Karthika Naïr

Karthika Naïr is a poet, fabulist, and librettist. Her works include the books Until the Lions: Echoes from the Mahabharata (Archipelago Books, 2019), recipient of the Tata Literature Live! Award for Book of the Year; Electric Birds of Pothakudi (Tate Publishing, 2025), finalist for the 2026 Kirkus Prize in Young Reader’s Literature; and the librettos of acclaimed dance pieces such as Gregory Maqoma’s GENESIS: The Beginning and End of Time and Akram Khan’s DESH. (updated 10/2026)