When authors speak about their books to children
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An initiative of Balasahithi, YouTube channel of State Institute of Children’s Literature
Introducing the short story Manja Niramulla Rosapoovu (Yellow Rose), writer T. Padmanabhan recalls how he had got a yellow rose plant transported all the way from Kolkata to his residence.
While he was planting it, a girl from a poor family in the colony asked him if there was a rose that was yellow. The writer assured her that indeed there was one, and offered her the first flower on the plant. The joy she felt on receiving the promise was palpable.
It is this moving experience that Mr. Padmanabhan describes in the short story, which is included in his book for children Poochakuttikalude Veedu brought out by the State Institute of Children’s Literature.
He also talks about the other stories in the book in his introduction to its third edition on Balasahithi, the new YouTube channel of the State Institute of Children’s Literature.
On the channel launched recently, children’s books are introduced by the authors themselves, thus giving children a rare glimpse into how the books came to be penned.
While the first episode features Mr. Padmanabhan, the second, uploaded recently, has B. Ekbal, academic, talking about Kuttikalude Hortus Malabaricus, a kind of a primer for children on the 12-volume treatise on Kerala flora compiled by Hendrik Van Rheede, Governor of Dutch Malabar, more than 300 years ago.
A child anchor introduces the writer and the book to the viewers in a few sentences before the authors speak.
Enriching experience
Palliyara Sreedharan, Director of the State Institute of Children’s Literature, says getting writers to speak about their work is aimed at sparking children’s interest in books and reading. It is very enriching to hear them open up about the book, its background, content and design, and relevance. Moreover, the episodes introduce the children to popular names and their writings in the long-term. The channel will also be a visual documentation of the writers for posterity.
Up next on Balasahithi are writers Perumbadavam Sreedharan, K.V. Mohankumar, K.G. Jyothi and so on.
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