Spin A Story

11/12/2024

What more can an Author dream of than being invited for an Author’s meet! The National Book Trust recently gave me an opportunity to share my story as a author with grade 7 and 8 students of the Platinum Valley School.

From answering their questions, to learning from them about new softwares, to discussing ways we can overcome writers block and tips to write well and improve, to how we can chill and unwind, it was a whole lot of fun!

It always amazes me how much children are exposed to these days, how confident and articulate they are in expressing themselves and the sheer amount of technical knowledge they are able to process.

The quality of questions and the way some of them answered before I could further explain left me in awe! When I asked one of them to explain Kindle to his batchmates, he responded by sharing about not just that but also Kindle Direct Publishing on Amazon and how he had already published through the platform. As had others. Another explained the entire process of book distribution on a simple question of how they thought books are sold. Even after we had finished, there were still some with more questions. I was so glad to have spent time with them.

Thanks so much to the children and teachers of Platinum Valley for having me over and to NBT India for giving me this wonderful opportunity to do what I love to do most - connect and spend time with children!

19/11/2024

2024 ❤️ An annual ritual with my precious ones! This year was even more special as we took our kids from Nirmal Primary School as well. It was a unique treat for them and even if they know Gruffalo fleetingly, they really enjoyed the ‘school day sessions’ on Day 1.

My niece Seeratt, for whom I started storytelling, came along on on Day 2 and attended a few sessions while we hung out and reminisced old times when she attended as a four year old and loved getting autographs. Now, she’s too old for ‘kiddie stuff’. I hope she approves of this picture where her face is not seen.

It’s also my second year with my dear friend Aania, who’s a future volunteer and author at Bookaroo. She loved giving her feedback to Swati and enjoyed sessions, especially with the gifted Kapil Pandey.

Looking forward to the next Bookaroo and more adventures!

31/10/2024

Another fun Diwali at the Nirmal Primary School where we all painted Diyas to take home for Diwali celebrations with our families. It’s a tradition for us with the teachers and now fellows from joining in. This is our fourth year painting the diyas and it was even more exciting for me personally this year as my nephew came along to decorate and paint with the younger classes. My sister in law made yummy brownies for the whole school and my mom joined us in the fun. Let’s spread joy and love this Diwali!... ✨ 💥

13/02/2024

Aaya Basant, Pala Udant

’s listen to some interesting stories about this festival heralding the arrival of Spring or Basant Ritu...

22/11/2023

Posted • At DST, there's nothing that brings us together as our annual fundraising event, Stories Beyond Compassion. This is the time when we carry out performances and workshops to raise funds for a cause that resonates with us. This year however, the idea of getting together was as heartening as it was overwhelming! We had 24 storytellers who unconditionally offered their art, time and passion for telling stories for the cause; and then came along the wonderful support from Eureka Kids Club who made SBC part of Bookaroo in the City! Each one us was thrilled to spend the better parts of September and October performing stories for children from underserved schools and community libraries across Delhi. Thank you, tellers! Thank you, Eureka.
We are super excited to share that Bookaroo Children's Literature Festival is being held at the beautiful Sunder Nursery on 24th and 25th of November. Don't miss it!

19/10/2023

These popped on the phone screen today… from a few years ago, in Poland. The hotel in Warsaw was a once vodka factory…just my kind of place - not for the Vodka but for the “adaptive reuse” of an old heritage building.

From the reception being the bar, a welcome martini at midnight, an old world phone in the room, board games strewn all over, crazy artwork in the ironing room, a big pink teddy, other quirks and best of all - making “humari wali ghar ki chai” for the hotel crew that was planning a trip to India, the hotel was an experience in itself and easily one of the highlights of the trip!

