Book launch
Toto Funds the Arts is launching, “Poetry with Young People” a collection of poems by students between the ages of 12 and 18 from Rishi Valley School (RVS), written in the course of a decade-long workshop conducted by well-known writer Gieve Patel. Popular actor and writer Tom Alter and three former RVS students Raeesa Vakil, Harsha Vinay and Siddharth Sareen will read the poems. Gieve Patel will introduce the book and moderate the discussion. The event will take place at Crossword Bookstore, ACR Towers, Ground Floor, 32 Residency Road on January 3 at 7 pm.

The poems deal with a wide variety of experiences, from a moving camaraderie to violent aggression, from a deep love and understanding of Nature to a concern for its fate in today's world. There are poems here also about friends, animals, neighbours, teachers, lovers and mothers. The book offers a stunning bonus: 19 illustrations by four of India's foremost artists: Nilima Sheikh, Anju Dodiya, Sudhir Patwardhan and Atul Dodiya.

Kannada play
Sattavara Neralu, a play written by Jadabharata (G B Joshi) is being presented by Benaka theatre troupe at 7 pm on December 30 at Ravindra Kalakshetra on J C Road. Directed by threatre legend B V Karanth, the play intellectually inquires into the eternally rooted firm beliefs of our society. His reverberating music, using rich lyrics from Haridasa literature, has enthralled audinces through 307 shows all over the country. For advance booking contact: 9449031342, 997215503, 9448078800, 9845345769.