Renowned children’s book author Ruskin Bond was spot on when he said: ‘A great book is a friend that never lets you down.’. However, in this fast-paced life where everything is digitised, the whiff of both new and old books seems to be lost, especially among children.
In order to reignite the joy of reading in children, Delhi-based public non-profit organisation Bookaroo Trust has geared up to conduct the 14th edition of the Bookaroo Delhi 2022—a children’s literature festival for kids in the 4 to 14 age group—at the National Rail Museum, Chanakyapuri, starting today. This two-day festival is aimed to bring books to life for young readers through interactive sessions hosted by authors and storytellers.
Launched in November 2008 as a solo in the capital, Bookaroo has travelled to 16 cities and completed 40 editions. Talking to us about today’s event, Swati Roy, co-founder and festival director of Bookaroo Trust, shared, “This is the first time that Bookaroo is taking place on such a large scale in Delhi, post the pandemic.”
Over the weekend, young bibliophiles across Delhi-NCR will get a chance to learn while having fun by attending 64 interactive sessions conducted by 48 speakers from nine countries. A plethora of segments—Kahani Tree, focused on storytelling; Curio Corner, replete with interactive games; Doodle Wall that is about art, and others—will help bring out the artist, thinker, reader, and explorer in children.
Talking to us about the event, Deepak Dalal, author of the Vikram Aditya series of stories for children, mentioned that Bookaroo is a lovely experience for kids to interact with authors and get answers to their queries. A writer, traveller, and trekker, Dalal—his session ‘Island of Adventure’ happening today is for ages 12 to 14—added, “These days, children do not indulge in reading, which is sad. They either read only in school or when their parents ask them to, which, again, is unlikely to happen. Bookaroo is an attempt to bring books and children together, and is also a celebration of children’s literature.”
Shobha Tharoor Srinivasan, a National Award-winning voiceover artist and author, will release her book A Treasure Trove of Timeless Tales at the Festival under the segment Kahani Tree. Sharing her excitement, Srinivasan concluded, “This will be an opportunity to engage with young readers, parents, and teachers, to
celebrate and share the magic of storytelling as stories spark conversations and help make connections.”
CHECK IT OUT
WHAT: ‘Bookaroo—a children’s literature festival
WHEN: Till November27; 11:00am to 04:30pm
WHERE: National Rail Museum, Chanakyapuri
NOT TO BE MISSED
WHAT: ‘I Can’t Draw’
WHEN: Today, 12:30pm to 1:30pm
AGES: 12 to 14 years
WHAT: ‘The Bigger They Are…’
WHEN: November27, 2:00pm to 3:00pm
AGES: 10 to 12 years