20/09/2023

Posted •
Aa rahi hai aaj kahaanikaar Amrita Jolly leke dopeher ki do dilchasp daastan SPYM Nizamuddin ke baccho ke liye 🥳

Architect, baccho ki lekhika aur kahaanikaar, Amrita Jolly Spin-a-Story ki sansthapak hai, ek manch jiske maadhyam se vah apne rachnaatmak vichaaro ko kahani satro, karyashaalon aur baccho ki kitabein ke zariye prastut karti hai 📚

18/09/2023

by .books with was super fun, as usual!
This is my third year with this initiative that aims to bring the love of stories in all shapes, sizes and languages to any child wanting to read (all you need is a smart phone).
The children at The Nirmal School loved it this year as well… we had “Hello, Sun” by for nursery and KG. The book sparks curiosity and it’s beautifully written and illustrated, kudos Rajiv! The kids were intrigued by the little curious boy’s body movements in the story so we did our own improvisation which was hilarious, followed by a selfie (credit ). I loved the Hindi translation as it used slangy, everyday lingo, making it very relatable.

The older grades 1-5 absolutely loved “Hakeem ki Hichkiyan” (Hakeem’s Hiccups) by Sadaf Siddique. I’m big on rhyme and so are the kids.. it always stays with you like a very catchy song. The illustrations were so on-point, we really enjoyed them. your name sparked so many questions (of course, we read about you on the last page). The translation in Hindi was superb. Congratulations for making us feel like we were in a ‘shayri ki mehfil’! I’ve always felt that illustrations are the deciding factor, specially when sharing with a large audience and for them to connect with the story can’t be highlighted enough. Both books were brilliant on that account.
for the lovely background poster and extra copies of the books Pratham Books. We have two lovely additions to our school library!
-for-profit

14/08/2023

Happy Independence Day everyone! I did some sessions in schools this past week where apart from the ‘story of our independence’ we tried to understand what freedom meant at the time our elders were fighting for it back in 1947 and what it means now… I feel that most wonderful gift of freedom and the concept of ‘azaadi’ and gratitude for it must be actively discussed with today’s generation….
Jai Hind 🇮🇳
#1947 🇮🇳🇮🇳🇮🇳

30/06/2023

“Kitty goes to Goa” is going to Goa! So happy to share that Spin A Story got a very big fat order for the Goa book of the ‘Kitty Travel Series’ recently.

Apart from the fact that it has been placed by a very prestigious company (don’t we all love validation), it’s a big deal for a self published author who wrote the book as a labour of love, unaware that writing and publishing + selling a book are two different worlds!

I’ve had a ball getting these babies out... The thrill of hearing the continuous buzz of the printer, seeing the folding, binding and cutting processes first hand and then having the book stacks all over the printing press was exhilarating. I was practically living there, so much so that the staff was bemused and bewildered to see me volunteer to pack the books in the cartons.

If I could, I’d have travelled with the courier chaps to drop them off to Goa personally…

A big thanks to all of you who have supported the book with their constructive feedback, appreciation, spreading the word around and ordering them for little ones. It means a lot to me. ❤️ The book is available on Amazon India and you can reach out at 097174 76530
📚 ❤️

23/05/2023

Poetry Workshop for class four at the Nirmal Bhartia School

I had a whole lot of fun with these nine years olds as they wound up their “poetry reading week” in class with our workshop. For most of us growing up with reading and learning poetry in school, the subject seemed a bit challenging. Memorising was not everyone’s cup of tea and some were intimidated by it if not plain bored.

I thought of how we could generate interest in poetry, learn a bit more about appreciating poems while making it more interesting and fun. Here are some glimpses of our interactive session with the fun we had…. watching a hilarious poetry video “Chocolate Cake” by Michael Rosen, starting a discussion with a ‘poetry spinner’, learning about the life of the poet William Wordsworth through pictures of his home+museum and the “ice cream poem” we created in pairs as part of our activity for the day.

A big thank you to Shalu Madan Ma’am who invited me, the wonderful and energetic grade four students of the Nirmal Bhartia School. It’s commendable to see what lengths the school goes to towards enhancing their academic curriculum.

18/05/2023

Eric Carle (1929–2021) was one of the best known illustrators of our time. The creator of more than 70 picture books, he combined winsome stories and exuberant collages that appeal to young readers and adults alike. His art is distinctive and instantly recognizable. His artwork was created in collage technique, using hand-painted papers, which he cut and layered to form bright and cheerful images.

