing Thar desert, in humid coastal belts, fields, towns, and cities. Check your nearest flowerpot.

Pioneers of herpetological conservation, Zai Whitaker and Rom Whitaker uncoil the secret lives of snakes in this eye-opening session. Expect the Big 4 venomous species, surprising science, and a fresh take on how we share our world with these remarkable neighbours.

Children, bring your adults. Everyone is welcome

Speakers

Romulus Whitaker
Author & Founder, Madras Crocodile Bank
Rom Whitaker arrived in India at age eight and never really left. He founded the Madras Snake Park in 1969, the Madras Crocodile Bank in 1976, the Irula Snake-Catchers Cooperative in 1978, and the Agumbe Rainforest Research Station in 2005. Along the way he worked with William Haast at the Miami Serpentarium, produced films, books, and scientific papers on reptiles, and became one of India’s most respected herpetologists. His current focus is snakebite mitigation. He lives near Mysore with his wife, writer Janaki Lenin.

Zai Whitaker
Children’s Author & Co-Founder, Madras Crocodile Bank
Zai Whitaker grew up surrounded by naturalists and never stopped looking closely at the world around her. She has published over twenty books, most of them for children and young adults, including Andamans Boy (Tulika), Cobra in My Kitchen (Hachette), and Scaling Up (Juggernaut). She taught at Kodaikanal International School and other institutions for two decades, and continues to write about India’s biodiversity and conservation from the Crocodile Bank south of Chennai.

Vidya Mani
Co-Founder, Funky Rainbow
Vidya Mani is the co-founder of Funky Rainbow, an independent children’s bookshop in Bangalore and Mysore. Her online book show Book Buzzaar was selected as one of six innovative pandemic initiatives by independent booksellers worldwide at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair 2021, and she was among eighteen booksellers chosen for the Frankfurt International Booksellers Programme 2022. She also runs Melting Pot, a content and design studio creating books and magazines for publishers and NGOs, and co-edits the Nature Writing for Children newsletter for Azim Premji University.