A Story Telling Session

Two years ago, I got a call from a dear friend, Piyali, who was working with a children's publication. She asked me if I could volunteer as a Punjabi translator for a website her company was building. My literary interests made me happily agree to it. She put me through the editor, Yamini, who sent me the work log. I enjoyed learning and doing online translations of different stories. The publication was 'Pratham Books' and its website 'Storyweaver.org'.

My association with 'Pratham Books' deepened this year when I volunteered to be a 'Pratham Books Champion.' To encourage children to fall in love with reading 'Pratham Books' initiated a 'Pratham Books Champion' program in which volunteers conduct reading sessions free of cost, mostly with children from under served communities. The event is scheduled every year to celebrate 'International Literacy Day' to promote joy of reading.

I conducted my session on 9th September, 2017 at Bal Bhawan managed by Red Cross Society in Ludhiana, Punjab. I met the Principal and care taker of the school and proposed the idea which she happily accepted. I fixed the date and time. I received the book 'Kottavi Raja and his Sleepy Kingdom' along with the 'Pratham Books Champion' banner via courier. I practiced the story by myself a couple of times to get familiar and fluent before the day of the session.

 

We gathered all the children in the common area and made them sit in a circle. I was impressed to see the discipline these kids showed in their mannerisms. I read the story aloud to the children. We kept interacting in between the story to ensure all were attentively flowing through the story. It was a pleasure to get instant responses from the children. I rotated my book around to show pictures of the narratives as we pursued the story.

The session ended with a fun picture session. The Principal asked me to come more often for such sessions. It was truly a fulfilling experience. I look forward to conducting many more sessions.