I have never been a huge fan of Goa, especially as I'm not particularly fond of beaches. In addition, we went on a banana boat ride at Baga once, and I was disgusted by the amount of dirty seawater I ended up swallowing. Plus, New Year's eve at Calangute eight years ago was a nightmare.So, when a workshop in Goa came up, I was happy, but not overly excited.But this time for me, everything was different. Panaji is so beautifully green! I love the wide pavements and the relaxed lifestyle that seems to permeates into your skin as you walk the streets of Goa. It belongs to a slower world, a world where you can take time out to look around and breathe.For dinner, we went to a charming place called Villa Panjim and feasted on Goan rice and curry while listening to Konkani music.Our stomachs full, we walked back to our hotel slowly, looking at old pink and purple buildings, … [Read more...]
Young Writers’ Club – Mystery Stories
A priceless necklace has been stolen from a museum and you are one of the suspects. How can you convince the jury that you're innocent?"I was on a plane to Kashmir," said one girl. "I can show you the ticket!" A little later, she added, "And I even have a photo that the air hostess took to prove that I was there!" And immediately, the cross-questioning began. "Why did she want to prove you were there? What air hostess takes a photo of the passengers? It looks like you're trying too hard to prove you were somewhere else! You're involved in the theft in some way!"And so, we examined how we can create characters that convince readers that they're innocent. At what point does an alibi begin to sound like the character is needlessly justifying herself? Also, how can you leave clues but still surprise the reader at the end?The children at the Young Writers' Club at Just Books … [Read more...]
The Lit Bug Fest 2018
The Lit Bug Fest, Pune's own literary fest for children, was held yesterday, and I'm sure everyone who was there is still on a high. For me, just like last year, it was a delightful experience interacting with readers, talking about my books, sharing ideas, and even being interviewed by two child-journalists!The energy of a lit fest is unmatched. I kept sneaking away from the stall and attending bits and pieces of events, hovering on the outside sometimes, and sitting in at other times. Each session I attended was lovely!I began my day with a story with which I was familiar, retold by Yamini Vijendran. Using puppets and all the drama of her expressive voice and face, she drew us into the story, so much so that I didn't realise that she'd kept us engaged for half an hour!I wanted very much to attend Bhavna Menon's session because I loved her book, Welcome to the Forest. It was as … [Read more...]
Workshop for Women’s Day
Yes, I was a bit sceptical about doing a workshop for children to mark International Women's Day. What would I do? How much would I say? How would I even begin to talk about the inequality we see around us every day without even noticing it?Talking about equal pay means nothing to these children. Pay is something far, far in the future. Unequal opportunities and conditioning do not ring true to them. Believe me, I've tried. Most are too idealistic to think that these could be true - and perhaps that's a good thing.So, I began with home.How many of you have mothers who work outside home? Six out of seven.Who cooks at home? Two children said both their parents do. The others, you know the answer.Laundry? Three said both parents. Then, as an afterthought, another agreed.Who buys groceries? Both parents.Who does 'extra' cleaning - windows, dusting, cobwebs … [Read more...]
Fantastically Great Women Who Changed the World
The British Library is organising several women's day related events this weekend, and thanks to that, I came across a gem: Fantastically Great Women Who Changed the World.Featuring Jane Austen, Gertrude Ederle, Coco Chanel, Frida Kahlo, Marie Curie, Mary Anning, Mary Seacole, Amelia Earhart, Agent Fifi, Sacagawa, Emmeline Pankhurst, Rosa Parks and Anne Frank, Fantastically Great Women Who Changed the World is an absolutely lovely read.With wonderful illustrations and an engaging layout, I think it's a delightful book, no matter how old you are, and this despite the fact that it is an 'educational' book.(Oh, and I just had a look at a related activity book, and that looks fun too!)Title Fantastically Great Women Who Changed the WorldAuthor Kate PankhurstGenre Non-fictionRating (out of 5) 5Age-group 6+Based on this book, I will be conducting a … [Read more...]
Writers’ Club – Another Year Ends
The Writers' Club at St. Mary's School has been running for three years now! The third year ended on a high, with children (and me on the inside) running, shouting and celebrating. All through the year, we played games around writing, kept inspiring one another, wrote and rewrote - and this was the result.In 2016, the children had their work published in a collection called Flickering Flames. This year, a fourth standard child suggested the title that we finally chose - The Book that Speaks.To add to the excitement, the children took part in a competition that was judged by two ex-students of the Writers' Club, and we announced the results during the last session. Here's the winner of the first prize.Thanks to all the poetry we read together, many children played with style and form. Here's a poem that received a special mention from the judges.The … [Read more...]
Reading Challenge Workshops at MIT Gurukul
Six workshops with six different batches. Six hours of workshopping, one session after another. And it was so much fun!MIT Gurukul is using a mixed bunch of reading challenge books this year. Some children are reading Space Hop, some Creepy House, and some The Big Friendly Read. So, beginning with Grade V, I decided to move away from all the stories they've been reading, and I read out Bholu and the Thief, followed by a word puzzle. The children read, participated ... And absolutely loved the Word Search!With Prep-II, I read out a delightful book by Sir Quentin Blake - The Five of Us.Angie can see very well even from a distance. Ollie, who wears round dark glasses, can hear very well. Simona and Mario (who happens to be in a wheelchair) can lift ridiculously heavy things. And Eric ... I won't tell you what makes him amazing! Participative, enthusiastic children … [Read more...]
The Joys of Conducting Workshops
There are so many things I love about conducting workshops! I just finished a five-day creative writing workshop at Baner, and it was, as always, good fun. We began with limericks, which are always exciting. Sometimes, they're funny; sometimes, just fun. Here are a few the children came up with during the session.Day two introduced the children to the wonderful Shel Silverstein. Every time I introduce his poetry to children, I fall in love with it all over again! I used his poetry workshop kit, and here's an epigram that one of the children wrote.And that leads me to what always makes me laugh with delight during each writing workshop I conduct - imaginative spelling! Here's some more:Surprises. Workshops are full of surprises. This creative writing workshop led me to a comic inspired by Monty Python!And the sense of satisfaction at the end when you realise that ten hours … [Read more...]
Reading Challenge at Indus International School
"The circus has come to Pune!""Yes, and it can fly!""Yes, and there are gymnasts jumping from the ceiling!""Yes, and there is a flying unicorn!""Yes, and there are singing koalas!""Yes, and the tiger can bark!""Yes, and the dogs are miaowing!"I love playing 'Yes, and ...' with children. They are just so imaginative. We created a crazy circus together, full of dancing dragonflies, flying kangaroos and a robot or two thrown in.With the older children, we spoke about animal rights and bullying, with one group presenting a very balanced idea of the circus - as entertainment, as a home for strays, and as a nightmare for wild animals.I ended with a story from The Story-Catcher, "The Circus Boy", which led to a lovely conversation about child labour and bullying."How many of you have never been bullied?" I asked.Not one child raised a hand."How many of you can honestly say … [Read more...]
What animal are you?
Have you ever played Chinese Pictionary? I used it as part of my junior workshop for the British Library's Reading Challenge this year. It's a combination of Chinese Whispers and Pictionary, and it promises to be hilarious. Especially with young children, or people who cannot draw, it becomes a crazy game that is loads of fun.Here's how it goes.The first child got this chit:He had to draw it, and this is what he drew:(In his defence, he's not even seven years old) The next child looked at the picture and tried to guess what it was. She thought it was this:The next child saw just this word and tried to draw it. This is what he drew:And the last child had to guess what it was. She guessed it was this:Each time I play this with children, it's just so much fun! Here's another one:And another: … [Read more...]