A new reading club for kids is opening up a window to Indian languages, while fostering the reading habit
Last month, 25 kids above eight years, in tow with their parents, gathered at an activity centre in Worli. For two hours, they took turns to read aloud English plays penned by noted Bengaluru-based author Poile Sengupta. This marked the debut edition of Kathasagar, a multilingual reading club, launched by Gillo Foundation, which works in the theatre space for young adults. This weekend, the team is ready to host the second edition, open to kids above eight, young adults, artistes and parents. "Everyone is welcome to read or listen to the stories. The reading club is aimed at opening up ways of reading, seeing, feeling and critiquing. Each monthly session focuses on one author. Texts are chosen from a range of languages and genres. We try to procure works in the original language and their translations in English or Hindi," says Shaili Sathyu, artistic director at Gillo.
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Children read works of author Poile Sengupta at the debut edition of Kathasagar
The upcoming session focuses on Hindi poet and playwright Sarveshwar Dayal Saxena, who has penned various poems for children, including the famous Batuta Ka Juta. This features in the reading menu, along with the late author's play Lakh Ki Naak.
Sarveshwar Dayal Saxena
The text will be in Devanagari. The reason the team decided to launch a multilingual club is "because children should build a healthy and positive attitude towards all languages," as Sathyu says. She adds, "Frankly, everything is not about English. There are too many good texts that we would miss out on if we did not keep it multilingual. Most importantly, theatre texts are about the spoken word, and Indians speak many languages, so we can enjoy the plays we read in multiple languages."
ON: October 28, 4 pm to 6 pm
AT: Bright Sparks, Shah & Nahar Industrial Estate, Worli.
RSVP: 9820346210
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