Salon with Shree

VR Bengaluru announced the launch of the Whitefield Literary Society, conceptualised by VR Bengaluru to congregate literary and art enthusiasts of Bangalore every month for discussions on art, culture and books. The launch event featured ‘Salon with Shree” in the first edition of the special monthly chat series featuring a feisty discussion between best-selling novelist Sreemoyee Piu Kundu and leading transgender activist, columnist & TV personality Apsara Reddy.
Reddy is one of the 3,000 urban single women Sreemoyee interviewed during her extensive research for her path-breaking, bestselling work ‘Status Single’ which remains the only work of non-fiction on 74.1 million single women – the highest in the history of our country. The ‘Salon with Shree Series’ is also a celebration of the 1st anniversary of ‘Status Single’, considered a seminal work of female identity that received much international acclaim, being covered in Los Angeles Times and The Guardian, London.
Speaking of the initiative, Pankaj Renjhen, COO, Virtuous Retail said “Staying true to our core philosophy of ‘Connecting Communities’©, we have specially curated the Whitefield Literary Society which is our attempt to bring together like-minded individuals and give them a platform to discuss, inspire and share their stories. We want to bridge the gap that exists between literary lovers and writers through collective knowledge sharing sessions and with meaningful a conversation.”
Sreemoyee Piu Kundu said, “Status Single wasn’t just another best-selling novel written by me that flew off the shelves and received much critical acclaim – but became a cause for which I was at once crusader, at once, champion. I had what I believe a rare opportunity to record the seething testimonials of an expansive cross-section of urban Indian women who had ditched the stereotype of marriage and motherhood by a certain age – either due to choice/circumstance and were fighting for their respect and equal opportunities. The ‘Salon Series’ featured at “The Whitefield Literary Society” is a tribute to female strength and survival – and aims to integrate literature into a potent tool of social reform and make empowerment a more gender-inclusive movement.”