A View of the World through the Eyes of a Child

Join the Neev Literature Festival 2023 on October 7-8 as it explores the world of children's literature and discusses navigating their world through ideas.

on Oct 06, 2023

A View of the World through the Eyes of a Child | Frontlist

The Neev Literature Festival 2023 will seek to address the world of children via literature.

"It is an exciting time to be in children's literature," says writer and editor Bijal Vachharajani, who will participate in the city's Neev writing Festival on October 7 and 8. The festival, which began in 2017, is now in its seventh edition and "will attempt to address the world of children through literature and discussions around how we consume ideas and use that to navigate what is going on in a child's world," according to the festival's concept paper.

Karthika Gopalakrishnan, Festival Director for NLF and Head of Reading for Neev Academy, explains that the festival was founded by Neev Academy in Bengaluru because "we wanted to have some serious conversations about children's books and literature," adding that the school has always valued reading.

Children's books, in general, don't always get the attention they deserve, observes Karthika, who shares some industry experts' thoughts. For starters, she argues, they don't get substantial media coverage, which limits their reach. They are also frequently overlooked in retail venues, and there is a scarcity of salespeople who are knowledgeable about the contents of these books, she adds.

"The smaller independent bookstores do a better job with this," she claims. "But the market is really small and facing a combination of challenges."

Despite this, she claims that there is some outstanding work being done in it right now, which Bijal concurs with. "There is a lot of discussion going on about diversity in children's literature," she says, adding that as a commissioning editor, she is excited to see the variety of books that resonate with the pulse of different Indias.

"We're seeing stories about climate change, exclusion, and the caste system," adds Bijal, who believes that this sharing of experiences is critical across the country. "It is powerful for these stories to be coming out and being read across," she continues."Children as readers have always been open and curious."

So, what can attendees of the festival look forward to? According to the festival's website, this year's festival will have over 77 speakers from throughout the country and around the world, as well as over 100 seminars and access to over 2000 books. Linda Sue Park, Renée Watson, and Robin Page will be among the global award-winning authors, as will some of India's top writers for children's and young adult literature, including Anushka Ravishankar, Shabnam Minwalla, Venita Coelho, and Jane De Suza.

There will also be seminars by editors, storytellers, artists, publishers, actors, and performers, as well as programmes for parents and educators, masterclasses for children of various ages, and book readings and signings.

"Neev becomes a space where a lot of us gather — writers and illustrators from across India as well as internationally — and there is a lot of excitement and conversation about books," says Bijal, who adds that it is always entertaining and rejuvenating. According to author Menaka Raman, who will be reading from her latest book, Topi Rockets from Thumba, at the festival, it is also a terrific method to track and meet readers, illustrators, publishers, and other writers.

She is adamant that focusing just on how excellent reading is for children academically robs them of the joy of reading. "These festivals are about celebrating books, looking through books, choosing what you like, listening to authors read, meeting illustrators..."It's very joyful to be in that space and environment," she says.