Events
LIBRARY ORIENTATION WORKSHOP FOR LEAD YOUR INDIA FELLOWS
TRANSLATION WORKSHOP FOR LIBRARY EDUCATORS
LIBRARY ORIENTATION WORKSHOP FOR PRAAJAK DEVELOPMENT SOCIETY
TRAINING BALMITRAS OF DANTEWADA IN CREATING CHILD FRIENDLY PANCHAYATS
SILENT STORIES - A workshop on wordless picture books
"Words and Wonder: The Art of Translating Children's Stories" workshop
Learning Initiative for India (LIFI) every year inducts and runs a fellowship programme where youth from communities are provided with an opportunity to work for their own communities. In 2024, Bhabook Foundation was invited to be present as a partner in the induction training of the Led your India fellowship programme to orient them how library work can create safe and vibrant learning spaces and opportunities for children at schools and communities. In a 3 day training programme, a day was dedicated for library work related training where the fellows were introduced to an array of quality children’s literature as they participated in experiential library activities such as read aloud, games, poetry and story making. The training was attended by 9 fellows and team members of LIFI across Delhi, Haryana and Madhya Pradesh, taking the total number of participants to 26. The one day training prepared the fellows to initiate their work at the community libraries.
Translating children's literature requires special attention to language and sentence structure, which differ significantly from other forms of translation. This is particularly important when the target audience comprises first-generation school-goers. Without the experience of working closely with children and understanding their cognitive needs, translations may fail to be effective or engaging. Library educators of our partner Ek Tara, who work closely with children and are well-versed in children's literature in English, Hindi, and Bangla, took up the challenge of translating high-quality books for young readers. Recognising the need for skill enhancement in this area, Bhabook Foundation organised a two-day workshop aimed at refining their translation skills and ensuring that these books are accessible and enjoyable for their intended audience.
Bhabook Foundation partners with organizations working at grassroot level in strengthening the skills of the team members of the organizations in library based activities. In November 2024, Bhabook Foundation partnered with Praajak Development Society in orienting a team of 12 members from the organization on library work. In the 2 day workshop the team was given a glimpse of what makes a library a vibrant active space by introducing them to different activities such as Read Aloud, Library games, Book Talk, Thematic Display. During the interactive sessions, the participants got an opportunity to plan and demonstrate Book Talks and design library based games. It was an opportunity for them to familiarize and deeply engage with children’s literature. Within the short span of the workshop, the participants attempted to internalize the role of library educators and designing and running a library programme. The two day workshop, left the participants enthused with possibilities of conducting several planned library sessions with the children who are of their programmatic intervention.
Communities thrive when resources from within the ecosystem are utilized in bringing sustainable changes. With this belief, Bachpan Banao in Dantewada District of Chhattisgarh designed the Balmitra programmes in partnership with the District Government authorities. The two year fellowship programme, aims to create 60 child friendly Gram Panchayats across the district through fellows who are from the same community. As a part of this initiative, libraries as active safe and vibrant spaces are being set up in each of the 60 Gram Panchayats where the Blamitra’s are to engage with the children of the community. During the induction training of these fellowship programmes, Bhabook Foundation partnered with Bachpan Banao in conducting a 4 day library based training for around 65 Balmitra and Bachpan Banao team members. During the training the fellows were introduced to children literature with which they engaged through reading and activities. They were introduced to library based practices such as Read Aloud, Library games, Thematic Display, poetry based activities, Wordless book narration etc. The participants worked in groups to plan read aloud sessions, develop songs from poetries and design library games. Some of them even got the opportunity to narrate stories during practice sessions. The sessions provided them with space to ideate how they would like to set up libraries in their Gram Panchayats. As a result of the sessions, the fellows are now gradually setting up libraries in their respective Gram Panchayats and conducting book based activities with the children, thus spreading the joy of reading in libraries.
Books are magic and wordless picture books are all the more my favourite. It is one way to reach a larger audience of readers with the help of images which transcends language barriers. Recently we at Bhabook Foundation had the honour of receiving 17 select wordless picture books from India Chapter of IBBY - International Board of Books for Young People, Parag. These books are much treasured as it is a collection curated from several countries of the world. In order to share the joy of reading these books and discussing pedagogical tools to engage with children, we organized a workshop ‘Silent Stories’ at Ek Tara Resource Library. It was a privilege to interact with 12 participants from Sanchar, Rupantaran Foundation,Ek Tara ,Towards Future, Aditi Education Trust and Pratham Education Foundation. We explored the books through interactive games such as picture puzzles, card games etc. Special thanks to Proma Basu Roy of Parag for sharing these wonderful books with us!
The "Words and Wonder: The Art of Translating Children's Stories" workshop, jointly organized by Bhabook Foundation & the School of Languages and Linguistics, Jadavpur University, Kolkata, was a truly enriching experience! Over the two days—27-28 January 2025—we immersed ourselves in the magic of translation, exploring how stories travel across languages and cultures while keeping their essence intact. From thought-provoking discussions to hands-on translation exercises, the workshop was a space of creativity, collaboration, and deep reflection on the power of pictures and words in children's literature. A heartfelt thank you to all the participants for bringing in their passion, insights, and love for storytelling. Your curiosity and dedication made this experience truly special, and we can’t wait to see the wonderful translations that emerge from this process! A special note of gratitude to Sulagna di—thank you so much for guiding us every step of the way. Your knowledge and experience helped us understand so many crucial aspects of translation, and we are truly grateful for your insights. And an enormous thank you to the School of Languages and Linguistics, Jadavpur University—Arghya, Sankar, Naseem, Mamata, and, Samir da—for your constant support.