The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art is a museum devoted to the art of the picture book and especially the children's book. It is adjacent to the campus of Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts USA. The Carle was founded by Eric and Barbara Carle. It was the first full-scale museum in the United States devoted to national and international picture book.

The Museum aims to collect, preserve, and exhibit original illustrations, encourage guests of all ages to read and create art, and foster an ever-growing audience passionate about children's literature. It wants us to explore our creativity, build confidence to do so and appreciate art of all kinds.
📚

09/05/2023

Kitty at the Met Gala!?
What’s going on? This was too funny to miss!

Jared Leto (an American actor and musician) took many by surprise after deciding to dress as a cat in order to attend the 2023 Met Gala. The Met Gala, also known as the Costume Institute Benefit or the Met Ball, is an annual fundraising event for the benefit of the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute in New York City. It is held on the first Monday of May every year, and is one of the most high-profile fashion events in the world, often attracting celebrities, fashion icons, and designers from all over the globe.

The Met Gala is known for its theme-based red carpet, where guests dress according to a specific theme set by the Costume Institute. This year's theme was "Karl Lagerfeld: The Line of Beauty" in their bid to pay tribute to the late fashion designer.

Why did Jared Leto dress up as a cat?
Leto decided to pay tribute to Lagerfeld's relationship with his beloved cat, Choupette, who was not present at the gala. The famous designer told New York Magazine that he adopted his cat after petsitting her for a friend.
"When he came back, I told him that the cat was not returning to his house, and I kept it, this kind of genius creature," Karl said.

Following Lagerfeld's passing away in 2019, the cat's official Instagram account attracted attention after a post was uploaded to pay homage to the late designer.
"With a once cold but now simply broken heart, I am going into mourning," the post read.

I just thought this resemblance to Kitty, looking like a doppelgänger (almost as Kitty’s eyes are blue) was too good to be missed!

14/04/2023

Stories of Baisakhi and other Harvest Festivals

, let’s listen to stories of our Harvest Festivals of Baisakhi, Vaisakhi, Vishu and Poila Bais...

08/04/2023

https://youtu.be/txVDbp8U6ec

lot of us love the Easter traditions of eating Easter Eggs, candy and the chocolate or toy Easter Bunny! We also...

06/04/2023

The Gifts 🎁 of Story, Reading and Books📚are lessons in life! A lovely quote from Jacqueline Kennedy, doting mother and wife and once First Lady of the US.

22/03/2023

Don’t we all have those occasional ‘out of the blue - did this really happen’ days?

On a chance visit to the home of our family friends, we met their pet cat…and it is no ordinary pet, mind you! Firstly, how often do you see pet cats in India (dogs being perennial favourites) and secondly, a Persian cat!? It was unreal to hold a cat like this for the first time. Coco was as zapped as I was! He felt like Kitty (the fur, I mean) but he was real. Lovely topaz eyes, pink ears and the biggest whiskers I’ve seen in a cat. Seemed quite at ease in my lap even though I’m sure he would prefer being in a corner somewhere. His walk and general demeanour was regal, to say the least…. Can’t wait to meet him again and can’t believe I held such a magnificent creature in my lap!

It helps that he’s related to Kitty- kind of…When I first started working with Kitty (my hand puppet, not pet), the curious cat in me went researching about furry white cats and realised Kitty was Persian/Turkish. I even did a story about her learning to swim only after I confirmed that this breed is one of nine breeds that actually like to swim (as opposed to most cats).

The Persian cat, also known as the Persian longhair has a round face and short muzzle. The first documented ancestors might have been imported into Italy from Iran around 1620. However, stronger evidence says they were exported from Afghanistan and Iran in the 19th century, being first adopted by the British and later by American breeders. In 2021, Persian cats were ranked as the fourth-most popular cat breed in the world. Say hello to the Persian Prince Coco, everyone!

🐱🐱🐱 😻