A quiet coastal town. Secrets beneath tides. Three lives—Peacock, Python, and Esther—are woven together in a story of identity, courage, and redemption. This is the world of Peacock, Python, and Esther, the debut novel by academic, artist, and author Dr. Zita Lobo, which will be launched on 28 July 2025 at Pacific V, Ocean Pearl, Kodialbail, Mangalore, at 5:30 PM.
Organised by the Indian Society for Training and Development (ISTD) Mangaluru/Udupi Chapter, of which the author is a managing committee member, the event will feature a keynote address by Ms. Giselle Mehta, an internationally acclaimed author and novelist, and a panel discussion exploring the novel’s themes and their relevance to contemporary society.
The Novel: Where Words Bloom and Shadows Stir
In Peacock, Python, and Esther, lives are fractured, yet yearning to be whole again. Set in the coastal town of Honnavara, Karnataka, the story peels back layers of seemingly ordinary lives.
The novel’s protagonists—Peacock, Python, and Esther—are far more than their names suggest. They are symbols of vanity, survival, and transformation. In the town where tides carry more than just secrets, a young woman wrestles with love, loss, and identity, social traditions, hierarchies, and modernity, echoing struggles universal to the human condition.
“Written with fire and finesse, here women are coiled truths, men are fathers and tyrants and landscapes are poetry-soaked and forest-lined,” notes Brian Fernandes, a Director at Spearhead Media Pvt. Ltd., India.
The prose is lyrical, the narrative daring, and the questions raised unflinching: Can fractured identities find healing? Is silence ever a safe harbour?
About the Author
Dr. Zita Lobo, a Ph.D. holder in English Literature from Mumbai University, brings to her writing a rich tapestry of experiences and in-depth observations. With a career spanning India and the UAE as an academic and administrator, she has long nurtured a passion for art and storytelling.
Her earlier work includes textbooks for schools and colleges, and a collection of short stories, ‘Kamaraband’ and Medico English Made Easy- for medical and health sciences students. With Peacock, Python, and Esther, she makes a foray into fiction that is deeply personal yet powerfully universal.
The author speaking to Newkarnataka said, “This book is about journeys—physical, emotional, and spiritual—that test and transform. It’s about the silenced voices of both men and women in a patriarchal society, the cost of silence, and the possibility of redemption”. “Women and men must come to adapt their full social significance and live complementing each other’s lives rather than through conflicting power equations. Like the python shedding its skin to grow, and the peacock moults for a fuller and brighter life, each must outgrow oneself”, she added.
An Evening of Words and Ideas
The book launch event, hosted by ISTD Mangaluru/Udupi Chapter, is designed not just as a ceremonial release but as a celebration of storytelling. It will feature:
Keynote Address by Ms. Giselle Mehta, internationally acclaimed author whose literary work has been lauded for its ideation, prose, and depth.
and
a Panel Discussion with noted voices exploring the novel’s themes—identity, choice, and the quiet revolutions within ordinary lives.
More Than a Launch: A Cultural Dialogue
For the ISTD Mangaluru/Udupi Chapter, this event reflects their commitment to enriching the region’s cultural fabric alongside professional development. By bringing together literary minds and curious readers, they hope to spark conversations that extend beyond the evening.
Event Details at a Glance
📅 Date: 28 July 2025
🕔 Time: 5:30 PM
📍 Venue: Pacific V, Ocean Pearl, Kodialbail, Mangalore
📖 Featuring: A Keynote by Ms. Giselle Mehta and panel discussion on book themes
📱 Vote by 26.7.2025 if you plan to attend at https://strawpoll.com/e7ZJaBAGPg3
A Promise of More
As the literary community in Mangaluru gathers to celebrate Peacock, Python and Esther, one thing is clear—this is more than a book launch. It’s an invitation to journey into a world where words bloom, truths unravel, and silence finds its voice.