Copyright thehindu
The Vizag Junior Literary Fest (VJLF) will return with its sixth edition on November 8 and 9 at Hawa Mahal, bringing together writers, illustrators, educators and young readers for two days of conversations, performances and books. Organised by LitLantern for Culture & Literature Welfare Society, the non-profit continues its effort to encourage children to read, listen and think critically. Vizag Junior Lit Fest directors Priya Uppalapati, Sandhya Venugopal Godey and Sonal Sarda along with Kankatala Mallik, CMD of Kankatala, Sunil Nevatia of Pages Book Store and storyteller Vikram Sridhar released the poster of the fest at a press conference on Thursday. Over the weekend, nearly 100 sessions will be held for children aged four to 16, along with discussions for parents and teachers. The accompanying book fair set up by Pages Book Store will showcase children’s titles from leading publishers across India, allowing young readers to meet authors and illustrators in person. Among the participants are writers Asha Nehemiah, Shobha Tharoor Srinivasan, Nandita da Cunha, Devika Cariapa, Vaishali Shroff, and storytellers such as Ameen Haque, Ankit Dwivedi, and Vikram Sridhar. Theatre performances of The Tempest and The Sound of Music will conclude each day. Inclusivity remains a central focus. As part of the fest’s outreach, storyteller Vikram Sridhar will visit government schools in Visakhapatnam and Vizianagaram and conduct a special session for differently-abled children. At the inaugural session, TDP Parliamentary Party Chairman Lavu Sri Krishna Devarayalu and vice chairman of Vigyan University will be the chief guest, while Visakhapatnam MP M Sribharat will be the Guest of Honour. The two-day fest will run from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on both days.
