To promote my YA Axxiss trilogy novels and Children’s' books, Children of the Enchanted Jungle, my publisher,
Scholastic, has me visit schools. This to both promote reading among the
children and, of course, plug my novels. The most exhausting schedule was the
one to Hyderabad – ten schools in three days. The routine is the introduction
by the older kids, 14 years old, who have scoured the internet for every scrap
of digital information on me. Sometimes, they do print up the covers of a few,
and read out a short biography of me to the audience. Then my ten to fifteen
minute talk - on the importance of reading – followed by a Q&A. The teachers
want me on the stage for this, I prefer to roam the hall with the mic to interact
with the children. They enjoy asking questions, though some are repetitious.
Some googlies though which need careful thought before I answer.
On Wednesday, I catch
the night train to a Kumbakonam, 200 miles south of here. The principal of Dr. G.S Kalyanasundram
Memorial School, Ms Bhavana Shankar, has invited me down. I met her earlier
when she was a school principal in Chennai. Froze to death in the sleeper car, 16
decrees C, so was groggy when I got there. The town has 1800 temples and is a major
pilgrimage destination for the believers. I managed to see only two of them as
we drove to the school a bit out of the town. I am used to some welcomes, this
was a major one.
The school band was lined up at
the gate and started playing when, like royalty, I descended from the auto
rickshaw with the Scholastic person. There was a large display of me, with the
titles of my novels before the school entrance and the principal came to greet
me. Children gave me roses. Ms Shankar told me that the majority of children
come from the surrounding villages. She added that they think differently from
those in Chennai schools. How different? They think out of the box, she tells
me. After the chat with her,
the hall was packed with children, and some parents at the back, and even more
photos and a projection of me on the screen. Two girls danced a short
Bharatanatyam, two had a singing duet, a dozen sang ‘We shall Overcome’, in
English, then a debate between the kids on e-learning or classroom learning. They
were articulate, talking without notes.
Then of course I had to talk to
them, rapt silence as the great writer spoke words of wisdom – the importance
of reading books. After other speeches,
there was a Q&A with the kids, usually happens. The school tried to get me
on the stage but I prefer moving among the kids with a mic to close the gap.
These were good questions, out of the ordinary other kids asked and I was
impressed. A smart boy handed me a box of sweets and pointed to the cover. ‘Murari’
sweets. It was thoughtful of him to have found it, somewhere. Two girls came to
compliment me. They expected someone to wearing a suit and not be friendly. But
they said 'you are simple, and also the way you dress'. Wasn't sure how to take
that. By that time exhausted so needed a
siesta in the guest house and lunch. The school hadn't warned me that I had to
talk to the teachers on how to teach. How would I know? So I have 40, all women, waiting for my
lessons. One teacher, dutifully put up her hand to ask me a question. ‘How do
you keep a child quiet for ten minutes?’ I hadn’t the faintest idea, and winged
it that she should read or sing to them. Apart from that, the teachers were
less curious then the kids. Then I had to catch the night train back to
Chennai, didn't freeze this time but can never sleep well. I used to in my
school days but age has caught up.
