The Man with Wild, Curly Hair
Written by: Paige Smucker
On a Tuesday night in Bangalore — IT office workers, expats, students, and freelance writers gather in an open-air room to share their poetry. At one point during the reading, there is a lull in the volunteer line-up. A man with wild hair interrupts the silence. He asks to recite an old, personal poem.
A slight breeze blows through the room and rattles the overhead wicker lamps. The man with tangled gray curls starts to chant. “That which dominate you all, detonate you all.” He raises his arms into the air. His eyes widen behind the lenses of his unusual glasses (one square frame, one circle frame).
His eerie delivery seems to resonate with the listeners — after he finishes, they approve of his poem with loud applause. He only half-explains its meaning, mentioning something about a protest in Brazil many years ago.
In front of him on the floor, is a large box — from which he later pulls out stacks of oddly-sized books. One of the books is as small as a quarter.
His name is Italo Rovere — a 50 year old expat from Brazil. His traveling visa is quickly expiring. Yet, he is determined to spend his remaining time in India continuing to make a difference. His go-to motto (which he includes under his signature in emails) is “All love in the world to change the world.” Italo said that this phrase has become a model for the way he lives his life.
“If I do not wake up and try to see the world with love, if you are not being silent with love, if you do not speak with love, if you do not try to see things with love, to see the people with love, to touch with love, to do with love — I have no meaning in my life, nothing,” he said, “But this [practicing love] is one exercise I need to do everyday. To be love, to be light.” Italo considers his work to be an extension of this commitment.
As it turns out, the box of oddly-sized books are how he makes a living. For Italo, making books is more than a job—it is a chance to make a difference in his readers’ lives. Starting with a single sheet of paper, Italo crafts each book by hand. The heap of books in the box (he’s lost track of exactly how many he’s made) are all copies of his poem “Yellow Touch”.
Each copy comes in a different size and color scheme. For example, one version—small enough to fit into Italo’s palm—has a bright pink cover patterned with swirly, white designs. Inside the books are vibrant, abstract watercolor illustrations that visually represent the poetry’s meaning.
Prior to adding watercolor to “Yellow Touch”, Italo had little experience with painting. Yet, Italo speaks with such passion about his designs that it feels acceptable to call him a natural artist.
He points to a gray, black, and blue illustration in the book that represents the universe. “For me this is a kind of dimension, each color is one dimension,” he said, “Einstein said that creativity is more important than knowledge. I felt this — and then I created this [the paintings] through this feeling, this vision.”
Musician Arunavh Dam (26) met Italo last year, while he was working at an art center in Guwahati. After bonding over a mutual love for poetry and music, the two men agreed to travel together throughout India. While on the road, Italo helps to promote Arunavh’s upcoming concerts. In return, Arunavh helps Italo sell his books — with a laugh, he calls himself Italo’s personal assistant.
Arunavh considers Italo a mentor figure. He admires Italo’s ability to make people happy by teaching book-making workshops.
“I think they [the workshops] are really wonderful,” Arunavh said, “It feels like kind of a therapy when you keep doing it [making the books]. And after that, you have a book that you can fill with your own imagination. It’s a unique thing.”

Since the 1990’s, Italo has traveled the world to host these events. In the past few months, he has held several successful workshops in India. The attendees are often people of all ages, including families and groups of friends. After a few hours of crafting, participants leave with colorful hand-made books waiting to be filled with stories. One man in Jaipur experienced the positive effects of Italo’s workshop, and he asked Italo to hold one at a local prison. Italo took the offer—seeing it as an opportunity to help the prisoners recreate their lives.
“I was showing my books to these people [the prisoners] and saying you have one story,” he said, “Maybe your story is bad, but we can imagine a new story, one good story. […] Then I was showing them how to make the books, and it was very nice. I would like to do more of this.”
Besides his most popular book “Yellow Touch”, Italo has written two other books — Africa: Poemas De Viagem and Diario Indiano (Indian Diary). His main source of inspiration comes from his travels abroad. After returning from a trip to Africa, Italo wrote his first book Africa: Poemas De Viagem in 1996. At first, Italo struggled to get his work published.
“You need to have an editor or you have to be famous, no?” Soon, Italo found a solution to his frustrations — he started to market the limited edition appeal of his hand-made books. This shift in focus worked especially well with Italo’s nomadic lifestyle. Once in Mumbai, a man from Switzerland loved “Yellow Touch” so much that he commissioned Italo to make and send him a copy for 100 Swiss francs. Italo continues to receive simlar requests from people all over the world.
In 1997, Italo sent a copy of the book Africa: Poemas De Viagem to Mother Theresa — who he spent time with in India.
“[…] She sent one letter with her signature that blessed me and said thank you for the book. It was in 1997 that she sent me this letter, in the year that she died. I have it in my house, I have this letter,” Italo said.
28 years ago, Italo took his first trip to India to work with Mother Theresa. Upon his arrival in Calcutta, he was met with a near-death experience. He said that a group of men randomly started beating him on the streets.
“It was my first day, my first time [in India],” Italo said, “ After that, I ran away and so many things happened, I have no words to explain. […] I listened to a voice saying to me, ‘Give whatever you have and go to the end.’ And then I took away my clothes, and I was completely naked.”
Leaving behind all his belongings, Italo dragged himself to Mother Theresa’s house, after the traumatic beating incident. Meeting Mother Theresa was a life-changing experience for Italo. During his extended stay at her house, he healed dying people.
“I believe in the power of love,” Italo said about his volunteer work, “Love can make miracles.”
It’s difficult to picture an optimistic man like Italo feeling down at times. But, he once dealt with a period of serious depression after returning to Brazil from India in 1999. During this dark time, Italo started to create “Yellow Touch”.
“When I started to make that book it was in 1999, and I was thinking about committing suicide,” he said. When asked if making “Yellow Touch” helped him overcome his depression he replied, “No, no the books saved my life.”
Besides his own life, Italo has changed many other lives by creating his books. He uses his artistic talents to share his story with people in an interesting way. And, he teaches people how to write uplifting stories of their own.
Jay Malaga (36) helps to run the weekly poetry event where Italo shared his work. When asked about Italo’s books and poetry, he smiled and said, “He [Italo] recognizes darkness and problems in society, but admist all this, he tries to rally the world behind to him to hope.”
