Create creatures of every kind imaginable with a few dots, lines, squiggles and shapes.

Note: Materials will be provided.

Bangalore Literature Festival presents a first of its kind Young Journalist Workshop by Co Media Lab, a Radio Active and Citizen Matters initiative.

This workshop will introduce young people to the basics of reporting, and help them get hands-on experience through use of multiple media. The workshop is an opportunity to develop new skills, improve media literacy, and develop life skills such as teamwork, leadership, communication, independent thinking, and creativity.

With guidance, the participants will then take on the role of reporters to cover sessions from the Festival and produce articles, photo series, interviews and radio podcasts. This is also a unique opportunity to get some of their work published by the Co Media Lab.

As a part of the assignment, the participants will use some of the reporting techniques learnt in the workshop, research, write, photograph and conduct interviews to build a unique series of articles, photo series and audio interviews that will showcase the Bangalore Literature Festival, as they see it.

Limited slots. Registration required for this workshop by filling out the form on this page.

Ever wondered how writers get ideas? How do they make them into a story? And most importantly, why does a story end? Why can’t it just go on and on and on? At this workshop with Andaleeb and Sajita, you will learn to use your wildest ideas, string them together and come up with stories that might or might not end.

Participants will be given an opportunity to read out their work in OpenMic.

Limited slots. Registration required for this workshop by filling out the form on this page.

About Nutcracker

Nutcracker began in March 2016 and we have conducted more than 15 workshops since then. We conduct workshops for all ages – children and adults. Our passion is the written word and we try to help upcoming authors with different elements of writing. Nutcracker is run by Sajita Nair and Andaleeb Wajid, both published authors. Know more about Nutcracker at our website – www.nut-cracker.in

OpenMic: For kids, tweens and teens – 3 minutes to sing, speak, recite, tell a story or make us laugh. Come to us with your best act and we’ll guarantee an audience.

Limited slots. Registration required by filling out the form.

Kaadoo presents a nature and wildlife themed storytelling session.

This fun and interactive session will introduce children to the Kaadoo wildlife adventure safari board games and let their imagination take wings by transporting them to the magical world of  jungles and wild beasts.

If you relate to the topics of ecology and protection of the environment and want your children do the same too, bring them over. This is just the beginning, but we are sure it will leave a strong impression in their minds. You would be thrilled to watch their Green Quotient rise.

Let us build the Gen Next green brigade!

Have a paranormal experience to share? Or love to listen to stories that chill and thrill?

Join author Shweta Taneja in our spooky circle and listen and write some scary tales.

Shweta Taneja is a writer who lives in the worlds of monsters, aliens and ghosts. She collects real life ghost stories, folk tales and legends on her travels and is busy questioning aliens on whether they want to destroy us or simply have tea with us. Other questions she likes to ask: Why are ghosts always wearing white nighties? Who said the monster says ‘arrgh’? And why do they always have long tusks and claws? Are monsters black or white?

She’s written seven books and more than two hundred articles and continues to write madly and passionately. She’s a Charles Wallace India Writing Fellow and her graphic novel The Skull Rosary was shortlisted for Best Writer Award in ComicCon India. Her latest book, How to Steal a Ghost @ Manipal is out with Juggernaut Books and in the bestselling lists.

Bangalore Literature Festival and the Goethe-Institut / Max Mueller Bhavan are hand-in-glove on this unique opportunity for puppet fans of all ages. Master puppeteer and musician Paul Affeld from Berlin will conduct this hands-on Puppet-building Workshop and introduce you to the magic of turning a regular sock into a character of its own kind.

Paul  is one of the founding members of the hip-hop project Puppetmastaz, a band with rapping handpuppets. In the past years he has created more than 30 creatures, which have names like Mr. Potatoe, Panic the Pig, Snuggles the Bunny or Wizard the Lizard. How does your alter ego look like?

Limited places. Participation by registration only.

In this interesting conversation, Vasudev Murthy and Dr. Surendra Varma will talk about the way wildlife has entered our literature and how it has affected the way we think of them. There’ll also be a wildlife quiz and a movie for children.

