This session, inspired by ‘Go Wild’, an anthology of planet-cooling writers and illustrators, aims to rewild children’s imaginations amidst environmental generational amnesia. Through stories, comics, and photo essays, participants will engage creatively, reflecting on the natural world and reconnecting with nature through a fun, interactive quiz.

Facilitators

Lavanya Karthik

Lavanya Karthik is an award-winning author and illustrator of children's books and comics. She has over forty books in print and is the creator of the acclaimed Dreamers series of illustrated biographies, published by Penguin Random House. With a background in design and environmental planning, she is greatly interested in using children's books not just to tell stories but to get young readers thinking about the environment and their responsibility towards it. Her books have won the Publishing Next Award, the Peekabook Children's Choice Award and the Bangalore Literature Festival's Children's Book Prize and have been included in the Parag Honour List.

Shabnam Minwalla

Shabnam Minwalla is a Mumbaiholic, an ardent saree shopper, a murder mystery buff and an occasionally frazzled mother of three. She has spent all her life with words -- working as a journalist with The Times of India, writing columns and features in various publications and non-fiction books about facets of Mumbai. What she is best-known for are her books for children and young adults.

Shabnam’s popular books include Zen, The Six Spell makers of Dorabji Street, What Maya Saw, Saira Zariwala is Afraid and the rib-tickling Nimmi series. She has won numerous awards, including the AutHer Award, the Neev Book Award and the Atta Galatta Bangalore Literature Festival Prize and the Valley of Words Award.

Shabnam teaches creative writing in a Mumbai college and has conducted workshops in schools around the country. Her new book, `The Body in the Swimming Pool’ is an entertaining murder mystery set in a Mumbai high-rise.