KOZHIKODE: Discussions on children’s literature in the present era were the focus on Friday, the second day of the Kerala Literature Festival. People thronged Kozhikode beach, the fest’s venue, to hear eminent personalities deliberate on the topic.
One of the speakers was novelist Anand Neelakantan. He spoke on ‘History and mythology in Indian Children’s Literature.’ When asked why children should read mythology, he said knowing and remembering the culture was crucial. “In a joint family, children would develop an interest in mythology by hearing the stories narrated by their grandparents,” he said.
Other speakers, including Neelakantan, also criticised the inadequate importance given to children’s books. They said parents were ready to spend more on a McDonald’s meal than on a book for their children. Publishers too are not ready to invest more in children’s books.
During a discussion on ‘The magic of lost stories’, author and philanthropist Sudha Murthy said, “The power of story is the power of literature. Storytelling is an art, something which I found at age 10,” she said. On artificial intelligence, Murthy said AI could not replace writers as stories consist of emotions, which AI can’t reproduce.