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Join the Crocus Book Drive with Kranti India - donate books to share the joy of reading with children from underprivileged families
I have always loved reading. It was quite natural for me to want to pass on the love for books to my son, P. I started reading to P when he was just a few weeks old. When he was a toddler, libraries became an almost-daily haunt. Now, we have a mini-library at home that keeps him engaged, while he improves his vocabulary, and gets plenty of ideas for fun… and mischief!
Perhaps the most important outcomes to me are making learning fun, and retaining the imagination and sense of wonder that babies are born with.
As he read and read, I was always on the lookout for books in various genres, fiction and non-fiction, historical fiction, fantasy… everything under the sun. My quest led me to Saffron Tree. At ST, parents as passionate as me about children’s literature – maybe even more! – wrote about the books that had clicked with their children. There were parents with kids older than mine, so we – P and me – benefitted from their choices and recommendations. The reviews are organized well, and books on a topic or intended for an age group can be readily accessed. So, as P grows older, I keep adding more wonderful books to my wish-list.
As if this steady dose of reviews and interviews wasn’t enticing enough, there is the annual event, CROCUS, a week of festivities for book-lovers like me!
CROCUS 2012 began on Oct 23 with Math and Eco-Science as the theme. There have been some wonderful picks, and it is sure to be great fun till CROCUS is wrapped up on Sunday.
As we read to our children, there is the nagging thought of others to whom books are not available. Shouldn’t all children be given the opportunity to discover the joy of reading? As part of CROCUS, apart from reviews, interviews, puzzles and games, this year Saffron Tree partners with Kranti India, for a book donation drive. Kranti is a non-profit organization that works to empower trafficked girls and sex workers.
Here is how you can contribute by donating books during CROCUS.
Come, share the joy of reading!
Arundhati Venkatesh is a children's books author. Her books have won several awards, including the SCBWI Crystal Kite Award 2015 for India, Middle East and Asia for read more...
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Rajshri Deshpande, who played the fiery protagonist in Trial by Fire along with Abhay Deol speaks of her journey and her social work.
Rajshri Deshpande as the protagonist in ‘Trial by Fire’, the recent Netflix show has received raving reviews along with the show itself for its sensitive portrayal of the Uphaar Cinema Hall fire tragedy, 1997 and its aftermath.
The limited series is based on the book by the same name written by Neelam and Shekhar Krishnamoorthy, who lost both their children in the tragedy. We got an opportunity to interview Rajshri Deshpande who played Neelam Krishnamoorthy, the woman who has been relentlessly crusading in the court for holding the owners responsible for the sheer negligence.
Rajshri Deshpande is more than an actor. She is also a social warrior, the rare celebrity from the film industry who has also gone back to her roots to give to poverty struck farming villages in her native Marathwada, with her NGO Nabhangan Foundation. Of course a chance to speak with her one on one was a must!
“What is a woman’s job, Ramesh? Taking care of parents-in-law, husband, children, home and things at work—all at the same time? She isn’t God or a superhuman."
The arrays of workstations were occupied by people peering into their computer screens. The clicks of keyboard keys were punctuated by the occasional footsteps moving around to brainstorm or collaborate with colleagues in their cubicles. Most employees went about their tasks without looking at the person seated on either side of their workstation. Meenakshi was one of them.
The thirty-one-year-old marketing manager in a leading eCommerce company in India sat straight in her seat, her eyes on the screen, her fingers punching furiously into the keys. She was in a flow and wanted to finish the report while the thoughts and words were coming effortlessly into her mind.
Natu-Natu. The mellifluous ringtone interrupted her thoughts. She frowned at her mobile phone with half a mind to keep it ringing until she noticed the caller’s name on the screen, making her pick up the phone immediately.
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