Tell me a story

"Our efforts are directed at those children who do not read because they do not have the means or the environment," says Shreedevi Sunil, who will be narrating the story, The Elephant Bird by Arefa Tehsin to a gathering of children at Dr Bhau Daji Lad Mumbai City Museum later this week.

An earlier event of One Day, One Story held at Bandra Bandstand

This event is part of One Day, One Story, an annual programme by Pratham Books to make stories accessible.
"This initiative by Pratham is to take books and stories to those people who do not have access to reading. This is the fourth edition of One Day, One Story. During the event, which is usually around World Literacy Day, September 3, volunteers read one selected book to children all over the country," Sampurna Murti of Pratham Books explains.

Last year, the initiative saw 2,500 volunteers

Last year, they saw 2,500 volunteers; this year they expect more. "This year's book is The Elephant Bird by Arefa Tehsin. The author is keyed into wildlife and has been championing the cause of protecting the environment," she says. They are expecting an audience of 30 to 40 children at the museum. "We are trying to get kids from municipal schools near the museum to attend the event. Though the schools will be closed for the Ganpati festival, we have spoken with a few NGOs, who will ensure that more children benefit from it," she says.

The cover of The Elephant Bird

At the museum, the team of Talking Turtles Storytellers, will narrate the stories, aided by play acting and puppetry. "The idea is to tell stories in a way that children remember them," Sunil says.

The Talking Turtles also conduct workshops for children and adults. "The reader's theatre is for children of six years and above, where there is more emphasis on expression. For the children, we break down the stories to make them as simple as possible. The adult workshops are about how storytelling can improve teaching and communication methods," she says.

The group has been volunteering for the One Day, One Story for the last three years and find it a useful intervention. "In fact, I buy a lot of books from Pratham as they are simple and available in so many languages. These help me in telling stories in the vernacular tongues," she signs off.