Going bonkers at Bookaroo, Delhi

Karadi had a lot of fun with children at Bookaroo Delhi which featured five fun packed sessions by four artists of Karadi Tales.

Shilpa Ranade brought alive Chief Chakku, of Monkeys on a Fast, and the little elephant, of Little Vinayak as children drew and coloured their characters along with her. There was much excitement among parents who drew funny funky monkeys with their children. Some imitated Shilpa’s drawing style but many children drew their own versions of the monkey chief and the little elephant. The Little Vinayak session had its fair share of multi-coloured elephants!

 Little readers were inspired to transform into little writers as Soumitra Ranade discussed the nuances of building a plot and coming up with an ending. Children came up with creative and creepy endings for Tak-Tak!, the eerie tale penned by Soumitra Ranade.  Where did the Tak-Tak sounds come from? What was it all about? He stopped the story in its tracks and asked the kids to continue. “May be the Tak-Tak was the sound of a nail being hammered into the wall by a ghost carpenter,” said one child. He also had a story that explained how the carpenter landed in the mansion. “It is the sound of the stilettos worn by a rich woman who used to live in the mansion,” said another.  Creativity needs no kindling when one deals with children. Soumitra’s session definitely proved that.

Chetan Sharma roared like the hungry lion he drew on his canvas for The Lion’s Feast! The roar that echoed as response was humungous! Nearly 100 children and parents responded with laughs and cheers for Chetan’s session. Many children huddled close to the illustrator to listen to this ravenously funny tale. At one point they chased him out of the stage, as he was the lion and the children wanted to save the day!

The best part of a children’s lit fest is seeing children appreciate art and hearing them convey their appreciation to the artist. Sanket Pethkar was on cloud nine as he heard children come up to him and say that his Night Monster looked beautiful. They drew their own monsters, coloured them and handed the drawings over to Sanket to be locked away forever. Isn’t it a beautiful way to vanquish one’s fears? 

Yet another beautiful, perfectly coordinated, and inspiring fest organised by the Bookaroo team! Kudos to Swati, Jo and Venkatesh and every other member and volunteer who made this happen.