Harry Potters and Artemis Fowls fly off the library shelves. The Indian books quietly gather dust. We wear our patriotism on our sleeves but when it comes to reading Indian books there is a strange anathema that engulfs young readers. The enthusiastic reading brigade of Ekya JP Nagar decided to have a READ….INDIAN activity all month long on account of our Independence Day.
The middle and High school students of Ekya School JP Nagar have resolved to stand united for the cause of Indian children’s literature. They came together to research and write papers on the beloved Indian authors of both fiction and non-fiction and will present the same before the entire school on Independence Day. They trust wholeheartedly that this proactive step would kindle the spark of interest in their fellow bibliophiles.
The young artists complement the research with an exceptional art exhibition that centered around the key architects of Indian Children’s writing. Pencil sketches by Mansi Aditya Kittur of Grade 7, charcoal drawings of the Indian Authors by Vipin V Lokesh of Grade 8, with a range of watercolor paintings added a dash of vivacity and joie de vivre to this spirited symposium.
As the young readers resolve to be proud Indians who celebrate Indian writing, we echo the immortal lines of Tagore…
Where words come out from the depth of truth
Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection
Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way
Into the dreary desert sand of dead habit
Where the mind is led forward by thee
Into ever-widening thought and action
Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake.
By Ms. Priyanka Ghosh
English Teacher, Ekya School JP Nagar
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