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Ghummakkad Narain – The Travelling Children’s Literature Festival

Pratham Books is delighted to be a partner in the UNESCO initiative on the promotion of reading through the Donate a Book campaign. Since Pratham Books’ inception is linked to the READ INDIA campaign pioneered by Pratham and its mission is “A Book In Every Child’s Hand”, there is a definite synergy in joining hands to reach the largest number of children and spread the joy of reading. Both organisations believe that it is the right of all children to have access to good books and this enriches their educational journey as well as their lives beyond school.

The Ghummakkad Narain festival is being organised by the NGO’s Nivesh and Himalayan Hub for Art and Cultural Heritage (HHACH) under the aegis of the UNESCO New Delhi Office.

THE CONCEPT: Ghummakkad Narain? Narain is an elderly gentleman who is extremely fond of books and travels around reading them out to children. He is fun to be with as he makes reading a whole lot of fun. He is a store house of knowledge and has a unique way of sharing it – in the form of stories. He’s loved by both children and the elderly, wherever he goes. His stories sometimes even attract animals that follow him around listening to his stories……

THE INITIATIVE: Books are extremely important tools of providing knowledge, transmitting information and introducing us to unknown worlds, enhancing our understanding of the world. In addition books play a meaningful role as psychological and emotional balances and vents that help people overcome trauma caused by a disaster and help them face challenges and look at them rationally through reading. Reading can be escape into worlds of one’s choice or an emotional cushion seeing us through tough times, bringing us back to regular everyday life. Books cannot be isolated from reading, and reading habits can be inculcated only in those who have the opportunity to read and have an access to books and reading. It is therefore our binding obligation to facilitate the collection of reading material and to bring books to those who do not have access to libraries or the privilege of owning books. Books are for everyone and we would want every child to have access to books and reading through schools or community libraries. What matters is that each book must be read and enjoyed. It is with this purpose that we bring this festival to our children to bring them closer to books and to reading. To stimulate their imagination and foster their development by helping them understand themselves better. To make books their best friends for life. Our motive is to not just educate children but to retain their interest in studies through reading and sharing so as to make them thinkers and individuals of tomorrow.

For registration and queries contact [email protected], [email protected]

The festival will take place every Saturday from 30 July 2010 to 29 September 2010 at The Heritage School, New Road, Dehra Dun

Catch our author Bharti Jagannathan at the Read Aloud session of Samira’s Awful Lunch and Samira Goes Shopping on Saturday, 31 July 2010 at 10.30am.

The schedule for the festival is given below (please click on the images for a larger view)

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