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The Sultan of Storytelling

June 1, 2019 | By

Renowned children’s author Ramendra Kumar (Ramen) had a “rollicking time” at the Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival 2019 (SCRF), spinning yarns, conducting story telling sessions and interacting with vibrant minds in various schools in Sharjah and Abu Dhabi. He takes us on a thrilling journey of eating, talking, dreaming stories with kids and also a glimpse into how this fabulous festival treated him.

Learning and Creativity presents LnC Special Edition of Ghost Stories by Children that came out of Ramen’s sessions at the SCRF 2019.

Ramendra Kumar

Ramendra Kumar with a bunch of enthusiastic school children

“Sir, how much of your own personality is reflected in your characters?”

“How do you feel when your book is rejected by the publisher?”

“What is your response when the book you write doesn’t end the way you imagined it would?”

“What inspired you to start writing?”

“I am a writer and I get my ideas from the world around me and also from my family – there is lot of drama in my family.”

No, these are not questions/comments from scholars pursuing their doctoral programme. These are queries and statements made by children between the ages of 9 and 13 studying in the Emirates of Sharjah, Abu Dhabi and Dubai.

sharjah children's reading festival

A sublime connect

I was invited to take part in the Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival (SCRF), held from April 17 to 27. SCRF, which was held under the directive of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, the Ruler of Sharjah, featured 33 authors, the best in children and young adult literature, from 18 countries.

I participated in two panel discussions on The Craft of Writing Children’s Books and Fiction in Children’s and Young Adults’ Literature. My co-panelists represented different nationalities, languages and cultures.

SCRF 2019

A Q & A moment

I was also taken to two schools in Abu Dhabi (Dunes International & Bright Riders School) and two in Sharjah (Our Own English High School for Girls & Ambassador School) as a part of the festival’s outreach programme.

Amled School in Dubai had heard about me from the SCRF organizers and had also received a positive feedback from the other schools in Abu Dhabi and Sharjah. They contacted me on Facebook and extended a special invite beyond the schedule of the Festival.

Ramendra Kumar at SCRF

Talking about spinning yarns

In all the schools I discussed the art of spinning yarns, conducted story telling sessions and interacted with the vibrant minds. I spoke on various issues like the art of writing, my favourite genre – sports fiction, some of my favourite books as well as my most challenging and fulfilling moments as a writer.

school children in Abu Dhabi

One of the most rollicking sessions with 1100 school children in Abu Dhabi

Normally for authors turned storytellers, the near ideal size of the audience is 75-100. In one of the schools in Abu Dhabi when I entered the auditorium, which was almost half as big as a football field, I found it bursting with kids.

“H… how many children are there?” my saner half Madhavi asked.

“1100!” pat came the reply.

She looked at me, worry writ large on her beautiful face. I gave her a thumbs up sign and unleashed myself on the unsuspecting audience. And the result was one of the most rollicking sessions I ever had. I told a story, chanted a mantra, answered questions, warded off autograph hunters and soaked in the ambience of sublime chaos… I felt like the Sultan of Storytelling.

Ramendra Kumar

Surrounded by autograph hunters and (R) with a young reader of Paplu the Giant

The children were bright, with tons of ideas, oodles of imagination and chunks of chutzpah. In fact the young minds are the same everywhere. All we writers need to do is to connect and catalyze.

I was interviewed by Sharjah TV and my programmes were widely covered in the social media.  My books were on display at the festival venue and in different schools.

Ramendra Kumar at SCRF

(L) Ramendra Kumar being interviewed on TV (R) All his books were on display

The festival is one of the best events related to children’s literature which I have attended. For sheer variety, grandeur and sweep SCRF was awesome. Hundreds of activities for children related to storytelling, illustrations, art, craft, puppetry, magic, culinary skills, histrionics, AI, et al drew thousands of young minds. Besides, trysts with history, mythology, browsing, science and space made the SCRF a one stop shop for anyone desirous of a date with creativity.

What impressed me the most was the meticulous planning by the organisers. I got an invite from Ms. Qurratulain Fatima Yahya, Cultural Events Executive – International, Sharjah Book Authority on January 2, more than three months before the event. Since then, we exchanged more than thirty mails regarding the details of the Fest.

Qurrat booked the tickets, organised the visa, health insurance, accommodation,   social calendar, school visits and panel discussions etc. as per our convenience. I have yet to come across such visitor-friendly focus.

SCRF 2019

The Pied Piper!

On reaching Dubai, as we emerged from the aircraft we were met by a young lady who ushered us out through the immigration in a matter of minutes. On all the school visits I was accompanied by a volunteer and was told, a day before, the exact time of departure. The schools too were told about my coming and they were ready and waiting – red carpet and all! A car was ready for us whenever and wherever we wanted to explore the city.

“I have never, ever felt so pampered – neither in fests, nor in my father-in-law’s nest,” I told  Madhavi. “You are getting far more than you deserve,” she quipped, bringing me back to terra firma, a bit too quickly.

 Amled School

Ramendra Kumar releasing a book on environment published by Amled School

 

About SCRF

SCRF

Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival 2019 (SCRF) is held annually under the directives of His Highness Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, the UAE Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, and the patronage of Her Highness Sheikha Jawaher Bint Muhammad Al Qasimi.

Themed ‘Explore Knowledge’ this year, the event ran from 17-27 April 2019, at the Sharjah Expo Centre. In addition to bringing 167 publishers from 18 countires around the world under its roof, the festival hosted 198 guests from 56 countries and featured 2,546 activities, in addition to a series of film screenings and theatrical performances.

Ramendra Kumar at the panel discussions

Click here to read all the stories in LnC Special Edition of Ghost Stories by Children from Sharjah

ghost stories by children special lnc

Ramendra Kumar (Ramen) is an award-winning writer, performance storyteller and inspirational speaker with 49 books. His writings have been translated into 32 languages and included in 26 textbooks and many anthologies in various countries. Ramen has written across all genres ranging from picture books to adult fiction, satire, poetry, travelogues, biographies and on issues related to parenting and relationships. His writings have been published by the major publishing houses in India. His books brought out by National Book Trust (NBT), India have notched up sales of more than 4.9 lakh copies in just one year. Ramen has been invited to several international literary festivals as well as Indian events such as Jaipur Litfest and seminars organised by Sahitya Akademi and IGNOU. The author has won a total of 41 awards in the competition for writers of children’s literature organised by Children’s Book Trust (CBT) over the years, which is among the highest by any writer. Ramen was chosen as the ‘Author and Storyteller of the Year’ (2022), on ‘Talking Stories’, London, UK’s number one Radio Programme dedicated to the art of storytelling. He was nominated as a Jury Member for the Best Children’s Author Category of The Times of India’s ‘Women AutHer’ Awards, 2020. Ramen was also selected as a mentor for the Scholastic Writers Academy. An alumnus of the prestigious Hyderabad Public School (HPS), Ramen is an Engineer & an MBA. He and his inspiration, his wife Madhavi, were General Managers at SAIL, when they took Voluntary Retirement to pursue their respective passions. Their children are bonsai celebrities in their own right. While Ankita is a youth icon and a travel blogger with an Instagram following of 296 K, Aniket creates cool Apps and designs covers for his dad’s books. Ramen is now a Cancer warrior and an inspiration to many. His website is www.ramendra.in and he has a page devoted to him on Wikipedia.
All Posts of Ramendra Kumar

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