An entire festival thoughtfully created around the idea of children’s interactions with books, stories, poems and craft, Bookaroo is back with its tenth edition in Delhi. With varied activities such as dramatised readings, theatre, art workshops, nature walks, poetry sessions and more, India’s only children’s litfest has a holistic approach. Over two days, Bookaroo will be hosting 61 national and international speakers from 13 countries.
In keeping with their idea of not treating children as a homogenous group, the festival has different programmes to suit the needs of various age groups. “There is a book for every child out there and our prowess lies in finding that,” says festival director Swati Roy, who, along with other co-founders M Venkatesh and Jo Williams have toured through none cities and organised 26 editions till now. “Unlike adults who sit through a session even if they lose interest, children walk out!” she adds, while explaining the usage of music, theatre, puppetry and other mediums to hold onto children’s attention.
Speakers like Tonya Bolden, Debi Gliori, Siddhant Shah and Lavanya Karthik will also address important subjects such as ‘inclusivity through children’s books’ in order to inculcate sensitivity and understanding about topics such as disability, ailment, grief etc. that adults otherwise fail to broach with kids. “The scene in India is exploding and more publishers are willing to take the plunge to introduce such topics” said Swati. Vivek Menon, Ranjit Lal, Anita Nair, Nandana Sen are just some of the authors and performers who will be in attendance.
For those who cannot travel to the festival, an outreach programme called ‘Bookaroo in the City’ takes speakers to schools and other institutions to meet children who cannot make it to the festival. Also, to mark their tenth birthday and signify the importance of children’s art, Bookaroo is drawing pages from children’s books on ten walls across Delhi and bring stories to the main narrative of the city. The tactile walls of the Blind School at Lodhi Road and the de-addiction centre at Mukherjee Nagar can now be seen with scenes out of a Katha book and other children’s art.
{{/usCountry}}For those who cannot travel to the festival, an outreach programme called ‘Bookaroo in the City’ takes speakers to schools and other institutions to meet children who cannot make it to the festival. Also, to mark their tenth birthday and signify the importance of children’s art, Bookaroo is drawing pages from children’s books on ten walls across Delhi and bring stories to the main narrative of the city. The tactile walls of the Blind School at Lodhi Road and the de-addiction centre at Mukherjee Nagar can now be seen with scenes out of a Katha book and other children’s art.
{{/usCountry}}WHAT: Bookaroo literature festival for children
WHEN: 10.3am- 5.30 pm, Nov 25 – 26,
WHERE: Children’s Park (India Gate)
NEAREST METRO: Udyog Bhavan