“Stumbled upon
your next story?” was the theme of this year’s Neev Literature fest, an
exclusive lit fest for Indian Children and YA literature at Neev Academy that
was at its seventh edition this year. As we literally stumbled out of our cab and
into our first steps into mixed media, a masterclass by illustrator Shivam
Choudhary, I noticed that NLF was
getting bigger, brighter and boundless in the myriad opportunities it affords
children to explore the world through books! Of course, it’s only been our
third year at NLF, but we were delighted with the diverse and eclectic mix of riveting
performances based on books, interestingly themed book launches, delightful book
interactions, thought-provoking sessions for educators and parents, engaging master
classes for children aged between 9 and 18 and heartwarming author interactions
and book signings and more! It was a wonderful
confluence of authors, illustrators from all over the world, numerous publishers
and creators of Indian children’s literature, along with the educators,
librarians, parents and of course students of all ages, brought together under one
giant marquee by Neev Academy at their campus in Bellandur. Systematically
planned, well organised and creatively presented, we were truly spoilt for
choices between a fun-filled session/ a performance at Kathashala,
or an insightful discussion at Kahaanimanch, or our favourite
author reading from her book at the Performing arts studio or a writer/illustrator
or content-based workshop at the Masterclass or waiting in line to get our
books signed at the Sahitya Santhe! Another NLF initiative is the NLF Reading
Challenge for young readers to read a list of “thoughtfully curated books” in a
span of three months that finally culminates in a quiz at the lit-fest! Not to forget the school adorned the charming
aesthetics of a lit fest….every corner of the school had something fascinating to
offer for book enthusiasts of all ages! NLF
is in so many ways, a torchbearer of children’s literature in India, and one of
the pioneers in bringing together all the stakeholders of Indian children’s
literature and also symbolises a sustained and sincere effort in “growing
readers for life”!
Each year NLF
shortlists books in various categories for the Neev Book Award and we’ve always
picked out the shortlisted books and devoured them in no time! Of course as my
little one is transitioning from early chapter books to middle reader books, our
Neev book bag is becoming heavier and heavier each year! So much so that I had
a minor fall and ended up with a sprained ankle owing to which we missed the
second day of NLF 2024! The shortlist was as varied and inclusive as the
festival itself and featured around three titles in each category from picture
books to chapter books to YA reading.
Aadya and I were
inspired reading about the art activist “Meera Mukerjee: Breaking moulds”
by Vaishali Shroff and awestruck by Shivam Choudhary’s illustrations,
an Art1st publication; Enraptured with
the paper cut illustrations and the empathetic storyline in the Karadi tales
publication of “A Thousand Full Moons” by Shoba Viswanath and illustrations
by Keerthana Ramesh; Loved the playful
yet deep meaning of the Pratham read “When we are Home” by Priyadarshini
Gogoi and illustrated by Pankaj Saikia.
Aadya is now into
C G Salamander and Sheena Devaiah’s travelogue of mythical beasts
across India in “From Makaras to Manticores”, a Hachette
publication, and next in line is to read about Bipathu’s
love for football in “Bipathu and a Very Big Dream” by Anitha
Nair, a Penguin publication, and ready
to learn about Tulika’s graphic series titled “Unknown Heroes of India’s freedom
Struggle” by P Sainath!
Aadya still has
a few more years to go before she delves into YA novels - Andaleeb Wajid’s
“The Henna Start-up” by Penguin
Random House and “Zen” by Shabnam Minwalla, a Duckbill
publication, with the prolific writer Andaleeb Wajid winning the Neev Book award
at NLF 2024. So “If you could live in one of these books during Dassera holidays,
which one would it be?”
While the NLF
weekend was physically exhausting as we couldn’t keep up with so many sessions
and were continually harbouring a FOMO feeling (Fear of missing out!), we came
out sporting super cool blue wrists bands, our minds uplifted, creatively
inspired, and our hearts full! Come September…. besides the start of festive
season….we have the next edition of NLF to look forward to!