As the pandemic set in and life became bleak, we tried finding ways to engage with our surroundings, to feel connected, to do better than merely existing. As mental health touched a new low, we wondered how to keep moving forward, to not let these times bring us down and productivity to suffer. Amidst this mayhem, Bookworm, our small humble abode between vibrant Indo-Portuguese homes and narrow lanes struggled to stay afloat as we believed that this was the time to spread the joy of stories far and wide. Our school program shut down due to COVID 19 but since we also have a community program, that became the life line through which stories could flow. What would we have had if we only reached children in one way ?
One of the sites of our community program is a residential home for girls and a cloistered community, the Bethesda Life Centre (BLC) for girls. This is a fairly new site but with deep engagement. The children here range from 6 to 14 years of age. This place is a home for these girls, many of whom have been living here for as long as they can remember. Their cheerful and ever so energetic nature makes us feel like we have known them for ages. The first time we visited them was with an adaptation of “The Girl Who Hated Books” as a skit, a story about Meena, who hated reading but finally grew to love it. This helped sow seeds of an interest towards stories even for the littlest ones. The next step was to make them feel comfortable with our presence. This was strengthened through conversations about topics that the children were keen to explore.
Listening is the key element to get hints of their preferences. They seem to have a strong liking towards animals and even had two pet dogs. We remembered this from our visits but when the lock-down set in, we continued with only phone conversations on their home life and leisure activities. During one such exchange, we were gloomily informed of their dogs passing away. Hence the next story was our way to help them connect and find peace. “The Tenth Good Thing About Barney” by Judith Viorst and illustrated by Erik Blegvad, is the story of a young boy trying to comprehend and come to terms with the death of his cat. It was a book that we hoped would help them relate to the loss they had experienced. We realised that they read and connected to the book strongly from the discussion that ensued where they told us where they thought their dogs went and how they missed them dearly. As an extension activity, they were asked to write, draw or share through any medium, the things they remembered and loved about their pet.
We found that the more we discussed topics with them, the more we could see their perspective. This relationship helped enhance our story selection process. We didn’t just tick off the basic criteria of age appropriate books but also made sure to pick on their individual and collective interests. (Dividing the juniors and seniors provided us with a further understanding of the different levels we were dealing with as in any bunch, though the age groups can be clubbed together, the reading and comprehension levels differ and this understanding can only be reached at, after multiple engagements.) This has taught us as Resource Persons that a learning process never ends.
Some days we wonder what our work would be without the relationship we have with children in the community. We look forward to our weekly phone calls with the children, sharing and sending them books and resources and we hope they do too.