The regular ringing up was on the previous evening, as I called the school coordinator and she explained the route towards the school. But I knew one thing that the directions were not at all clear to me. Sigh!

So next I got in touch with the author and as the phone rang I was still trying to figure where Malikagunj was? (that sounded better to me). Soon I stopped worrying about the malika location as a sweet, soft voice greeted me on the other side. I knew one thing, I would have a beautiful session with this lady.

The morning chill touched me sharp at 6 am in the morning, I saw my watch and smiled, for a change I did not have an early morning session today. But despite the perfect opportunity to snuggle in my bed, I was already up on my toes gearing up for the day’s session —‘into the magical world of characters.’

As my cab picked me, my driver bhaiya zipped zapped zoomed across the unbearable traffic and we reached our first destination. Richa ji was already outside her house all dressed up in red. As we greeted each other, her warmth was the best part all through the journey.

It was a little difficult to locate the school but finally the coordinator Shahana helped us through the streets. Children rushed to the library as soon as they saw the Bookaroo banners. The atmosphere became all lively, energetic and full of anxiety to know what lay ahead.

Richa ji bought the characters all alive as the kids entered a different world ranging from a little caterpillar to a butterfly, from ghosts to shadow images and finally to kinship tales. The finest part was the use of little props to enact the stories which were interestingly made from toothpaste covers, paper plates as masks, chocolate wrappers, etc. Visual aids, use of repetitive language structures and making the children enact the characters led to a fun filled session by the brilliant storyteller. To add up to it she bought chocolates, which I distributed to each kid present at the session.

Finally, as the school bell rang the kids were all ready to go home, but did not forget to thank us with beautiful “thank you” cards made by them.  A bunch of them came up to me to take down the details of the Bookaroo festival and promised to see me again.

Their promises gleamed in their eyes and it was the truth that-

“The soul is healed by being with children”

So it was with me!!!

- Debahuti Brahmachari