By Priti Hanumanta Uppar, Azim Premji University Student
Entering a Story World
Have you ever wanted to jump right into the amazing worlds that books create? That’s exactly how my internship at Bookworm Trust in Panaji, Goa felt! As soon as I stepped into their colorful library, I was surrounded by the magic of stories and books Everywhere. At first, I played word games and read stories. It was so great seeing kids with their excited faces as they discovered new tales. But the real fun began when I helped plan the summer camp!
Summer Camp came up with super creative activities to get the kids using their imaginations. One week was an art camp where they learned about paints and colors, making bright and paintings. Another week focused on poetry – the kids wrote poems inspired by books and made a “poetry tree” to display them.
Sparking Curiosity
One of my favorite parts was picking stories, videos, and activities for the library’s kid tablets. I looked for the coolest science experiments and engaging animated stories to spark the kids’ curiosity and sense of wonder. I spent hours hunting for the coolest science experiments from Arvind Gupta’s website and the most engaging animated stories. Picking materials that would spark curiosity in young minds felt like a fun treasure hunt!
Caring for Old Books
I also learned fascinating things like how to properly care for and repair old books. It was amazing seeing the effort to preserve these beloved stories for future generations.
Opening New Perspectives
But my internship wasn’t all just fun and games. I attended powerful cultural events that opened my eyes to different perspectives. There was a documentary screening about the Ambedkarite social justice movement that left me inspired. And the book “Dalai Lama: Soldier of Peace” by Vijay Kranti taught me so much about Tibetan history and resilience.
A Journey to Remember
From start to finish, my days at Bookworm Trust were filled with creativity, teamwork, and of course, lots of reading! This experience showed me how amazing it is to nurture a love of books and stories in young people. If you love books like I do, you’ll definitely want to go on more bookish adventures too!
Getting lost in story worlds is the best kind of adventure.