by Shivank Singh, Grade 8
Pratyush Gupta’s session ‘Crafting Books that Pop, Sing & Glow’ was an extraordinary dive into the fusion of Indian classical music and interactive storytelling. Through his book Master of the 7 Swars, he showed how creativity can transform reading into a whole new experience including a new visual and auditory approach to storytelling. The book itself pops, glows, and visually comes alive, making the abstract concept of music tangible.
The author’s explanation that “just as letters come together to make words, the 7 swars come together to make musical phrases” made me think of music differently along with many in the audience. Instead of just a jumble of different sounds, I can now imagine them as their own individual sounds coming together. However, what truly made this a memorable experience was the hands-on engagement. Pratyush Gupta distributed colorful bells representing each of the swars and guided us through playing musical phrases together. Laughter, applause, and joyful participation followed as the group collectively played ‘Twinkle Twinkle Little Star,’ showing us the magic of collaboration and sound. The rest of the audience seemed to enjoy this short activity as much as I did.
The event exceeded my expectations by blending music, visuals, and creativity in such a fun, accessible way. Beyond the music experiment, he invited us to create our own pop-up images, adding another interactive part to the whole experience. The ambience was lively and filled with curiosity, with the audience fully immersed in each activity. Personally, I walked away inspired by how books can be designed to not only tell stories but to engage readers through touch, sight, and sound. Overall, this masterclass was a treat for not only people who enjoy music, but anyone who wants to have a fun experience doing something unique, hands-on and fun.
