EVENT HIGHLIGHT:

·        Sumaa Tekur in conversation with Anupa K. Ramana

·        Meet an Author

·        Books on sale at a special price

·        Book Signing

ABOUT THE URBAN SOALCE BOOK CLUB:

The Urban Solace Book Lovers' Club for started in 2010 as a result of a meet-up of writers whose stories were published in the book "Chicken Soup for the Indian Teachers Soul" inspired by the energy of this experience "The Urban Solace Book Lovers' Club was born. From there it has grown from strength to strength hosting its monthly meet on the second Sunday of every month. Over the years the club has hosted over 50 published authors to discuss their writings and these the best writers from Bangalore, India and around the world who have sought us out to experience this dynamic of our club. Today The Urban Solace Book Lovers' Club has a set of loyal supporters and a sterling reputation of being the longest book club in the city in a cafe setting and is sought after by several writers from Bangalore and across the country to be featured in our experience.

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Table for One: A Solo Living Manual for the Curious Indian Woman by Sumaa Tekur

"An Indian woman living alone in India is rare. An Indian woman living alone in India by choice is rarer. An Indian woman living alone in India by choice when her parents live in the same city is rarest".

This author belongs to that rarest of breeds to join a tiny clutch of emerging single-person households in the country, ticking all those boxes—woman, single, past her prime.

This book is a reflective, tongue-in-cheek take on the culture and politics of an Indian woman living alone through her thirties. With her youth fading and her biological clock running out of battery, the only proposals crossing her desk are the building committee welfare bids for choice of apartment elevation, paint colour, and flower pots next to the car park. Even there, the judgemental eyes of curious neighbours and nosy relativesask: ‘What? There’s no man in the house to make decisions?’

Rich with anecdotes, this book peels the complex layers of patriarchy, hypocrisy, and the changing social tides that leave both women and men a little more clueless by the passing day. What do we hold on to; and what do we let go?

It advocates living alone as a wholesome experience of self-discovery and for women to normalise it like marriage or living with family or roommates. While doing so, in no way does the book claim that living alone trumps co-living with a spouse or family. (Okay, actually it does.)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: SUMAA TEKUR

Sumaa Tekur is a Bangalore-based writer and editor. She is the author of two books. The first is titled The Inner Light: A Beginner’s Guide to Spirituality & Finding Peace. It is a primer for those looking to dip their toes in spiritual waters. Deccan Heralddescribed it as a “refreshing, even-toned book about spirituality aimed at the beginner.”A review in the New Sunday Express called the book “an interesting read, of the most non-sermonizing kind.” The Inner Light went for a reprint within three months of publishing and is being released in Arabic worldwide in end-2023.

Sumaa’s second book is Table for One: A Solo Living Manual for the Curious Indian Woman. It is a part-manifesto part memoir about the culture and politics of living alone as a single woman in India. Shobhaa De called the book a “jaunty, upbeat take on solo living.” Sumaa’sthird book is titled The Monks Who Laughed When the Bumblebee Stung Me. It is an account of her solo travel to 18 countries and is slated for a late-2024 release. All books are published by Hay House Publications.

Sumaa started her professional career with leading publications like The Times of India, Deccan Herald, Femina and DNA. She holds a Masters in International Journalism from City University, London. Committed to her spiritual quest, Sumaa explores solo travel, among other creative pursuits. Sumaa lives in Bengaluru with her books, paints, canvases, lamps, and drums. Her joyous solitude is shared with the mango tree next to her window, her stable all-weather companion.

ABOUT THE CURATOR: Anupa K. Ramana

Anupa’s experience variously encompasses Human Resources, Big 4 Consulting, on-site stints in the UK and US, and Corporate Leadership Training with an IT Major, before pivoting to High School Education. A post-graduate from XLRI, she has since taught IB, IGCSE and As/A Level English, as well as the IB Diploma, to students of the best Schools in the country. With an internationally recognised certificate in pedagogy, philosophy and practice of Waldorf-Steiner Education, she has since further pivoted to extra-curriculars and co-curriculars for Schools, and has recently copyrighted plug-and-play Ed Tech products for Schools. Anupa’s interests include travel, history, archaeology, (specifically, the Saraswati Civilization), and the written word in all its forms - reading, writing, poetry, language, rhetoric, stylistics and drama. Anupa is also a Sanskrit aficianado.