The authors of Flickering Flames, an anthology of short stories and poems, were part of the Pune International Literary Festival (PILF) 2016! The young girls, all in the age-group 11-13, got the opportunity to read excerpts from their work at an event that welcomed a range of eminent speakers and writers. Of the thirteen members of the Writers' Club at St. Mary's, ten spoke at PILF 2016. One girl spoke of how Flickering Flames was born, after which each of the girls read a little of what they had written. They spoke of their journey with me, writing, rewriting and editing. The audience asked questions, engaging in a lively discussion with the young writers. This was just a beginning for them; I hope to see them with more books to their credit in the years to come! … [Read more...]
Weekend Workshops at Bengaluru
The joy of travelling is when I can mix leisure with work. Last weekend was a long weekend, and in Karnataka, it was longer still because of Varralakshmi Poojai. Many were apparently traveeling, yet, several turned up for both workshops I conducted. At Atta Galatta, Koramangala, I conducted a creative writing workshop for the age-group 9-13. It was lovely, exploring elements of a story, techniques and style. We did lots of activities and enjoyed ourselves thoroughly! At The Kids Collective, Jayanagar, I conducted a reading-cum-storytelling workshop with children aged 7-10. We explored Bholu at the Level Crossing, Bholu at the School Excursion and many others. One child told me that her favourite part of the whole workshop was the story Bholu at the School Excursion; I was thrilled! … [Read more...]
Creative Writing at Vidya Valley School
In the pouring rain, we made our way across the city to a school far, far away. It was beautiful. Greenery all around us, streams in the most unexpected places - this was not a part of the city I knew. I'd heard about Vidya Valley, and met a few students from the school at other workshops. This time, though, I was visiting the school to conduct three sessions with the sixth standard as part of the build-up to the school's very own lit fest. Teaching creative writing to a whole class is always challenging. In a class of forty, if I'm lucky, eight enjoy writing. The rest couldn't care less. When all forty are required to sit together in a classroom and write ... I didn't know what to expect. Yet, in a school with its own literature fest, I was hopeful. The whole day was simply delightful! We talked about all kinds of books, and I was pleasantly surprised to find out about … [Read more...]
Creative Writing Workshop in Bengaluru
Last year, I conducted a reading workshop at Atta Galatta, and I knew I had to go back there and do something else! The place is perfect, the ambiance charming and the children I met were lovely. So now it's time to do something else, something new! Conducting the Writers' Club at St. Mary's School has shown me how much I enjoy working with children who enjoy writing. It's full of imagination, whacky ideas and magic! Creative Writing Workshop for Children Age-group: 9-13 Venue: Atta Galatta, Bengaluru Dates: 13th and 14th August, 2016 Time: 11 am to 1 pm Fees: Rs. 1,000 per participant Contact me for more details or to register! … [Read more...]
Reading Challenge at MGM Clover Dale
The Imagination Box, which I wrote about yesterday, as well as the books I'll be writing about in the days ahead, were part of the Reading Challenge organised by the British Library. As always, I enjoyed myself thoroughly conducting a series of workshops at MGM Clover Dale High School in Aurangabad. The theme for their Reading Challenge was "Record Breakers", and there were record breakers amongst them! A pair of twins read 16 books in the last three weeks because they enjoyed the challenge so much! The first workshop, for younger children, was a lovely storytelling session. I introduced them to Julia Donaldson's The Paper Dolls. We play-acted, read the story, and then even made the paper dolls as instructed at the end of the book! The second session was with eight-year-olds who found that they were too old to read the collection for young readers. They chose to read books from the … [Read more...]
Author Visit
Yesterday, the Writers' Club at St. Mary's School welcomed Leela Gour Broome, author of Flute in the Forest and Red Kite Adventure. Mrs Broome introduced her two books and spoke to the children about the process of writing them. "I'm not a fan of fantasy," she said when the children asked her what she reads. "I think we need more realistic Indian fiction that children can read!" Her own books are inspired by experiences she's had through her close interaction with nature, experiences that help her stories ring true. "Even when you imagine, there's a limit, right? For instance, you could write about a pony that is colourful and magical … Maybe the pony can fly. But would you be able to convince your readers that the pony can drive a car? Remember that the reader must be able to imagine with you, so don't let your imagination get away with you!" The … [Read more...]
Workshop on Communicative English
The six-hour journey from Pune to Beed was lovely. I love travelling in the monsoon through pouring rain, looking at all the shades of green passing by. I love the hills in the rain. They're so full of life, so different from the parched summer browns! My workshop last weekend was with Gurukul English School in Beed. Like so many other schools, it is an English medium school that is attended by children from non English-speaking families. It's a huge challenge for the teachers, one that we can barely begin to tackle. Walk through the corridors and you'll hear a mix of Marathi and Hindi, with just about a word of English thrown in. And so, my workshop was on Communicative English with Functional Grammar. Led by an enthusiastic vice principal, the teachers came forward to participate, interact and share. They laughed as they donned roles of reporters and sportspeople. … [Read more...]
Workshop at Mane’s International School, Ratnagiri
People on the road selling karvand, mangoes and jackfruit. The lilting language that makes me listen to the tune rather than the meaning. The dark sand and the crashing waves. Joy! And Mane's International School was beautiful. It's a small school as of now, just a baby. There are mango trees everywhere, and the principal spoke of how the children run round and round the trees as they play. Apparently, the rains night before last made the mangoes come crashing down, but until then, the boughs were heavy with fruit! On the way to Ratnagiri, we stopped to buy karvand, offered to us in cups made of velvety leaves. (What a city person I am! I don't know what leaves they were ...) What was most charming was that each cup of fruit cost ten rupees. Some of the leaves were small, with the cups holding barely a dozen berries. Some were huge, with over thirty! But the rate was the … [Read more...]
Storytelling Workshop at Palm Groves
A group of parents got together and invited me to conduct a weeklong storytelling workshop at a housing society. Storytelling has never been more fun! Working with my own stories is a lovely experience in itself, and when the story comes with its own kit ... The enjoyment reaches new levels! Here's a group of children putting together the jigsaw puzzle of Bholu at the Level Crossing ... It was such fun telling this story, with the children making the same sounds that Chitra makes in the book, imitating the train - Poooonnnn! Chug-chug-chug-chug, chug-chug-chug-chug. One observant child commented that the red Swift in the picture had to be an old one because there was no reversing camera! And here's another picture of all the children busily colouring the sketches that are part of the third kit, the one for Bholu at the School Excursion ... This one was fun because we … [Read more...]
Record Breakers at Cathedral Vidya School
Another set of Reading Challenge workshops came to an end yesterday. This time, the theme was 'Record Breakers', and the school that took it on was Cathedral Vidya School, Lonavala. Working with fifteen bright children from classes five to eight filled me with joy! Lipograms and pangrams brought much hilarity ... The activity started in all seriousness and then went crazy as the children let their imaginations go wild. Every one of the participants was enthusiastic - all of them say they enjoyed the challenge! And, of course, team-building is part of the joy of workshops. How hard they try to finish their activity first! Another workshop is just around the corner, this time at the British Library, Pune. Click here for details. … [Read more...]
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