PUSHPALATA LITFEST

PUSHPALATA LITFEST

The first edition of Pushpalata LitFest was inaugurated by Mr. V. Sivakrishnamurthy, Commissioner of Tirunelveli City Corporation, on 22 August 2022.  He reminisced about Ms. Annie his teacher who encouraged him and how books shaped his life.  He encouraged the children to make the best out of the 5 days of the Litfest – 22 to 26 August 2022.  Dr. Maragathavalli purchased the first book at the book fair.

As part of the festival, Pushpalata LitFest 2022, we had amazing sessions by eminent children’s authors: musical storytelling, theatrical performance of a story, communication workshop, puppetry and a fantastic bookfair with curated children’s books.

Students of Pushpalata Schools had a fun filled week where they excitedly listened, learnt and enjoyed these sessions.

Authors – Kavitha Mandana, Devika Cariapa, Vijayalakshmi Nagaraj, and Vidya Mani – graced the occasion.  Our Correspondent Mrs. Pushpalata Pooranan welcomed them all and expressed how excited the school was to host them for a week.

Multiple sessions were held across the school from day one.  Ms. Kavitha Mandanna spoke about how the community has different standards and rules for girls over boys.  She started a conversation that was all-inclusive.  Ms. Devika Cariapa introduced her book on elephant diplomacy in India and did a lovely reading of her book.  Ms. Vidya Mani gave pointers to our students on how to be better communicators.  Ms. Vijayalakshmi Nagaraj used wonderful hand puppets and took the children into nature through an immersive experience.

Puppeteer and Storyteller Ms. Rathy brought out her performance using masks and handmade puppets to bring a special story to the children of Pushpalata Schools.  Children sang along and danced with the puppets.  They left with big grins on their faces.

The theatre artist Mr. Chandramohan did a surprise entrance from among the balloons and had the children in splits.  His story brought the moon and the stars into the hearts of the children.

The storyteller, Mr. Vikram Sridhar, performed a musical storytelling of mangoes and monkeys.  He had the whole audience singing and laughing.  The author, Ms. Asha Nehemiah, had the children put on their thinking hats and write rhyming poems.  The author, Ms. Lubaina Bandukwala, got the children to dive deep into the sea and imagine the world under water.  Children left with inspiration to visit marine parks and a renewed love for salt water bodies.