<p>Bengaluru: The Neev Literature Festival (NLF) 2025, now in its ninth edition, kicked off on Saturday, drawing over 2,000 visitors to the Neev Academy campus in Yemalur. The festival, themed "Stories Make Us Human," is a free and open-to-all event designed to combat the digital distractions plaguing today's youth by reconnecting them with the joy of long-form reading.</p>.<p>Highlights from Saturday's events included sessions with literary figures like Sam Leith, Anthony McGowan, and Pablo Cartaya, who discussed topics ranging from the history of children's stories to the importance of writing narratives that help boys navigate emotions.</p>.Curtains fall on Book Brahma Literature Festival.<p>A notable session, "The Noise Inside Boys," saw authors Anthony McGowan and Pablo Cartaya talk about how stories can help boys move beyond stereotypes. Meanwhile, another session with historian Devika Rangachari explored "stories that are undervalued and not read enough," particularly those of women rulers and their often erased contributions to history.</p>.<p>One of the most impactful moments came during a session with author Mamta Nainy, who used an interactive demonstration to teach young children about prejudice. By giving them different coloured tokens and only allowing certain colours to answer questions, she helped them understand the injustice faced by cricketer Palwankar Baloo due to untouchability. A child who was excluded from answering said, "We felt very bad, and that was not fair. All the questions should be answered by everybody."</p>.<p>The festival's founder, Kavita Gupta Sabharwal, highlighted the critical mission behind the event. "The US and China markets are over 20 times larger than India's children's literature market, which is less than Rs 800 crores," she stated.</p>.<p>Citing recent reports, she pointed out the literacy gap, noting that only 23 per cent of 10th-grade children can read at their grade level, and 50 per cent of 5th graders read at a grade-2 level. "Our writers often write what's popular on social media, not stories about our own traditions, heroes, and mythologies. If our children are only reading Western stories, who will they become?" she asked, highlighting the festival's role in nurturing Indian storytellers and celebrating indigenous narratives.</p>.<p>She further added that in order to build a strong ecosystem for children's literature, they are offering a fellowship program, which aims to provide financial support to children's authors.</p>.<p>The festival's second day is set to feature the finals of the reading challenge with four teams from across the country, followed by the Neev Book Award announcement. With a diverse range of masterclasses for children, parents, and educators, along with book launches, signings, and a book marketplace with over 2,000 titles.</p>. <p>Day 2 of the NLF festival offers major highlights for all ages.</p>. <p>For older children, a key session features author Veera Hiranandani discussing her book, Aml and the After, which explores the post-Partition era, and a separate interactive session with Niyatee Sharma will delve into the world of bird nests.</p>.<p>Younger kids can enjoy a "roar-some" adventure with Garima Gupta's pop-up book Tara Goes Aahhnnhi and a story time with award-winning writer Paro Anand.</p>.<p>Adults can look forward to insightful discussions, including one on the intersections of science and other fields with Sam Kean, and a session on the art of memoir writing with Vera Brosgol and LeUyen Pham.</p>.<p>The day also features a panel on the power of reading in a screen-filled world and a variety of 10-minute performances by Goshtarang (a theatre group from Maharashtra).</p>
<p>Bengaluru: The Neev Literature Festival (NLF) 2025, now in its ninth edition, kicked off on Saturday, drawing over 2,000 visitors to the Neev Academy campus in Yemalur. The festival, themed "Stories Make Us Human," is a free and open-to-all event designed to combat the digital distractions plaguing today's youth by reconnecting them with the joy of long-form reading.</p>.<p>Highlights from Saturday's events included sessions with literary figures like Sam Leith, Anthony McGowan, and Pablo Cartaya, who discussed topics ranging from the history of children's stories to the importance of writing narratives that help boys navigate emotions.</p>.Curtains fall on Book Brahma Literature Festival.<p>A notable session, "The Noise Inside Boys," saw authors Anthony McGowan and Pablo Cartaya talk about how stories can help boys move beyond stereotypes. Meanwhile, another session with historian Devika Rangachari explored "stories that are undervalued and not read enough," particularly those of women rulers and their often erased contributions to history.</p>.<p>One of the most impactful moments came during a session with author Mamta Nainy, who used an interactive demonstration to teach young children about prejudice. By giving them different coloured tokens and only allowing certain colours to answer questions, she helped them understand the injustice faced by cricketer Palwankar Baloo due to untouchability. A child who was excluded from answering said, "We felt very bad, and that was not fair. All the questions should be answered by everybody."</p>.<p>The festival's founder, Kavita Gupta Sabharwal, highlighted the critical mission behind the event. "The US and China markets are over 20 times larger than India's children's literature market, which is less than Rs 800 crores," she stated.</p>.<p>Citing recent reports, she pointed out the literacy gap, noting that only 23 per cent of 10th-grade children can read at their grade level, and 50 per cent of 5th graders read at a grade-2 level. "Our writers often write what's popular on social media, not stories about our own traditions, heroes, and mythologies. If our children are only reading Western stories, who will they become?" she asked, highlighting the festival's role in nurturing Indian storytellers and celebrating indigenous narratives.</p>.<p>She further added that in order to build a strong ecosystem for children's literature, they are offering a fellowship program, which aims to provide financial support to children's authors.</p>.<p>The festival's second day is set to feature the finals of the reading challenge with four teams from across the country, followed by the Neev Book Award announcement. With a diverse range of masterclasses for children, parents, and educators, along with book launches, signings, and a book marketplace with over 2,000 titles.</p>. <p>Day 2 of the NLF festival offers major highlights for all ages.</p>. <p>For older children, a key session features author Veera Hiranandani discussing her book, Aml and the After, which explores the post-Partition era, and a separate interactive session with Niyatee Sharma will delve into the world of bird nests.</p>.<p>Younger kids can enjoy a "roar-some" adventure with Garima Gupta's pop-up book Tara Goes Aahhnnhi and a story time with award-winning writer Paro Anand.</p>.<p>Adults can look forward to insightful discussions, including one on the intersections of science and other fields with Sam Kean, and a session on the art of memoir writing with Vera Brosgol and LeUyen Pham.</p>.<p>The day also features a panel on the power of reading in a screen-filled world and a variety of 10-minute performances by Goshtarang (a theatre group from Maharashtra).</p>