Manisha Chaudhry writes about one of the events conducted on the last day of ‘Bookaroo in the City’.
Antony Wild and Diane de Gunzburg have been coming to India for many years. Tony is particularly interested in the British period of Indian history. Diane’s lineage extends to Russia and Afghanistan on her father’s side and so she has always had a connection with the subcontinent.
We were lucky to have them with us during Bookaroo this year and also during Bookaro in the City. We took them to the Deepalaya school in Sheikh Sarai where children from class 4-5 interacted with them. Michael Creighton who teaches in the American School also volunteers at the Deepalaya School and he was the one who first suggested holding a BIC event here.
We started a little late due to some technical glitches and we did some reorganizing of the class room to accomodate the maximum number of children. Tony and Diane took turns to talk and show pictures on their computer about their book : The Moonstone Legacy. Reflecting the shared interest of the authors, the book moves back and forth between England and India as the teenage heroine tries to unravel the origins of a curse on her family.
The children listened keenly and asked questions and Tony and Diane were very pleased to have such a responsive audience. All barriers of language, accent and age were breached with ease. Copies of the book gifted to the school will surely be read in library periods to come.
View pictures from all the Bookaroo events here.