Mysuru: Children from various schools in the city exhibited their literary skills at ninth edition of Mysuru Children’s Literature Festival – 2024 jointly organised by Mysuru Literary Forum Charitable Trust and Mysuru Book Clubs – 2015 at Wind Chimes, Nazarbad yesterday.

Children, who managed the entire festival by hosting and running the stalls, displayed the managerial skills they had developed.

Listening to the stories rendered by writers Shama Thakare and Sharon Dev of Mumbai, Sreevalli Sreenivasan of Chennai, Ramya Srinidhi and Shreya Narayanan of Bengaluru and Anupama K. Benchinamardi and Ghanesh Venkatesh, the children slipped to their imaginary world. They also enjoyed the story on butterflies by Arun Urs and Namratha Urs and the story rendered by Chandini Chabra.

The kids were also mesmerised watching the live illustrations by artists Vanya Joseph and Senthil, dance and storytelling by Dr. Nima Manjrekar, Pooja Tosniwal and Roopa Shivaprakash and performance by ventriloquist Suma Rajkumar.

Building a bright future

Earlier, inaugurating the Mysuru Children’s Literature Festival, renowned sculptor Arun Yogiraj said stories, especially those related to our ancestors, were a great inspiration to build a bright future apart from teaching to open for learning throughout our lives.

Speaking on the occasion, City Police Commissioner Seema Latkar, who was the chief guest, highlighted the need to cultivate the habit of reading among children. “In the present day, there are many factors through which people get distracted but it is only the books that help increase the level of concentration,” she added.

“We grow up listening to stories. There are times when we imagine a story with us being the protagonists. The world of stories is fascinating and there is a need to get connected deeply with the world of stories. It is also important to read a book every month and learn a new word every day to cultivate a disciplined life,” said Seema Latkar.

During the valedictory ceremony, prizes were distributed to the winners of the Inter-School General Knowledge competition and short-story writing contest by Arun Yogiraj and Seema Latkar.

Shubha Sanjay Urs, Founder-Chairperson and Director, Mysuru Literary Forum Charitable Trust and Mysuru Book Clubs-2015 and others were present.