By Express News Service CHENNAI : On October 15, students, leaders, celebrities and the public across India paid homage to the late Dr APJ Abdul Kalam on his birth anniversary. With tributes for The Missile Man of India still pouring in from different pockets of the country, city-based freelance journalist and storyteller Sudha Umashanker, in association with Madras Literary Society, will curate a 60-minute long storytelling session for children. Titled ‘Kalam Stories’, the session will give the young minds a peek into the extraordinary life of the People’s President. “Earlier in February, I released a book titled APJ Abdul Kalam - An Illustrated Story of a Life. I felt truly privileged to work on it. Even after his passing, he remains a popular figure and a role model for the younger generation. Narratives about him have captured the imagination of children who were not even born during his time,” she shares. Sudha Umashanker wrote APJ Abdul Kalam - An Illustrated Story of a Life The late Bharat Ratna recipient continues to inspire people of all ages, as his life offers many takeaways. “From the kind of childhood he had, how much his family meant to him, how he handled disappointments, the communal harmony that prevailed while he was growing up — when children and teenagers hear or read these stories, they are transported to a different world from a different time,” she says. With 2020 nearing, a milestone year by which Kalam envisioned India to become a developed nation headed by the youth, we ask Sudha the importance of sharing stories of his dreams and visions for India. “He always focused on welfare and development — from providing urban amenities in rural areas and creating a tactile garden in Rashtrapati Bhavan to improving other sectors. He had a strong moral compass, something that is important for the younger generation to know,” she shares. In this session, Sudha will pick excerpts from her book and lace it with visual elements to engage children. The event will also have a reading contest for children between seven and 10 years old. The participants can try their hand at reading aloud the given extracts from the book. The three best readers will be awarded certificates. “We will also be making the session more visual to make it interactive for the children. This way they’ll get a wholesome experience,” she says. Sudha is currently working on translating the #MeToo stories into Tamil.‘Kalam Stories’ will be held today from 11 am to 12.30 pm at Madras Literary Society, College Road, Nungambakkam. For details, call: 28279666 In this session Sudha will pick excerpts from her book and lace it with visual elements to engage children. The event will also have a reading contest for children between seven and ten years old.

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