Literary and Library Week 2026

From 20 April to 24 April 2026, The Indian School celebrated "Literary and Library Week" with an extensive array of activities and guest lectures designed to foster a love for reading and self-expression across all class levels. The week was thoughtfully structured to provide students from Pre-Primary to Class XII with a blend of creative participation and intellectual engagement through expert interactions.

The "Library Week" segment focused on promoting a culture of reading and resource sharing among the student body. On 21 April 2026, a "Book Exchange Drive" was successfully organised for students of Classes VI to XII, where participants submitted previously read books to the school library in exchange for coupons to select new titles. Furthermore, a "Book Exhibition" was held from 22 April to 24 April in collaboration with Full Circle Bookstore. This exhibition showcased a diverse range of fiction, non-fiction, and academic resources, allowing students, staff, and families to explore and purchase books to enhance their personal collections.

The youngest learners in the Pre-Primary department embarked on a magical journey, transforming their classrooms into a vibrant landscape of stories. The week began with a "Dress Up as Your Favourite Story Character" activity, where students like Neil Nirvair Malick (Pre-Primary), who chose “Bal Ganesha”, and Anaya Nagar (Pre-Primary), who dressed as “Elsa”, shared insights about their characters with blossoming confidence. On the second day, theatre practitioner Ms Swati Goyal captivated the children with an interactive storytelling session of "The Hippo", using imaginative sounds and rhythmic claps. The week also included "DEAR Time" (Drop Everything and Read), allowing students to immerse themselves in the class library, and concluded with a heartwarming exhibition for families to browse and select books together.

For students in Class I, the week featured activities designed to build communication skills, including a lively "Show and Tell" with favourite toys and a "Marvellous M Story Session". In Class II, creativity took centre stage with the "Mystery Word Box" and "Draw the Ending" activities, where students illustrated their own conclusions to half-told stories. Humour was integrated through "My Funny Dictionary", while the "Alphabet Story Challenge" helped sharpen their sequencing skills. Both classes also enjoyed a specialised musical storytelling session with Ms Swati Goyal, who used instruments to create an immersive narrative experience. Class III students focused on performance through "Storytelling with Puppets" and designed creative cover pages for their favourite books. Class IV participants presented "Walk the Talk: Idiom Edition", a creative ramp walk where they dressed up to represent the literal meanings of idioms while explaining their actual definitions. Along with Class V, they attended an inspiring storytelling session by Ms Vasudha Ahuja. Class V students further distinguished themselves through a "Storytelling Competition" and the "Be the Author – Live Interview" event, in which students dressed as figures such as Ruskin Bond, Arundhati Roy, and J.K. Rowling to answer questions about their literary inspirations.

Middle school students from Classes VI to VIII participated in sessions with distinguished authors. On 20 April 2026, Ms Archana Garodia Gupta introduced Indian heritage through the alphabet from her book, "A History of India for Children". On 22 April 2026, Ms Divya Gupta Kotawala discussed her memoir, "My Dad’s Daughter", exploring themes of grief and healing and encouraging students to process their emotions through the power of writing.

For the senior students of Classes IX to XII, the week offered intellectually stimulating sessions. On 20 April 2026, Mr Jonathan Gil Harris inaugurated the week for Classes XI and XII by discussing the interconnections of migration and culture through his work, "The Girl from Fergana". On 24 April 2026, Mr Parnab Mukherjee led a contemplative session on "Migration" as a phenomenon of human consciousness, while Major General Saiyed Qamar Ahmed (Retd.) addressed the evolution of "Modern Warfare" in the school auditorium. The celebrations reached a meaningful conclusion on 15 May 2026, with a session titled "A Career in Books" by Ms Swati Daftur, who provided Classes XI and XII with a comprehensive roadmap of the publishing industry. 

The comprehensive celebrations reached a meaningful conclusion by bridging the gap between creative imagination and professional reality. From the playful puppet shows of the primary wing to the sophisticated geopolitical and editorial discourses in the senior school, "Literary and Library Week" successfully reinforced the library as the heart of the school's intellectual life. By providing students with a platform to interact with historians, war veterans and publishing experts, the event went beyond traditional reading, inspiring the students to see themselves as the next generation of storytellers, innovators, and critical thinkers. The week left the entire school community with a renewed appreciation for the power of words to shape, preserve, and transform the human experience.