Bookaroo’s back in town with tales of Maharashtra

NEW DELHI: This year, the Bookaroo LitFest, a literary event exclusively for children, takes a special turn in its Delhi edition. It will bring stories of Maharashtra to the children of Delhi through people immersed in the rich Maharastrian culture. From key speakers such as award-winning author Madhuri Purandare to illustrators such as Shilpa Ranade, the event is going to be a feast for those hungry for tales from a special part of India.
Spread over two days, the Bookaroo LitFest has a strong focus on story-telling using traditional art forms like Warli, Patua and Gonda as well as cultural immersion through language.Several sessions have been planned in Marathi, and speakers have been given a free hand to switch between languages as required by the narrative. “We want children to be exposed to a new Indian language. There is a sizeable Maharastrian population in Delhi and it is important to reach them in their mother-tongue,” said Swati Roy, one of the founders of Bookaroo LitFest.
Among eagerly awaited speakers are Purandare, who recently won the Big Little Book Award for her work in children’s literature in Marathi. She has authored and illustrated more than 23 books, mostly in Marathi. For her part, Ranade will tell of how Warli art is used to create narratives. “Sourcing the original cloth on which it is created is difficult. We will use brown paper for a similar effect,” admitted Roy. A session on Day 1 will be dedicated to the life and works of Savitribai Phule, the 19th century social reformer and poet. Another session is dedicated to BR Ambedkar, with the story of ‘Bhim’ conducted by S Anand, Durgabai and Subhash Vyam. The latter two illustrated the famous graphic bio Bhimayana.
In the Delhi edition, the organisers hope to get a higher footfall, since the capital is the only city where the fest caters to 16-year-olds too. “We realised after a few sessions that the young adult bracket needed to be included in the Delhi festival. That is going to result in an expected footfall of around 13,000,” said Venkatesh, one of the festival founders.
However, not every thing goes as planned. In Kolkata, for instance, the organisers had a tough time with a cyclone forming over the area just around the time the festival was planned. But bigger challenges are those related to sponsorships, said Venkatesh. “We cancelled in Pune when a key sponsor backed out unexpectedly,” he confided.