Storybooks open up new world to Spiti children amid pandemic
Shimla, September 6
Hundreds of primary students living in tiny hamlets of the picturesque Spiti Valley in Himachal Pradesh have been introduced to a whole new world through picture and storybooks, courtesy a Delhi-based NGO, to pique their curiosity and inculcate reading habits in them.
This comes at a time when little children were locked up in their respective homes amid the coronavirus scare or have now restrictions placed on them to move out in the public.
Office-bearers of NGO ‘Let’s Open a Book’ believe that providing storybooks will help the kids adjust to a new set of circumstances while staying safe at home.
6,000 books donated so far
- The storybooks are in English, Hindi and local Tibetan languages for kids in the Spiti Valley.
- The NGO has been working in 60 govt schools in Spiti by setting up libraries that cater to 600 students and has so far donated 6,000 books.
- It has also adopted a public library in Kaza, the Spiti headquarters some 350 km from state capital Shimla, and set up a children’s corner there.
“Since the students have not able to join classes since March 2020 owing to closure of schools, we have decided to provide storybooks up to Class V students with the help of the area administration,” NGO founder and Managing Trustee Ruchi Dhona said.
Currently, the books are getting delivered in Kaza, Kibbar, Guling, Langcha, and Mane.
The Spiti Valley, a mountainous paradise that straddles both India and Tibet, has over two dozen scattered hamlets, and remains cut off owing to heavy snow for at least six months in a year. It reopens once snow starts thawing after mid-April.
Dhona believes the storybooks would help kids overcome the boredom, insecurity and emotional frustrations of life under the lockdown.
The NGO has also produced short videos, showcasing the tales and stories related to Spiti.
“Reading books is a favourite pastime of my daughter these days when all outdoor activities have almost come to an end,” said parent Dolma Negi. Even children are developing the habit of sharing by exchanging books, she added. IANS
