BOOKS BOOKS EVERYWHERE...
It is only fitting that we do our part to keep this fire alive.
Listening to his experience with the children made me reminisce about my
childhood days, spent amidst a variety of books and the smile that a
visit to the Book Fair brought to my face. Being a book worm even today,
it was extremely gratifying to experience, albeit through Sir's words,
the truly universal nature of literature. And it is my urge to all of
you reading this...if your interest borders anywhere around literature
and the world of books, then the next time that you are in the City of
Joy, please do get in touch with Prayasam and spend some time with these
children, be it a storytelling session or sharing some tips on book
keeping or even some tid- bits about writing. It would stoke this fire of
their new found love of books and help them embrace whole- heartedly,
what can become a dear friend for their life.
-Ritabrata Bhattacharya
I wont begin with the details of what Prayasam is about and what it
does. I feel what I have experienced at Prayasam during my short stint
of one month as an intern would make for a better introduction. There I
have seen a group of extremely driven and optimistic individuals for
whom the word impossible does not exist. And among the children that
Prayasam works with, I have met some of the most smart and enthusiastic
kids. My conversations with the associates at Prayasam and with Amlan
Sir in particular has always been a treat for me. However,it had been a
long time since I last spoke to Sir and felt that the eve of Saraswati
Puja would be an apt time to get in touch, since the very next day, the
beautiful and homely office of Prayasam would be buzzing with activity,
kids and youngsters offering their prayers to the goddess of knowledge
and of everything creative. So it was, that I skyped him from my home in
Chennai, where I'm working at present. As always, he had loads to tell
and what he told was amazing. Every year, the Kolkata Book Fair
precedes the auspicious Saraswati puja and this year was no exception.
But what was exceptional was this bunch of kids of various ages, who had
but one thing common to them...this was their first year at the Book
Fair. Accompanied by Sir, whom they affectionately call "Dada" (elder
brother), the kids were visibly awestruck at the sight of so many books
at a single place. Bina, a college goer, and one of the elders among
this enthused bunch, could not hide her astonishment as she exclaimed,
"Dada, etto boi to kokkhono ekshathe dekhini...!!!" (I have never seen
so many books altogether).
Hopping from one publisher to another, they became deeply engrossed in
the world of the books and oblivious to everything else. Their interests
varying over a myriad of genres, be it children's comics or Agatha
Christie thrillers, those few hours of the afternoon saw them impervious
to everything else going on around. Sumit, one of the youngsters, was
quite taken by the adventures of "Kakababu and Santu" and wondered how
it would feel as a teenager to go out on such adventures with someone
like your uncle. Travelogues, Quizzicals and Art books were also a major
attraction. The children took a keen interest in the autobiography of
Tollywood actor Deb, titled "Ami Deb", which chronicles his struggle
through life and his accession to the current stature of stardom in the
Bengali film industry. Fairy tales and Children's fictions, however, did
not have many takers. Maybe they have all grown out of that phase.
Something remarkable though, was their interest in the books on Life
skill and Soft skill development at the house of Cambridge...perhaps an
impact of the ONTRACK programme by Prayasam.
Rama, Salim, Prabir, Shikha, Pooja and Biren, among others, were so
excited, that they pestered their beloved "Dada" with requests to
explain and suggest several books while they went on a book shopping
spree...and he was only too happy to oblige. All in all, it was a few
hours of pure and unadulterated fun, where books found their rightful
place as the centre of all attraction of these first time book seekers.
Although this was their first exposure to the vast world of books, if
the gleam in their eyes is anything to go by, their's is going to be a
long tryst with literature in the years to come.
-Ritabrata Bhattacharya
