Shashi Tharoor publishes IIM-K Director’s first book of poetry

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor in conversation with IIM-K Director Debashis Chatterjee after releasing his book of poems in Kozhikode on September 26, 2026. Photo credit: Special arrangement

Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor on Saturday (September 26, 2026) released Seven Shades of Love, the first book of poetry by Debashis Chatterjee, director of the Indian Institute of Management-Kozhikode (IIM-K).

Published by Penguin Random House India, it brings together 57 poems. Following the book launch, Mr Tharoor and Mr Chatterjee also engaged students and aspiring writers on reading, curiosity, writing and the courage to find one’s own voice, the statement said. Mr. Tharoor noted that the seven shades stem from the multifaceted nature of love, which culminates in freedom. He thought of love as the ability to care without control and to remain close without possessiveness. “The most mature form of love is not possessive. It allows the other person to remain themselves,” he said. Mr. Tharoor noted that the poems expand the idea of ​​love beyond romantic relationships to friendship, family, humanity, nature and existence itself.

Mr. Chatterjee traced the beginning of his own writing journey to an interaction with the famous author Khushwant Singh, who, when asked how one should write, advised him that the only way to start writing is to just start writing. He encouraged aspiring writers to read widely, noting that reading exposes one to the many ways in which ideas and experiences can be expressed. “Inspiration often comes during the writing process,” he said.

Published – 26 Sep 2026 23:14 IST