My connection with Share A Book India, or SABIA as people fondly call it, goes way back to the pandemic, when I wrote my first children’s book, “The Postwoman and Other Stories”. After publishing the book I did not know how I could reach out to children and share my stories with them. At this point, I was not aware that I could go to different schools and conduct storytelling sessions. Undoubtedly, the seeds for this idea were sown during lockdown, but it was only permitted to bloom and blossom when the restrictions were lifted.
I wrote to SABIA and requested them if I could do an online session. They were happy to oblige, and I discussed my book “The Postwoman and Other Stories” with the kids. However, I could not continue this for long as Co-Vid had finally come to an end and everyone had to go back to work. But I felt like my collaboration with SABIA was not over.
When I finally, moved back to Hyderabad, I got in touch with SABIA once again. Through them I was able to visit St. Alberts as a story teller. I was happy that I could go in person and meet the children.
As soon as I entered the school a boy said hello to me, and asked me if I was the author. Before I could say more, he smiled, told me his name and stuck out his hand for a friendly shake. This was the welcome that I received at St. Alberts. All the students in the school knew that I was coming and they went out of their way to make me feel welcome.
At St. Alberts school, I realized that children do not always need to have access to excellent facilities and resources to have an eagerness for knowledge and learning. The students of this school were excited to listen to me and were hooked to every word that I said. I loved interacting with them because they were open-minded and willing to learn. After the session ended, the students expressed their desire to see me more often.
I was amazed by the experience I had at St. Alberts school. I can say that it was one of the best story telling sessions that I ever conducted. The Head of Academics at the school, Ms Sunita, told me that the students are always happy to have guest speakers because they love to get inspired by them and make them their role models.
St. Alberts is doing a wonderful job in providing various opportunities for students to learn beyond the classroom.