Bookaroo paints Delhi walls to promote children’s literature
Bookaroo Children’s Literature Festival, which won the International Excellence Award 2017 at London Book Fair, has started a wall art initiative titled ‘Bookscapes in the City’ in Delhi. The initiative is to celebrate illustrations from children’s books on 10 walls in the city.
16 Aug 2017 | 3918 Views | By Dibyajyoti Sarma
The grand opening of Bookaroo’s 10 Walls in the City event was on 28 May 2017 at the Patel Chowk Metro Station. It was followed by one at the SPYM Juvenile Addiction Centre in Mukherjee Nagar and then at the Blind Relief Association, Lal Bahadur Shastri Marg.
According to a press release shared by Bookaroo, the organisation believes that there is a book for everyone – in fact, many books. “As part of our endeavour, we try and touch as many children as is possible, wherever they are and whatever they may be doing. At the Blind Relief Association, we have created a Tactile Bookscape of the capital city’s various landmarks. A Braille Book explaining the various monuments on the display has been created for distribution in the school,” the release said.
Executed by the art and disability access consultant, Siddhant Shah, this model tactile display and the book will excite the children in the JPM Blind School, Lodi Road and make them curious enough to know more about the city and its architectural landscapes.
Shah has just won the NCPEDP Award for his work towards the cause of accessibility and thus ensuring a life of equality and dignity for people with disabilities.
In this wall, all the monuments have 5mm extrusion. They have textures and colours similar to the original monuments. The monuments have also been painted so that they can be useful to those with partial vision and the 3D extrusion helps those who are blind to touch and feel the profile and the surface of the building.
Between now and November 2017, Bookaroo will paint seven more walls in various spots in Delhi and the NCR.
The award-winning Bookaroo Children’s Literature Festival began in November 2008 in Delhi to bring books alive for children. On 25 and 26 November, Bookaroo will celebrate its 10th birthday in IGNCA (Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts).
It is the only festival that offers children and booklovers a chance to meet and interact with distinguished local and international children’s authors, illustrators, poets and storytellers – all in one place. The festival is open to everyone, admission is free and there is no pre-registration.