KASARAGOD: ‘Vayana Velicham,’ a summer vacation initiative aimed at nurturing love for reading among children, has been launched in Hosdurg. An initiative of the Hosdurg Taluk Library Council, it aims to make reading an enriching experience for them during their holidays.
As part of the initiative, 285 libraries under the Hosdurg Taluk Library Council will organise various reading activities in April and May, led by groups of at least eight children.
The programme began with a survey of children and a meeting with parents. Prior to this, training sessions were conducted for ‘Vayana Velicham’ convenors at four centres in the taluk. To create awareness about the project, the libraries have also released promotional videos.
P Venugopalan, president of the Hosdurg Taluk Library Council, said this is the third consecutive year of ‘Vayana Velicham.’ “The previous editions successfully encouraged children to develop an interest in books. This year, we aim to inspire even more young minds to immerse themselves in the joy of reading,” he said. As part of the initiative, guests and inaugurators will introduce at least one literary work during the launch event.
The programme will kick off in the first week of April with the formation of children’s reading groups and distribution of books. Every week, children will write and present book reviews in their reading groups. To make the sessions more engaging, children will also participate in creative activities inspired by the books they read, such as short plays, one-act plays, reading theatre, mime, storytelling, drawing, reels, and video presentations.
For children with a passion for travel, reading trips have been arranged, allowing them to enjoy literary works that have natural places as a backdrop.
The reading group meetings will be managed by children, with support from library convenors. Additionally, participants will create both handwritten and digital magazines as part of the project.
To further encourage reading, the Taluk Library Council has curated a list of 50 short, easily readable books for children. To acknowledge the contributions, awards will be given at the taluk level for best-performing libraries, outstanding convenors, libraries with unique and innovative activities and best documentation of the programme.
With a mix of reading, creativity, and exploration, ‘Vayana Velicham’ aims to make summer a season of literary discovery for children in Hosdurg.