26 September 2026 | Kozhikode: Noted author, former diplomat and Member of Parliament Dr. Shashi Tharoor today released Seven Shades of Love, the first book of poetry by Prof. Debashis Chatterjee, Director, IIM Kozhikode. Published by Penguin Random House India, the book brings together 57 poems that explore love through seven shades—Affection, Desire, Companionship, Separation, Vulnerability, Growth and Freedom.
Apply to any top 250 B Schools from one window. Shortlist, save. CLICK
▶️ REGISTER HERE For More MBA Updates.
The book was released at the IIM Kozhikode Gurukul, an experimental classroom located at the heart of the Institute’s knowledge centre and known for its emphasis on open learning and uninhibited thinking. The launch evolved into much more than a literary event, with Dr. Tharoor and Prof. Chatterjee engaging with students and aspiring writers on reading, curiosity, writing and the courage to find one’s own voice.
IIM Kozhikode Rises 15 Places to #54 Globally in FT MIM Rankings 2026
Speaking about the book, Dr. Shashi Tharoor observed that the seven shades arise from the many-sided nature of love, culminating in freedom. He reflected on love as the ability to care without controlling and to remain close without claiming ownership. “The most mature form of love is not possession. It is allowing another person to remain themselves,” he said.
Dr. Tharoor noted that the poems extend the idea of love beyond romantic relationships to friendship, family, humanity, nature and existence itself. He also highlighted the book’s ability to discover the profound in the ordinary, with subjects ranging from a tea shop and a smartphone to an apple, a mannequin and a child’s innocent mispronunciation.
Describing the book as an exploration rather than a
n attempt to define love, Dr. Tharoor said that poetry allows every reader to discover their own shade of love. He concluded by describing the collection as an invitation to encounter “Seven Shades of Love, One Light of Truth” and the unresolved mystery of being human.
The programme also became an impromptu masterclass on the craft of writing. Speaking to the young members of the audience, Dr. Tharoor emphasised the importance of curiosity and reading beyond what is prescribed. Recalling his own journey as a writer, he said that curiosity encouraged him to explore subjects beyond the classroom and eventually experiment with writing. His advice to the audience was simple: “To live is to choose” — including choosing what one wishes to pursue in life.
Prof. Chatterjee traced his own journey into writing to an interaction with the celebrated writer Khushwant Singh, who, when asked how one writes, advised him that the only way to start writing is to start writing. He encouraged aspiring writers to read widely, observing that reading exposes one to the many ways in which thoughts and experiences can be expressed. “Inspiration often comes through the process of writing,” he said.
NIRF 2025 Management Rankings – IIM A in Govt. & MDI Gurgaon in Private Category, Tops the List
Both Dr. Tharoor and Prof. Chatterjee encouraged students to experiment with different forms of expression, including fiction, poetry and lyrics. They also reflected on the particular challenge of writing for children, where sustaining a young reader’s attention demands a different kind of discipline.
For Prof. Chatterjee, poetry has offered a different creative space from his academic and professional life. He described writing as a way of escaping the drudgery of work and said that poetry was particularly challenging because Seven Shades of Love marks his first published collection of poems. He has dedicated the book to his mother, Karoona Chatterjee.
The collection carries a foreword by Oscar-winning musician Resul Pookutty. Seven Shades of Love is described as an exploration of the many ways in which love shapes, wounds, nourishes, transforms and ultimately frees us. Each of its seven sections opens with a short prose passage and two epigraphs drawing from Indian classical sources as well as Western writers, bringing together voices ranging from Sangam poetry and Kalidasa to Tolstoy, Neruda, Rumi and Tagore.
The poems move between tenderness and humour, lyricism and unexpected turns, reflecting Prof. Chatterjee’s interest in finding philosophical questions in everyday experiences. The collection occupies a space between literature, philosophy, academia and leadership—an extension, in poetic form, of themes that have characterised his wider body of work.
IIM Kozhikode Celebrates 31st Foundation Day, Marks 30 Years of Academic Excellence
Prof. Chatterjee is the author of several books on leadership, management, philosophy and personal development. His recent book, One Minute Wisdom, published by Penguin, has become a national bestseller.
With Seven Shades of Love, Prof. Chatterjee turns from the language of leadership and management to the language of poetry, inviting readers to look at love not as a problem to be solved, but as an experience to be lived, remembered, questioned and ultimately understood in their own way.
Submitted by IIM Kozhikode PR Team
Disclaimer: Team Campusutra did not create or edit this Content
