Ken's School Sessions: Part 2

Never have I received so many flowers. Never have I received so many handmade gifts in appreciation of my writing. I received artworks, handmade books, a collection of the pupils’ stories, handwritten notes of welcome. One girl even gave me a book from her own collection. What an honour it was to be in the midst of such people, so generous in their appreciation!

I was scheduled to run two one-hour sessions at Usha Martin School Dankuni, beginning at 11.00, but arrived early and was immediately swept up in the pulsating atmosphere. It was straight to work! I had promised to read stories from Tulika’s great range of picture books to the younger students, and they loved this. I enjoyed using The Magic Feather– such a great introduction to the magical world of books. I narrated Black Panther too, making the kids to use their ownbinoculars to see all the animals it features. It was so very cute to see little handsaround eyes, peering forth... "I see elephants!"

The older students were just as wonderful. Teachers and kids alike had prepared for my visit like no other school in India.  Kids were brought to Dankuni from two other Usha Martin campuses, to say that the large groups were attentive would be an understatement. Many had read my book ‘Advaita the Writer’, and classes had been hard at work writing about it – reflecting on its themes, and producing drawings.  There were even models of the train Advaita takes from Delhi to Dehradun, and a model of Advaita in herbedroom with her sister nearby, and of course Advaita’s special bookshelf.

I talked and interacted non-stop from 9.30 until 3.30, and by the end my voice was feeling the pinch. There were questions galore!  Many were deep and perceptive, and it was obvious to me that many of the kids come from families that attach real value to literature. What struck me most, however, was Usha Martin’s warmth. Hearts and minds were open and engaged – in fact, joyous. More than one child told me that it was the 'greatest day' of their life, a day they would ‘never, ever forget’. To receive the love of readers - what greater reward could there be for a writer?

Ken Spillman

It's Magic!

Ken Spillman did an animated reading of The Magic Feather to the little ones at Usha Martin School, Kolkata. Notes from his session:

I particularly enjoyed reading this picture book to the children, from lower KG to Grade 2, because it highlights the major theme of my interactions with kids – the magic of books. It was also a pleasure to read because each turning of the page brings transformation of the landscape – the landscape of the imagination.

I read the words slowly and deliberately, with pauses at the end of sentences and pages. ‘Can you see the girl?’ I asked at the end of the first page. ‘Look at her hair!’

When the owl hooted, I hooted too and unfolded my wings. When it dropped a feather, I picked it up carefully from the page and asked the kids to look at it. Then I placed it behind the ear of one of the girls. ‘It looks nice, doesn’t it?’ I asked the kids – and they agreed. By the time we got to the next page-spread, the land of feathers, their eyes were wide with wonder and they were definitely in that land too.

I made a frog sound, then a vanishing sound – whoosh! Then I picked up the lily, and placed it in a boy’s hair. ‘Pretty!’ I said – and of course he laughed. ‘Let’s count the lilies,’ I suggested to the youngest of the groups when we turned the page.

Then I roared – before I even showed the kids the tiger. They liked this surprise, and called out ‘Tiger’ when I opened the book again. I picked up the stone, and placed it in my hair. ‘Oh dear, not enough hair,’ I said, watching the stone drop to the floor. I picked it up again and placed it in the long hair of a girl.

We finger-walked across the land of stones and met a worm. My finger became the worm. ‘Look, maybe it’s a bookworm?’ My finger disappeared into The Magic Feather, peeped out the top. I opened the book with the girl and read the next part in an excited voice, faster. Finding the girl’s friends became a big moment, and could have been the end of the book for some of the youngest. I gestured to indicate that we were the girl’s friends…

But the best was still to come. I paused after each word in the list – kings and queens, animals and gods,palaces and forests, leaping tigers, staring frogs, hooting owls – and also added a few things of the top of my head, including ‘girls and boys like you’.

Finally we would get to ‘and a magic feather’. At that point, I would retrieve the feather from behind my chosen girl’s ear, throw it up in the air, and watch it flutter to the floor.

We would then talk briefly about the magical world of story…

Ken's School Sessions: Part 1

On his trip to India, author Ken Spillman visited different schools in Chennai, Bengaluru and Kolkata. He shares insights from some school sessions. 

An aspect of India that strikes many visitors is the chasm that separates the haves and the have-nots. On my own visits, I’ve been impressed and inspired by the work of many individuals, foundations and NGOs who work to improve the lot of the latter.

In a professional capacity my interactions with Indian schoolkids began in 2008, but as a writer of books in English my contact with economically disadvantaged children was, until quite recently, negligible. In July 2011, through Akshara Foundation, I was able to run sessions with children at community libraries in the poorer neighbourhoods of Bangalore, and I was thrilled to return to one of these in November. In the same month, I connected with Seagull Foundation in Kolkata and had some lovely experiences with kids in the PeaceWorks programme. Between Bangalore and Kolkata, thanks to the initiative of Tulika Books, I was also able to interact with some of Chennai’s disadvantaged kids.

First stop was Olcott School where, I was told, the students are predominantly the children of Chennai’s fisher folk. Immediately apparent was the peace and tranquillity of the school – it’s a large, well-treed place that shuts out much of the city noise, and its bungalow-style buildings are far from institutional. Tulika’s Chrishelle David and I were welcomed very warmly by the principal (and founder), and then escorted to an open-walled shelter where the kids were waiting. They were seated on the floor in straight rows, and I sensed the anticipation that comes hand in hand with rare occurrences. Heads turned and eyes were wide as they scrutinised me, so I began by breaking down the formality of the occasion. It wasn’t hard – kids everywhere want to relax and have fun! Their command of English was less than commanding,with most hesitant to ask questions in English in front of their peers. Nevertheless, by session’s end we were great friends. I was surrounded by kids wanting to tell or ask me something, communicating quite adequately in English, and it was clear that they didn’t want me to leave. I’m sure they understood the messages I take everywhere, that imagination is precious and that books can feed it like little else.

My second experience with disadvantaged children in Chennai was at the Nari Kuravar School for orphans, run by NGO Bhumi. Perhaps the biggest challenge about this school was finding it – and I hate to think how long the kids were waiting for us, upward of a hundred of them seated cheek-by-jowl in a single classroom. We were greeted by Bhumi volunteers, and a cheer went up as we were ushered inside. With age variation, a language barrier and overcrowding, I knew immediately that making our session worthwhile would be challenging. To the best of my ability, I communicated simply, with actions, and with volunteers acting as interpreters when necessary. My focus was not on books – it was on story. Having long been interested in the area of story therapy, it occurred to me that these were kids who should be given voice, kids who would benefit if encouraged to tell their own stories. To assist those children who responded to my invitation to tell a story, I asked them to tell it to a volunteer, who would briefly translate it for me before broadcasting it to the group. This process took time, but it paid dividends because the stories were highly entertaining. It demonstrated to the kids that they too were imaginative storytellers and that they could receive the affirmation – and have fun – through stories. Later I spoke to volunteers about this, encouraging them to work with smaller groups of kids, utilising story to build confidence and as a means of articulating and sublimate anxieties.

I’m grateful to Tulika Books for facilitating these visits. Its publication of great books in Indian languages gives Tulika wide reach, and its commitment to children of all backgrounds is expressed often and in many ways. Taking me to schools where sales of my book Advaita the Writer (published only in English) could not be expected to ensue underlines that commitment. For me, it’s always a privilege to meet kids. What they bring to this world is what I most like to talk about – imagination. There is capacity in each and every child. All I try to do is stretch it.

 Visit www.kenspillman.com to know more about Ken and his work.