National Library organizes three Day Workshop-series on Story Writing, Cli-Fi
(Climate Change Stories) and Pandemics for School Children during the Lock down Period
The National Library of India invited novelist,
climate fiction author, activist and columnist Rajat Chaudhuri to present a three-day
online workshop on short story writing, climate change fiction (cli-fi) and the
linkages between disease outbreaks and human action through unsustainable
development. Close to thirty students of classes VI, VII and VIII from more than
ten schools attended the online sessions presented by Rajat Chaudhuri over
three days (21, 26 and 28 April, 2020). The participants were widely spread
right from Guwahati in the north-east,
Vijaywada in the South, Poona in the West and many from Kolkata in the east.
The
first day’s programme was inaugurated by Dr
K.K.Kochukoshy, OSD, National Library who welcomed the participants and
dwelt upon the importance of telling stories. Ms Gajalakshmi E., ALIO, National Library introduced the Resource Person and also compered the program. The entire program was administered through
Videoconferencing Mode by GoToMeeting App by Dr Partha Sarathi Das, ALIO, National Library.
The
workshops were highly interactive where the Chaudhuri introduced the learners
to the elements of short story writing like character, setting, plot, dialogue,
scenes and more. He provided several examples from well known stories of Chekov, Hemingway, Flannery O’Connor
and others and gave the students tasks to write short stories of their own
during the three days of the workshop. All students participated enthusiastically
in writing their own stories and many were offered the opportunity to read
these out aloud following which Chaudhuri offered suggestions to each for
further improvement. The National Library has decided to put up the best three stories on their blog.
The
climate workshop took off with Rajat introducing the students to the basic
science behind climate change and its wide variety of ill effects from sea
level rise to migration and disease. Combining his own experience as climate
activist with engaging videos about the phenomenon, slide presentations and
readings from climate change novels, Chaudhuri drove home the message that both producers and consumers have to change
their ways if we want a better future for the planet. As future decision-makers
and responsible citizens the students were told time and again to spread
awareness about the dangers of climate change through stories they write,
through music and through lobbying, advocacy and awareness activities at all
levels right from home to street and up to the corridors of power.
Through
a slide presentation, movie clips and readings from climate change novels of Amitav Ghosh (Gun Island), The Road (Cormac McCarthy) and his own
eco-disaster cli-fi novel (The Butterfly Effect) Chaudhuri portrayed how climate change stories (cli-fi) can are written, why they are
important, what makes them challenging to write and why they have a certain advantage in communicating
the message of climate change compared to bare scientific facts and reports which
they can complement. The students
enjoyed these sessions asking several questions and sharing their ideas and
also taking on the task of writing another climate change story which they will
submit later.
The
third day’s session made the important and topical connection between unsustainable development and the spread of
zoonotic diseases (that are transmitted from animals to human) like the
current coronavirus epidemic. With a simple and visually enriched slide
presentation Chaudhuri demonstrated with examples from movies and science how
human actions like logging, road building, mining, growing urbanisation, industrial
farming and agriculture (monoculture) can among other things result in loss of
biodiversity and bring animal-borne viruses (like coronavirus, Ebola virus, MERS virus etc) in close proximity to
humans. He also touched upon the various theories behind the present outbreak
including wet-markets and laboratory redesigning of viruses finally stressing
on the fact that humans are largely responsible for whatever is happening
around us and that unsustainable development and growth cannot go on if we want
to decrease the probability of similar outbreaks of zoonotic diseases. In this
context he also mentioned how climate change has a role to play in the increasing
number of outbreaks of dengue and its possible connection with the coronavirus
pandemic. Finally introducing the concept of OneHealth, also part of the policy of the biodiversity mission of
the Indian government, Chaudhuri stressed on the importance of a holistic
approach to human health, animal health, and the environment as the road ahead
for a healthy future.
The
workshops ended with Dr Kochukoshy,
OSD, National Library, thanking Rajat Chaudhuri for the workshop series while
interacting with the students and mentioning that the importance of these
topics warrants that such events be held more regularly.
About the Resource Person
Rajat
Chaudhuri has published six books in two languages including fiction,
translation and edited works. He edited `The Best Asian Speculative Fiction'
and is one of the editors of a forthcoming Asia-Pacific solarpunk anthology.
Chaudhuri’s climate change novel sci-fi novel `The Butterfly Effect' is listed
as one of `Fifty Must-Read Eco-disasters in Fiction’ by Book Riot (US). He has
won a number of writing fellowships and international residency awards
including Charles Wallace Fellowship (UK), Hawthornden Fellowship (Scotland,
UK), Ministry of Culture, Korea (ARKO)-INKO residency award (South Korea), Villa
Sarkia residency award (Finland, invited 2020) and Sangam House residency,
India. Chaudhuri has given book readings
and spoken about climate change, better futures, storytelling and allied issues
at the Museum of Science Fiction, Washington, George Washington university,
Hong Kong, University of Science and Technology, Sahitya Akademi, Delhi,
Dongguk University, Seoul, Chichester Univeristy, UK and several other
places. Follow him on Twitter
@rajatchaudhuri
