Toilet humour, Greek gods, bullies, vampires and mythological figures fly out of the pages at Bookaroo.
Why would anyone write a diary in a toilet?” asks a curious eight-year-old during Adeline Foo’s interactive session, ‘Sit, Write and Uh-Huh’, at the Aviva Bookaroo festival organised at Sanskriti Kendra in Delhi. Foo, who has been expecting this question, smiles: “Because sometimes the only way young boys learn to write is by writing a diary sitting in the loo!” Answering a similar question at her next session, ‘I got a Diary-Ah’, Foo’s quip has several children giggling.
The question forms the subject of the Singaporean author’s bestselling series, The Diary of Amos Lee, especially the first book, I Sit, I Write, I Flush. In India for the first time to promote her books and attend the fourth edition of the Bookaroo festival, the children’s author hopes to encourage little ones to take up writing as a form of creative expression as well as have fun. “Kids love toilet humour, especially boys. Maintaining a diary is the easiest and fastest way to begin writing at a young age,” Foo believes.
The first day at Bookaroo is reserved for schools from across the city and 1,100 students turn up. The festival has several international authors such as John Dougherty, Steve Barlow and Steve Skidmore taking over the amphitheatre at Sanskriti for interactive sessions. Dougherty’s session, ‘Zeus on the loose again!’, about a Greek god fighting his school bully offers a comic treat. With Dougherty choosing to “perform his stories, poems and music,” his audience of ten-year-olds jump out of their seats squealing in excitement, wondering whether the honourable Zeus will use his ‘thunderbolt’ on his bully.
Barlow and Skidmore’s session for 12-year-olds, on Saturday, will involve an interactive “frightfest”, as they encourage their audience to “prime their senses, load their weapons and join them in outwitting vampires, werewolves and demons.” Taking a jibe at the popular Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer depicting the incidents that follow when a vampire falls in love with a human, the authors insist that their act is meant for those “who would rather destroy the undead than fall in love with them.”
A Bookaroo first-timer, Devdutt Pattanaik who has published over 20 books citing the importance of mythology in modern times, will indulge in “playing charades with the gods” in his session, ‘Have Fun in Devlok’. Pattanaik’s session is aimed at six- to eight-year olds. The session held on Friday by Samhita Arni, author of Sita in the 21st Century, was for the older lot where she spoke about her portrayal of Sita as a martyr or a feminist in her graphic novel.
The festival, which began in 2008 and is held annually in the capital, went to Srinagar in May this year. Though the authors, illustrators and publishers were advised to stay within the premises of Delhi Public School, Srinagar, due to “security concerns”, the exchange with the students was extremely “fruitful,” says poet and fiction writer Prayag Shukla. Shukla’s recitation of his Hindi poem Dhammak Dhammak had six-year-olds singing along. Shukla also recounts his experience at the Bookaroo last year when some young girls from Sikkim gifted him packets of tea once his session was over. “I was extremely touched,” he smiles.
Festival director Swati Roy wants to take the festival to Srinagar again, and to other cities as well. Calling Bookaroo a “wholesome children’s festival” where authors, books and children come together, Roy hopes the crowds will keep increasing.
(The Bookaroo festival is on in Delhi till November 27)