Vasudev Murthy is the author of several books and is active in animal welfare circles. He was involved in the rescue of the Gemini Circus elephants in late 2015 and has moderated discussions on elephants at the Friends of Elephants monthly meetings. His involvement with animal welfare and rescues started when he was very young, and he feels children intuitively ‘get it’ about conservation and ecology.

Dr Surendra Varma is a noted ecologist who specializes the impact of elephants on the environment. He travels the world over advising governments on best practices for wildlife habitat management. He has been on a relentless mission to educate the public about the central role of the elephant in maintaining and regenerating forests and promoting the survival of other animals.

Incredible but true – the Gita’s wisdoms aren’t just for religious old Hindu people, they are for everyone, including – hold your breath – children! If you always thought that one of the world’s oldest books, and India’s blockbuster bestseller for two thousand years, was also one of the world’s most boring books, this is your chance to discover just how wrong you are. Come and find out what lessons – on things like competition, happiness, and the best slimming diets – the hoary text holds for Gen Next, with Roopa Pai, author of the award-winning ‘The Gita For Children’.

Recommended age group: 10-16 years. Parents and grandparents welcome.

Harish teaches you to become a clown!

Come join us at The Bangalore Literature Festival for live tournaments as we launch ODD ‘R EVE.

> Win fun prizes and goodies
> Get your game packs signed by the founding team
> Play live tournaments with your friends and family
> Buy your copy of the game at Atta Galatta bookstore at the venue or online on Amazon!

Cited as “India’s answer to Uno!” by RJ Shraddha, on Fever 104 where ODD ‘R EVE was recently featured, here is your chance to experience the game first-hand and own your copy for the whole family!

Amitha Singh, a senior marketing professional with over 2 decades of experience across industries including entrepreneurial experience with an extensive focus on Branding & Digital Marketing. Things that she is passionate about include sports, working with children, creative writing (including fiction), storytelling and food.

OpenMic: For kids, tweens and teens – 3 minutes to sing, speak, recite, tell a story or make us laugh. Come to us with your best act and we’ll guarantee an audience.

Limited slots. Registration required by filling out the form.

Meet veteran journalists with BV Rao (Firstpost), G. Sampath and Josy Joseph (The Hindu) and ask them anything you want to know about journalism, How do I become a journalist?, What is the coolest thing they’ve done in their job? What do their kids think of them? Really, anything.

Dancing Tales is a performance of Indian stories for children and adults combining the oral and visual medium of Dance, Music and Storytelling. An initiative of Atta Galatta, the series brings Indian tales from far and wide. This edition features the story of Krishna, at various stages of his life right from childhood to adulthood exploring various facets of human relationship.

Performed by students of Poornima Kaushik, with live music by Aparna Chandar and her students, along with Vikram Sridhar.

Poornima is an exponent of the Vazhuvoor style of Bharatanatyam and has achieved a great degree of excellence and finesse in this fine art. Having trained from the age of 5 under the able guidance of Guru Kalaimamani Smt. K.J. Sarasa, Poornima has been dancing for more than two decades to diverse audiences in cities and towns all over India and also in a few places abroad. She currently trains under her mother-in-law Guru Smt. Padma Murali of Padmalaya Dance Foundation, Bangalore. Poornima is an Executive member of the International Dance Alliance, Bangalore Chapter and Associate Artistic Director of Padmalaya Dance Foundation, Bangalore. She also trains several students in her own dance academy. Her students will be a part of ‘Dancing Tales’.

Aparna is the founder of Dhvani School of Music. Aparna trains students in carnatic music. Dhvani students have performed at and won prizes in various competitions. The school aims at making ‘learning music’ interesting without losing the traditional style of singing.

Vikram is a Performance Storyteller who believes in storytelling as a strong medium for conservation, which is highly relevant in the modern context. A marketing professional, Vikram combines his work and interest in Theatre and Conservation in his Storytelling. He performs at various public and private spaces to audience of various age groups and capacities. Around The Story Tree is his initiative to connect the modern day listeners to the environment around us through the power of stories and arts.