No Holds Barred with Ashim Ahluwalia
By Jyothsana Narasimhan, Educator In the world of cinema, there are filmmakers who adhere to conventional storytelling and then there are those who push the boundaries – Ashim Ahluwalia belongs to the family of the latter wherein his films and series delve into the unconventional and the tabooed. Ahluwalia’s films challenge traditional narratives and take […]
Adaptation – Retelling, Rewriting, and Renewing
By Anya Shenoy, Grade 10 The excitement hung in the air on Day 2 of NLF. Some fresh faces appeared, while others returned for a fun-filled day. Of the numerous activities available, some of the most insightful were the masterclasses. Authors from far and wide gathered to talk about their stories. One of the masterclasses […]
Nidhi Sudhan on Living in the Age of AI
By Kabir Basu, Grade 10 Artificial intelligence, social media and technology have undoubtedly become a massive part of our lives, and an interactive session by Nidhi Sudhan, a responsible media advocate and co-founder of Citizen Digital Foundation (CDF) effectively captured the combination of wonder and fear that conflicts us when thinking about what the future […]
A Masterclass in Empathy
By Devyanshi Chakraborty, Grade 10 In a masterclass led by Neev Book Award winning author Nandita da Cunha, we embarked on a journey into the heart of storytelling through the lens of empathy. This transformative session opened our minds to the power of understanding and harnessing empathy as a vital component in the writer’s toolkit. […]
Takeaways from NLF 2023
By Anaaya Kanchan, Grade 8 The Neev Literature Festival was a 2-day event packed with performances, sessions, talks, masterclasses and readings. Authors and performers from around the world and the country came together to speak and perform to a large and diverse audience, leaving all of us with a vast wealth of knowledge and experiences. […]
Growing Historical Awareness – A Masterclass with Hannah Lalhlanpuii
By Sanjana Garg, Grade 10 Participants at the Neev Literature Festival 2023 conversed with author Hannah Lalhlanpuii, whose debut novel When Blackbirds Fly was shortlisted for the Neev Book Award 2023 in the Young Adult category. This book, set in the early years of Mizoram’s two-decade quest for independence, against the backdrop of the Aizawl […]
Jyoti Rajan Gopal on Straddling Cultures
Sunayana Surana, Grade 10 The interactive sessions for children were kicked off on Day 1 of the Neev Literature Festival 2023 by Jyoti Rajan Gopal, an author of many cultures. Jyoti talked about the formative years of her life—going from one country to another and learning to adjust and thrive everywhere—she lived in Thailand, shifted […]
Unveiling Layers: A Masterclass in Close Reading with Colin and Anuradha
By Vaishali Ghosh Basu, Educator On Saturday, the first day of the Neev Literature Festival, a masterclass on close reading led by the dynamic duo, Colin Kelman and Anuradha Ruhil Barua, left participants spellbound during a 45-minute session that transcended the ordinary. Both distinguished DP teachers in the IB curricula and members of the Neev […]
From Gond Art to Animation: Masterclasses at NLF
By Shashank Pai, Grade 11 The Oxford Dictionary defines ‘master’ as ‘someone having or showing great proficiency’. This proficiency was on full display during the masterclasses at the Neev Literature Festival 2023. I had the pleasure of attending three masterclasses discussing topics such as Gond art, graphic novels and animation. The first masterclass about creating […]
Unlocking the Power of Yoga: Insights from Roopa Pai
By Siddharth Choudhary, Educator Yoga is not just a physical exercise; it is a path to inner peace, self-discovery, and holistic well-being. At the Neev Literature Festival 2023, author Roopa Pai shared her profound insights on making yoga accessible to kids and adults, drawing from her teaching practice and delving into the rich history and […]