BackLounge Loves | Bookaroo 2013
In its sixth year, the children's literature festival takes big steps beyond book readings
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Bookworm paradise
From cooking classes with superchef Vikas Khanna to fun sessions with “Dr Maths" to help overcome the phobia of the subject, Bookaroo, in its sixth edition, promises far more than most children’s literature festivals do.
Scheduled to take place at the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts in New Delhi from 22-24 November, the annual event is looking to build up on its consistently engaging line-up of speakers and activities this year and also add more variety to the fare. Outreach programmes to inculcate the love of reading in young people are already being organized at educational institutions across the city. This year, Bookaroo, held in Srinagar in May, will travel to Pune in December.
“Apart from our core focus on children’s literature, we hope to look at young adult (YA) writing closely this time," says Swati Roy, one of the founders of Bookaroo. This seems fitting since English-language publishing in India has made an enthusiastic move towards YA this year with three leading publishers—Penguin Books India, Scholastic India and Rupa Publications—starting imprints dedicated to the genre.
Last year the festival had a footfall of 13,000 and featured 70 speakers. This year, the number of speakers has gone up to 116 and includes some of the best names from across the world of children’s publishing. Sally Gardner from Britain, Cornelia Funke from Germany, two Pakistani-Canadian authors, Musharraf Ali Farooqi (also a Mint Lounge columnist) and Rukhsana Khan—the international list is distinguished. Japan will be participating for the first time, with Tokyo-born illustrator Naomi Kojima joining. Eva Nukman and Sophie Dewayani, who have collaboratively worked on children’s books, will be coming from Indonesia to talk about musical traditions and cultures of their country.
From India, popular children’s writers like Ranjit Lal, Ashok Banker and Venita Coelho appear alongside those who are just starting to make a mark. Journalist Swati Sengupta, whose first novel, Guns on My Red Earth (published from Rupa’s Red Turtle imprint this year), will be speaking about her story of a child soldier trying to escape from the Naxalite zone of Lalgarh in West Bengal. Suroopa Mukherjee, an academic whose books include one on the Bhopal gas tragedy of 1984 written for young readers, will also be participating. The workshops this year cover topics as diverse as recycling (conducted by The Energy and Resources Institute, or Teri), honing one’s sleuthing skills (organized by Random House India) to making magic potions, Harry Potter style (run by the Bloomsbury India team).
Far from only fostering a reading culture, Bookaroo has built over the years a strong repertory of storytellers, to which Salil Mukhia Kwoica, co-founder of the Acoustic Traditional, an initiative to revive the ancient oral storytelling traditions of the hills, is an addition. Like previous years, Bookart, an exhibition showcasing the work of Indian children’s book illustrators, is part of the festival, and already on at the Vadehra Art Gallery Bookstore in New Delhi’s Defence Colony till 19 November.
Bookaroo is on from 22-24 November. For details, visit www.bookaroo.in
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