Reading Week in Kerala: This Kochi school got grandmothers to school as storytellers

The Hindu

12 hours ago

For 76-year-old Monica Thomas, a retired professor of St Teresa's College, Kochi, the visit to Rajagiri Kindergarten, a part of Rajagiri Public School, Kalamassery, was a step back in time. 'It was an interaction with children after so many years. So when I got a chance I was excited to go to the event. My primary motive was to spend some time in the company of the little children. I didn't know how they would find the storytelling. But they responded very well and so I am very happy!' says Monica who retired in 2004. She was among the handful of grandmothers invited to the school as part of their Reading Week celebrations.
Vayana Vaaram or Reading Week is held in Kerala every year for a week from June 19 to commemorate the death anniversary of PN Panicker, considered the father of the library movement in Kerala. This year, rather than having regular activities, the school decided to approach the day differently.
'The children are way too young to read. Since the school has just opened, going to the library or reading was not possible for them. So we thought of celebrating the occasion in a unique way and that was when we decided to get the grandparents involved. Grandmothers, especially, are a treasure trove of stories. Also, we wanted the grandparents to feel important,' says Shini Cyriac, headmistress of Rajagiri Kindergarten.
It was an idea that the grandmothers enthusiastically embraced. The takeaway for each grandmother has been different; but they are unanimous in their opinion that schools should have more such events that involve grandparents rather than just have them over as guests. 'Involving grandmothers is nice; it introduces a softer, comforting presence that most of us grandmothers tend to be,' says Sheela Joseph, 62, a homemaker. Sheela's grandson is an LKG student. The grandchildren of these women were not part of their sessions. 'I did not want them to be in their own grandmother's storytelling session because they anyway get to do that at home,' says Shini.
The storytelling session was organised primarily for UKG students. Though the stories could be narrated either in Malayalam or English, most grandmothers stuck to English and stories with a takeaway. While some grandmothers needed prep, there were others for whom the activity was an extension of what they were anyway doing.
However, a challenge for these grandmothers was finding the stories because the children were familiar with most of the stories.
Some others, like Kottayam-based Shaila Kuruvilla, 62, tweaked their stories in order to 'stay with the times'. In her telling of Hansel and Gretel, she toned down the part about the evil stepmother. 'I felt that sends a wrong message, because one does not know what the situation of a child at home would be. And I made it a story about stranger danger, not wandering away from parents, rather than the witch and all of it. But one child knew the story and said that there was a witch and even asked about the evil stepmother!'
She is impressed by the children's awareness that a rude person is not a good person. Although she has some teaching experience with high schoolers and college students, being around little children and their innocence was 'refreshing', she says.
'What was interesting for us was the way the children responded with so much enthusiasm. The little ones enjoyed it so much, they were enraptured and the grandmothers too because the kids were of the same age or closer in age as their grandchildren,' says Shini. A grandmother herself, to a three-year old who lives abroad, it was a vicarious experience for her, 'I am not able to tell her stories, but I could do this here!'
For 65-year-old Pushpa Mohan, a homemaker, this was a first. Although she drops and picks up her grandchild from school, the activity was new. 'It was a good experience, especially at this age. Telling our grandchildren stories is something most grandparents enjoy. Of course, I had prepared for the special day! I am happy that the kids responded well to my story.'
What Lucy Tharian liked was how the children interacted with her. 'My story was about the monkey and tortoise, which I peppered with questions. I wanted the session to be interactive and fun. So, when I asked, 'What do you think happened?', the children chimed in with 'You are only asking questions and not telling the story!'' Lucy says laughing at the memory.
Will this be an annual activity? Shini says the response has been tremendous and the kindergarten plans to have a repeat, with more grandparents, for Children's Day.