Hiranandani Foundation International School, in collaboration with Westland Publications, organised a meet-and-greet session with UN award-winning journalist Purnima Ramakrishnan. The event was also graced by illustrator, Gayatri Pachpande. The session explored the book- Tales from the Vedas and Upanishads and offered fascinating glimpses into our ancient scriptures. The book is an attempt to revisit India’s rich cultural heritage and make it palatable to students. The session, which was organised for students of grades VI, VII and VIII on 14 December 2021, commenced with a short story, presumably, about two birds perched on the branch of a tree and concluded with a plethora of intellectually stimulating, metaphorical interpretations offered by 12- 14 year olds. It was extremely reassuring to observe a rare display of maturity and prudence that the session elicited from the young readers. Students ruminated upon what can be done to become better versions of themselves, the need to align with nature and allow nature to take its course, among many other insightful takeaways. The visibly enthused participants interacted with the guests in a free-flowing discussion that concluded with an animated Q&A session. The abundantly engaging session was a refreshing shift from hackneyed literary terrain viz. fantasy, sci-fi and horror. It was, most certainly, food for thought and would make for some edifying dinner-table conversations.

-Yogita Agni