L’(Extra)ordinaire
28th January 2023
3:20–3:40 pm
L’(Extra)ordinaire is an audiobook of poems, an ode to the power of different-ness and a tribute to the value of kindness and empathy. It is the poet’s humble attempt to repay the countless acts of kindness of people who despite being complete strangers trusted and bestowed her with opportunities. In many ways, this ‘village’ of hers, manifested her success through their faith and positivity. Through it, she hopes to encourage others to look beyond their differences, continue to persevere no matter how alone the path may sometimes seem, and enjoy small victories along the way! L’(Extra)ordinaire shines a light on the twin virtues of empathy and kindness.
Readings by The Little Theatre
th January 2023
(Poems, Short stories, and Excerpts from novels)
Duration: 45 mins (each session, Sat and Sun)
The Little Theatre will read poems, short stories, and excerpts from novels to the gathered audience. Joining these readings are members of The Little Theatre: BS Prakash, Navaneeta Lahiri, Padma Ramesh, Sagarika Melkote, Sarala Mahidhara, Shankar Melkote, Sreekumar Nair among others.
Fun Cooking for Little Chefs
Sridevi Jasti (Vibrant Living)
Time: 60 mins
Age group: 8 – 14
28th January 202312:00–1:00 pm
‘Live, hands-on’ workshops by Sridevi Jasti have earned their badges from men, women, and children of all ages across India and beyond. For HLF 2023, Vibrant Living has specially devised a unique interactive programme for children. The Children’s Workshop will be a live session on food shopping with a focus on health and nutrition without sacrificing taste. This will help the young audience understand the importance of interpreting food labels and discriminating between health and unhealthy foods.
Magic of Natural Colours
Time: 60 mins
Age group: 5-12 years
Participants: 20
28th January 202310:00–11:00 am
Did you know that there is magic waiting to be explored in your kitchen and garden? Did you know that nature provides free art supplies? Come discover the magic of natural colours through a play session where we will get our hands dirty and explore some everyday colour sources. Get ready to play, make art, and be surprised by nature’s magic!
Meet My Book
Konnichiwa Izumi: Adventures in 2040
Duration: Up to 20 mins
Age group: 6-15 years
29th January 202312:40–1:00 pm
Samarth Chitta will share the experience of writing his second book, giving the audience a glimpse into the process of conceptualizing the story and characters and the reasons for choosing the theme and the setting (Japan). He will read an excerpt from the book and share a copy of his book with the audience. They can read a chapter and share what they liked about the characters or the story. This will be followed Q & A.
(He will be helped by Lakshmi Dasaka (mother) and Chaitanya Chitta (father))
Trees and Me
Duration: 60 mins
Age group: 8-10 years
27th January 20233:00–4:00 pm
A workshop for children focusing on the Tree. Through traditional poetry, questions will be raised such as:
- How do we think about trees?
- The experience of Tree-ness/being a tree.
- How have poets talked about trees?
- Some poems will be incorporated into the discussion like
- “Manush ho to vahi Raskhani” (Raskhan)
- “Birachhan se mati le” (Sur)
- “Nahi aiso janam barambar” (Meera)
The aim is to come to the understanding that humans and trees share the same being.
Listen … And Make a Story-Page
Duration: 20+20 mins
Age group: 4-14 years
29th January 202310:00–10:40 am
Storytelling with post-storytelling art-response activity.
Part 1
A musical, fun folktale from India for children. We travel into the world of little Mohini and her encounter with Ajivika the demon. A blend of songs from around the country in the narration of episodes from the life of a little girl who loved to sing and dance. Travelling on the wings of words to a world where a dangerous demon lived.
Part 2
Children are encouraged to make a drawing from the story of any character or scene. Being in a rich state of mind having just imagined the story, the child participant is guided through an engaging art-response to the story just listened to.
Of Gobbledygook and Balderdash – Make your own story!
Duration: 45 mins
Age group: 6-12 years
29th January 202310:00–10:40 am
This is a relay story-making session where the participants, the kids, make up a story based on prompts we provide to start the story. The characters in the story would also be the kids present there. We can make it interesting by having multiple story directions and getting the kids to complete each storyline separately. We are likely to record the session on mobile so we can have the story written out later. If time permits, we can have the authors of our publishing house, Merlinwand, read out stories where characters are from among the kids present.
Bugs in Our Backyards
Kobita Dass Kolli, Lakshmi Prabhala
Duration: 75 mins
Age group: 10+ years
No of Participants: 30
28th January 20233:45–5:15 pm
The bees, insects, bugs we steer clear of, are the very insects in our backyard that play an essential role in sustaining life on earth. Insects are an amazingly diverse group that provide critical services to the environment. As pollinators, butterflies, moths, and bees give us food; termites and flies are essential clean-up crews; spiders, wasps, and dragonflies control pests, and above all most of these bugs are a protein-rich food source for numerous lifeforms including birds, bats, frogs, and lizards. Kobita Dass Kolli and Lakshmi Prabhala spent time in their gardens observing the small fauna and found the encounters with these garden dwellers immensely entertaining and visually engaging. Please join them as they acquaint you with a few denizens and small wonders that often go unnoticed in the green spaces around us.
