It was time for happy giggles and fun galore at the Storyteller Bookstore, Kolkata, on November 12 as Children’s Day celebrations got off to an early start with the Children’s Carnival.
The event, organised by the woman-led independent bookstore for children aged seven to 12, lived up to its name. There were snacks, tattoo parlours and an exciting book launch.
“Our endeavour from Storyteller is to get new authors, to have live sessions and to introduce children to them. They should be able to listen to the authors and know how stories are created and how illustrations are done. That’s how we get children back to books. It’s important that we hold such sessions because then, the children get excited. My goal is to create a community of readers,” said Mayura Misra, owner of the Storyteller Bookstore.
Launch of 'Myra and The Secret Library'
The Children’s Carnival opened with the launch of Myra and The Secret Library by Nita Bajoria. The author engaged in conversation with Oindrilla Dutt, entrepreneur, anchor and moderator, as they spoke about a futuristic world where paper books would be obsolete and rare.
Myra, the protagonist of Bajoria’s book, sets out on a unique adventure to save the only library on the planet.
“I have a fascination for science fiction and what the future might hold for us. In the world of literature, there are two types of worlds an author can create — a dystopian world or a utopian world. I feel that if we are to think, we should think positively. So here also [in the book], in the future, there will be many new things,” Bajoria said.
Nita Bijoria’s book 'Myra and the Secret Library' on display
Having fun with tattoos
The tattoo artists and their skin-friendly colours were a huge hit among the kids attending the event. Some even showed reference images so that the tattooist could replicate their favourite design. Rishit Malik, a Class IV student at St. Xavier's Collegiate school, got himself a dragon tattoo. “I like the dragon so I got a dragon tattoo made. There’s a big dragon in the Pokémon books and Harry Potter books too!”
The nine-year-old added, “I read a lot. I mostly like books about history and adventure. One of my favourites is the Harry Potter series. I also like books on Egypt and cricket. I mostly go through the books I have already read and re-read them."
A dragon tattoo in progress
Parent Speak
Even though the event was all about the children, the parents and guardians accompanying their kids had an enjoyable time as well. Speaking about why such events are important for their children,
“I take my children to bookstores and other places. These events are very important because writers have very strong knowledge about any particular topic. When they write, they do a lot of research. When we come and attend these events, we also get to know a lot of new things. When we read their books as parents, we gain a lot of inspiration from them,” said Divya Agarwal, a mother of a 14-year-old and a five-year-old.
The Children’s Carnival, although primarily organised for kids, welcomed people of all age groups
“We [parents] have to make this [book reading] a practice by reading books to them. My little one keeps asking how I can read so nicely and she expresses her desire to read fluently. I got some initial stage books for her where she tries to read three or four-letter words. Then she gets the confidence to read like me,” Agarwal said.