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After the independence of India, the National Library came into being in place of Imperial Library by the “Imperial Library (Change of Name) Act” in 1948. It was accorded a special status of an institution of national importance in the Article 62 in the Seventh Schedule of the Union list of the Constitution of India and Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, the then Union Minister of Education opened the Library to Public on 1st February 1953.

Tuesday, April 28, 2020

Report of the Online Creative Writing Workshop


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

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