Rich and Resplendent Literary Week 2023

Literary Week was celebrated with much verve and vigour at The Indian School from 24 to 28 April 2023, to commemorate the spirit of literature. Several exciting literary events and innovative activities marked the week. As in previous years, this year too, there was an impressive line-up of acclaimed writers who came and shared their personal experiences.

The opening ceremony was held in the Foundation Hall on 24 April 2023. The inaugural session featured Ms Syeda Imam, author of The Untold Charminar, The Making of Advertising, Epiphany, The Positive Side, and Like Fine Wine. The cerebral event was graciously patronised by members of the School Managing Committee, Dr (Mrs) Nayana Goradia, Mr Lal Raisinghani, and parents.

Ms Tania Joshi warmly welcomed Ms Imam with a gift hamper and a plant from the School nursery. The hamper consisted of wax candles handcrafted by students as part of the Shramdaan project under the Citizenship Programme. Ms Imam's effulgent presence awakened the latent creativity in the children. In her address, Ms Imam shared beautiful quotes by Shakespeare, George Orwell, and Harry Potter, among others. She told her audience that Geoffrey Chaucer legitimised English as a literary language. She shared several of his famous quotes, like "Patience is a conquering virtue" and "All good things come to an end". Subsequently, young literary enthusiasts from classes VI-XII read their favourite lines from different books with poise. Ms Imam commended the students on their choice of books and said that it was evident that the children had assimilated, in spirit, the very purpose of the literary week, as they brought to life every word they read.

In the next session, Dr (Mrs) Nayana Goradia, Vice Chairperson of the School Managing Committee, delivered a captivating speech on the significance of literature and shared her enriching experiences growing up in Jamnagar, a princely state. The erudite speaker highlighted her childhood years in Sri Lanka (then called Ceylon), where her father was posted. She also reminisced about her life in Kolkata post-marriage. Mrs Goradia's reminiscences of her time in erstwhile Calcutta reminded her of the city's rich cultural heritage and its contribution to the arts and literature of India.

The audience, consisting of middle and high school students, found learning about her upbringing during the British Raj fascinating. Students were spellbound and awed to envision glimpses of her life.

A creative writing event in Hindi for students in classes VIII to X was held on the same day by the renowned Hindi writer, poet, and translator, Dr Rishi Mathur. He engaged the students in creating a simple framework to structure a story and emphasised the characteristics of a good storyteller.

On 25 April 2023, a poetry writing workshop for the students of classes XI-XII was conducted by Mr Anand Khatri, the founder of the Poiesis Society for Poetry, and Dr V.K. Paul, Dean and Head at the School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi.

Mr Anand Khatri shared some of his writings that beautifully conveyed the message of environmental preservation. He also illuminated different customs and festivals celebrated in India that promote environmental conservation and renewal. Students were asked to craft poetry from the given prompts. Dr V.K. Paul highlighted the value of rhythm and choice of language (which he called the language of the heart) in composing truly beautiful poems.

On 26 April 2023, Ms Nupur Awasthy conducted two engaging sessions for the students. The first was a storytelling session for the students of classes III and IV. Calling stories the most powerful way to communicate ideas and emotions, Ms Awasthy captivated her young audience with the gripping narration of her story, The Hungry Chicken. In her second session, Ms Awasthy conducted an inspiring poetry writing workshop for class V. The workshop was hugely successful, with the students producing beautiful, heartfelt poems.

Another renowned storyteller, Ms Shraddha Gupta, conducted a session for students in class II. The talented storyteller of the famous theatre group- Story Ki Boree, accompanied by her guitarist, accorded the little ones a mesmerising experience.

On 27 April 2023, the fourth day of the literary week, Ms Sutapa Basu, the author of several books and CBSE textbooks, conducted an interactive book reading session for classes VIII and IX. She brought to life the story of the young protagonist, Anahita Sarkar, in The Cursed Inheritance. Also, she shared some exciting facets of the history of India from her book, The Birth of My Nation. After the session, the young brigade rushed excitedly to get their copies of the books autographed by Ms Basu. Some enthusiastic and curious fans lingered on to converse with their favourite author. It was an unforgettable experience for the students, who left the hall inspired to dive deeper into the world of books.

The same day, Ms Suchitra Bharti, Assistant Professor at Gargi College, University of Delhi, conducted a workshop to promote interest in Sanskrit learning among the students. Ms Bharti provided valuable tips on how to easily and quickly acquire knowledge of Sanskrit.

On 28 April 2023, the fifth day of the literary week, Ms Sunita Singh, poet, author, and storyteller, conducted a session for students in classes IX and X. The purpose of the session was to ignite and instill new interests in students, particularly in reading, creative writing, and public speaking. Ms Singh read excerpts from her books, Making of a Chief Justice of India: The Life and Times of Justice Kamal Narain Singh and The Dance of the Flamingoes. Students were asked to write the opening lines of a story, which were later read out to the audience. She also shared valuable tips on writing the end of a story, preferably ending it with a cliffhanger!

Besides hosting eminent luminaries, the language teachers also engaged the students in the classrooms across all levels in several literary tasks as per the following details:

ENGLISH

Class I engaged in storytelling, discussed saving lives underwater, and made fish using old water bottle caps. Class II watched a story about nature and made nature bracelets, dressing up as storybook characters. Class III enacted their favourite cartoon characters and gifted books to their classmates, while Class IV made postcards and recited their favourite poems. Class V practised calligraphy and did twist-the-tale activities.

Class VI students wrote short humorous poems in their pocket diaries. In addition, they spoke eloquently as their favourite characters from old English classics, in an activity called Eloquent Expressions. Class VII students learned about various poetic devices and engaged in an art-integrated activity based on them. They also read quotes and dialogues from their favourite novels, and some students even narrated autobiographies of extinct animals and other earth-related elements. Class VIII students wrote poems based on humour and the School theme " Reclaiming My Planet". They also participated in a literary quiz and read quotes and dialogues from their favourite novels.

Classes IX to XII students showcased their love for the English language by engaging in activities like read-a-thons, poetry recitations, and Twitter tales. The latter activity attempted to give the twitterati, i.e., our avid readers and creative writers, an opportunity to draft their stories with a given beginning and end.

HINDI

The students participated in the story writing session led by Dr Rishi Mathur. It served as an excellent platform to promote creativity and writing skills among students. Encouraged and equipped, students across all levels showcased their artistic and writing abilities through illustrations, poems, and short stories.

SANSKRIT

Class VI students engaged in reading short Sanskrit stories published by NCERT and were encouraged to design cover pages based on the famous Sanskrit classic Panchatantra. For class VII students, enlightening verses from Nitishak were read to develop their interest in the language. They also designed cover pages based on the epic tale of the Ramayana. Class VIII students were introduced to the best writers of Sanskrit literature and enjoyed reciting verses from Kalidaskrit Meghdoot. They also designed cover pages based on Meghdoot and the Vedas.

FRENCH

Class VI students watched moral stories in French with subtitles on the smart board. Despite being a new subject, the children were eager to learn and paid attention to the stories, picking up many new words. In addition, they actively participated in discussions and were enthusiastic about explaining parts of the story to each other. Class VII students watched a French story on the smart board, expanding their vocabulary. They even created book covers for the story and could easily retell it in the correct sequence. Class VIII students read the French story, Le rve de Sophie. They analysed the story's meaning and related it to their dreams, leading to an engaging and insightful discussion.

The week-long literature carnival thus came to a successful end. A veritable celebration of literature, the Literary Week at School was a week well spent in 'edutainment'.