Celebrating 15 Years of the JLF Pratham Books Outreach: A Journey of Stories, Diversity and Young Minds

In January 2025, we celebrated a significant milestone: 15 years of enabling the school outreach program of the Jaipur Literature Festival (JLF)! Over one and half decades, we’ve reached over 50,000 children through more than 1,000 sessions across 500 institutions. We’ve introduced them to the world of stories, ideas, and creativity, sparking imaginations and opening doors to new worlds.

What makes this outreach special is how it connects young minds with the transformative power of stories. It’s not just about reading books; it’s about bringing them to life. Through engaging sessions with authors, illustrators, poets, scientists, and storytellers, we’ve taken children on journeys across time, space, and imagination. Whether in classrooms, shelters, or libraries, these children have connected deeply with the stories and the perspectives they offer.

For us, this outreach is not just a program it’s about shaping the future. We aim to nurture a generation of thinkers, dreamers, and creators who will shape a better tomorrow. The diversity of voices we’ve brought to the program has been key to its success, inspiring children with stories that go beyond the ordinary.

The range of topics we’ve explored together has been extraordinary—from ancient history to modern-day challenges, from science to poetry. These stories don’t just entertain; they encourage critical thinking, creativity, and a deeper understanding of the world around us.

As we marked this 15-year milestone, we’re excited for what’s ahead. Every session, every story shared, and every child who discovers the joy of reading brings us closer to a world where imagination, creativity, and diversity are cherished and accessible to all. Our mission remains clear: to create a future where every child sees reading as a gateway to limitless possibilities.

We look forward to continuing this journey, inspiring the next generation of thinkers, dreamers, and creators—one story at a time. And a huge shoutout to our amazing team of storytellers and speakers who make it all possible!

Here are some pictures from this year’s outreach which included speakers like Akshata Murthy, Kallol Bhattacharjee, Ambassador Hervé Delphin, among other eminent personalities who spoke to children in schools across Delhi and Jaipur about a varied range of topics.