Pitara Kahaniyon Ka
𝑫𝒊𝒗𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒐𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓 𝒐𝒇 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒅-𝒂𝒍𝒐𝒖𝒅 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒚𝒕𝒆𝒍𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒊𝒏 𝑯𝒊𝒏𝒅𝒊!

At Reading Keeda Library, Nagpur, our read-aloud program, ‘Pitara Kahaniyon Ka’ (‘पिटारा कहानियों का’), has been consistently captivating young imaginations since June 2021.

We believe in the inherent power of stories to transcend boundaries, connect generations, and foster creativity. These sessions are designed to do just that – helping children dream beyond the obvious, explore the past, and build connections in the present.

What makes ‘Pitara Kahaniyon ka’ truly special?

● Celebrating Hindi: Conducted entirely in Hindi, our national language takes a place of pride, making these rich narratives accessible to a wider audience and balancing the extensive exposure to English storytelling.

● Expanding Horizons: Previously for 5-8 year olds, we’re thrilled to extend the age group to 5-10 years! Because a good story is for everyone.

● Diverse Voices: We’ve had the pleasure of collaborating with 6 talented storytellers who bring diverse perspectives to our unique project, uniting children from all backgrounds with the magic of a ‘kahani’.

These sessions significantly:

▪︎Enhance listening & observation skills.
Impart moral lessons and values like friendship, loyalty, empathy.

▪︎Boost creativity through engaging activities like craft, drawing and crosswords.

▪︎Encourage critical thinking and application of knowledge by allowing participants to reshape stories or characters.

Join us in fostering a love for reading and storytelling in the next generation!

Readers’ Circle
How do you convince someone to read a book?

“Read this book…it’s so good that you’d sneak away at night just to read it!”, said Adesh Kumar, age 10 (name changed), when asked how he would convince someone to pick up a book.

Adesh was one of the enthusiastic participants at the Reader’s Circle event hosted by Reading Keeda Library in Shankar Nagar, Nagpur, on April 13.

During the event, children like Adesh passionately shared their favourite titles and the reasons behind their choices. This is the essence of Reader’s Circle – providing a platform for young voices to express their thoughts on authors, books, and illustrations.

Our library coordinators, Ms. Ranjana Moharil and Ms. Rohini Mohire, facilitated engaging discussions by asking the children about their favourite vacation spots, preferred books, and why they love them. One 9-year-old participant even expressed her admiration for Jeffrey Archer, stating she never misses any of his titles!

Together, the group read Kolaba by Tulika Publication, followed by a lively Q&A session where each child shared their thoughts on the book. The highlight of the session was witnessing the children, who often remain quiet, openly discuss their favourite books and authors.

Some returning participants also shared their literary preferences, showcasing their growth from being silent observers to confident contributors. After the session, many children eagerly explored the library’s collection, excited to discover new reads.

Reader’s Circle has succeeded in providing a lively platform every month for children every month to meet, speak up on books and writers they admire and many more.

(Reader’s Circle is a free offline platform for book lovers aged 9 to 12. Over the past year, we’ve hosted many of these engaging sessions, and even more are planned for this year!)

Ravivaar Katta
At Reading Keeda Library, we believe in creating a space where stories, books, and communities come alive. We launched ‘Ravivar Katta’ in January 2024 with an aim to transform Sundays into a celebration of reading, learning, and togetherness.

Initially planned as a once-a-month activity, ‘Ravivar Katta’ has grown to become a weekly tradition. Every Sunday from 10 am to 7 pm, the doors of Reading Keeda Library in Shankar Nagar are open to Nagpurians to explore books, participate in activities, and create memories they can cherish for life.

Over the years, we have seen that along with public gardens, libraries are the some of the few community spaces left in cities where people can come together, interact, discuss literature, art and, of course, books. However, shrinking urban space means less importance accorded to gardens and libraries.
This is where ‘Ravivar Katta’ provides a golden opportunity to everyone to find a space of their own.

𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐢𝐬 ‘𝐑𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐫 𝐊𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐚’ 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥?
It provides a free-of-cost community space that is inclusive, welcoming and non-judgmental – especially designed for children, but can be used by adults and entire families. We also make it a point to celebrate as many special occasions as we can – be it Makar Sankranti or Father’s Day. We’ve had the joy of witnessing magical moments during ‘Ravivar Katta’ -from families spending hours discussing books to visitors embracing their creativity with fun activities.

‘𝐑𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐫 𝐊𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐚’ 𝐢𝐬 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐚 𝐥𝐢𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐧 𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞; 𝐢𝐭’𝐬 𝐚 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐭𝐡. Just last month, Reading Keeda Library and Maharashtra Times Culture Club together celebrated ‘Marathi Gaurav Din’ as part of ‘Ravivar Katta’. Children in the age group of 4 to 8 unleashed their creativity and narrated lovely stories in Marathi. Accompanied by their parents, they also explored the collection of 7500 books in the library.

𝐑𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐫 𝐊𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐚 𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐧 𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐧 𝐢𝐧𝐯𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐛𝐲 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐊𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐚 𝐋𝐢𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬, 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐛𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐬 – 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐜𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠.

So, if it’s a Sunday and you are in Nagpur, Reading Keeda Library is the place to be at with your family. A space you can call your own! Together, let’s foster a lifelong love for reading and strengthen our community bonds.