Almost seven weeks ago, we asked YOU the question “Who is Ameena?” and now, we have an answer!

The contest to find an illustrator for What is Ameena Up To?, a cheery story written by Roopa Banerjee, gave StoryWeaver a great collection of merry, adventurous, whimsical, curious girls. But the Ameena-est of them all was the character drawn by Preetam Dhar. 

Having received over 50 fabulous entries, the task of selecting a winner was not easy. At the final stage, it was down to four contenders -- Sangeeta Das, Preetam Dhar, Rahil Mohsin and Alankrita Amaya -- who had all created splendid work. 

But something about Preetam’s Ameena struck Vinayak Varma, the contest judge - “Preetam's Ameena looks friendly and approachable, but also slightly strange and quirky -- this is exactly the right mix of traits for an appealing children's book character. His illustration is very well drawn, shows detail without being overdone, and demonstrates good command of colour and composition.”

Preetam’s understanding of the crux of the story and the character is clear from his vision note, where he says, “Aspirations bigger than her size and gleam of curiosity in her eyes -- that's Ameena for you. She's the girl who lives an ordinary life like you and me, made extraordinary by her imagination and inquisitiveness.”

We’ll all be able to see Preetam’s take on the story in a few months, because winning this contest has earned him a paid contract with Pratham Books!

Thank you to everyone who participated in the contest. Keep an eye out for how your delightful illustrations are being used by our community on StoryWeaver!

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Rebeka Gemeinder’s mother tongue is Swiss German (Alemannisch), a language spoken in Switzerland, Austria, Germany and Liechtenstein. Unfortunately the language is spoken in increasingly decreasing circles every day. Rebeka writes about what her mother language means to her.

If you have no clue, you never visited the beautiful but small country in the middle of Europe called Switzerland. It is a country comparable to a chameleon not just regarding nature and people, but  the languages spoken here are of an unbelievable variety. Our four official languages are French, Italian, Rhaeto-Romanic and German.

But, to be honest, we don’t speak German. We have our own dialect which we are proud of. Many linguists identify the Swiss German dialect even as a  language in its own right. Every canton, every valley, city or even village has its own words and ways of pronunciation. Therefore, at school – from kindergarten up to university – the dialects get replaced by German. It’s a pity. A wonderful language full of tradition and common dreams and aims becomes lost.

Let’s change that! Save our mother languages! By telling stories to your children, you can take the first step. Your child will pass the language on to his  child and so it can’t disappear! My parents read a story with me and my siblings every evening. Oh, how much I enjoyed that! Then, of course, I read books on my own and in every language except German. But now, now I realise that my mother tongue is not just a language. It means home.

After travelling a lot and speaking in English, French, Mandarin and Italiancoming home and not thinking about every single word, feeling free, confident and understanding inside jokes is just wonderful. Let’s keep our individuality, our passion, our pride and let’s save the feeling of being at home.

Swiss German is important. It’s a part of our history and it lets our hearts beat for an amazing country with a huge potential.

And if you still need an answer to the starting question: a Chochichäschtli is just a kitchen cabinet !

Happy Mother Language Day!

 

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StoryWeaver is a digital repository of openly-licensed, multilingual children's stories. A Pratham Books' initiative, StoryWeaver allows its users to read, create and translate stories into many, many Indian and international languages in the hope that children across the world can read quality stories in languages of their choice.

                                            

(Image by Nina Sabnani, from 'Counting on Moru' by Rukmini Banerji.)

As the stories on StoryWeaver are travelling further, we need more hands on board! Currently, we're looking for a full-time, Editorial Assistant to join our Digital Team in Bengaluru.

Job description

StoryWeaver is looking for an editorial assistant. The position involves, working with the editorial team, to adapt books for the digital platform, maintain quality on the platform and perform administrative and editorial tasks.

Required Skill-set

• Good communication skills in English

• Work with the StoryWeaver team to maintain quality on the platform

• Ability to tag stories and images before uploading on StoryWeaver

• Coordinate with the administrative team for documentation, records and payments

• Ability to maintain and document day-to- day editorial assignments

• Ability to multitask, meet tight deadlines and be team player

Desirable

• Degree in Literature/Journalism/Mass Communication/Media /Language

• Tech savvy with a sharp eye and love for languages

Experience

• 1-2 years work experience would be good, but freshers may also apply.

Location

This is a full time position in our Bengaluru office.

Salary will be commensurate with qualifications and experience. Please send your resume and sample of work to [email protected] with Editorial Assistant - StoryWeaver in the subject line of the email.

We look forward to hearing from you!

 

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