Written by Priyanka Sivaramakrishnan

This World Hindi Day, StoryWeaver is taking yet another step to showcase this beautiful language at a global scale, with the launch of our StoryWeaver Hindi channel on YouTube. Artfully created and carefully subtitled, these YouTube videos will bring the stories to life with their audio-visual engagement, making your kids fall in love with the habit of reading. Following the success of our Readalong feature where children can discover another fun aspect of reading, we are launching this exciting channel where children can watch fun and giggly stories like The Very Wiggly Tooth, What’s Neema Eating Today? Smile Please, and many more. 

With new stories every Friday, you can get started on a fun-filled reading experience by subscribing to the StoryWeaver Hindi channel here. This page will soon be joined by a StoryWeaver English channel. 

Image by Priya Kuriyan from 'What is Neema Eating Today?' by Bijal Vachharajani.

Here at StoryWeaver, we are always looking to see how we can make the reading experience better, what we can give you to help your children revel in the joy of reading. These YouTube videos have been designed with enjoyable background music, a ‘natural’ narrative voiced by professional artists, and synchronized highlighted text running throughout the story. The act of watching the video, listening to the pronunciations, and following the words allows for easy language acquisition by the child.  

Aimed at our youngest readers, these stories are mostly Levels 1 and 2 with the videos running no longer than five minutes to make sure we don’t lose the child’s attention. Mirroring the Readalong feature on the StoryWeaver page, the stories have been carefully hand-picked to ensure they include repeat sounds and words, are enjoyable to read aloud, with eye-catching illustrations, and have a fair amount of dramatic flair.  

Happy watching!

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Gireesh is a writer, visual artist and translator from Chennai. A fine arts graduate, his book was published last year in Tamil and an English translation is under progress. He has translated many storybooks on StoryWeaver including Friends Under the Summer Sun and Who Stole Bhaiya's Smile?

Q: Can you tell us anything about yourself and your job that would surprise us?

நான் ஓவியக்கல்லூரியில் படித்து விளம்பரத்துறையில் வேலை செய்கிறேன். விடுபட்டவை எனும் புத்தகமும் எழுதி இருக்கிறேன்.  பத்திரிக்கைகளுக்கு கட்டுரைகளும் கதைகளும் எழுதும் பழக்கமுண்டு.

I am an arts graduate from the Fine Arts college, working now in advertising. I have written a book called Vidupattavai, among other stories and articles.

Q: What is your personal relationship to language and/or translation?

எனக்கு புத்தகங்கள் வாசிப்பது மிகவும் பிடிக்கும். வாசிப்பதன் மூலமாக புதிது புதிதான வார்த்தைகளையும் சொல்லாடல்களையும் கண்டுகொள்ள முடிகிறது.

I love reading. I find new words and expression through reading.

Q: When you have been given a story to translate, what is your process, and how long does it usually take?

முதலில் அந்த கதையை முழுவதுமாக வாசிப்பேன். மொழிபெயர்ப்பதற்கு முன்னால் அந்தக் கதையை மனதிற்குள் பலமுறை தமிழில் சொல்லிப்பார்ப்பேன்.  பின்னர் அதை மொழிபெயர்ப்பு செய்வேன். மொழிபெயர்க்க இரண்டு முதல் மூன்று மணிநேரங்கள் எடுத்தாலும் குறிப்பிட்ட இடைவெளியில் அதை வாசிப்பேன். தேவைப்படும் மாற்றங்கள் செய்வேன். வாசிக்கும்போது கடினமாக இருக்கும் வார்த்தைகளையும், பெரிய பெரிய வாக்கியங்களையும் கூடுதல் கவனத்தோடு மாற்றுவேன்.

I read a story and tell it to myself in Tamil a few times. I spend a few hours translating it, and I read it a couple of times at regular intervals to make changes. When I feel certain words or sentences are hard, I change them with extra care.

Q: How did you cultivate the skills needed to translate books for children?

குழந்தைகளுக்கான புத்தகங்களை மொழிபெயர்க்க தொடங்கியபிறகு நிறைய குழந்தைகள் புத்தகம் வாசிக்கிறேன். பெரும்பாலான புத்தகங்கள் பெரியவர்கள் மொழியிலேயே இருப்பதால் வார்த்தைகளுக்கான மாற்று வார்த்தைகளைத் தேடிக் கண்டுபிடிக்கிறேன். எளிதான வார்த்தைப் பதங்களை தொடர் வாசிப்பில் இருந்தே பெற முடிகிறது.

I've read a lot of children's books since I started translating books for kids. Since most books are for adults, I look for alternative words for words. You can get easy word phrases from a series of readings.

Q: What was the experience of translating a children’s book like, compared to translating/writing for adults?

பெரியவராக இருப்பதால் பெரியவர்களின் மொழி புரிந்து விடுகிறது. ஆனால் குழந்தைகளின் மொழியைப் புரிந்து அவர்களுக்கான மொழிபெயர்ப்பு செய்வது என்பது சவாலாகவே இருக்கிறது. சமயங்களில் இது குழந்தைகளுக்கு புரியாது என இன்னும் எளிமைப்படுத்தும் விதத்தில் எழுத முயற்சிக்கும் வார்த்தைகள் குழந்தைகள் ஏற்கனவே அறிந்து வைத்திருப்பது ஆச்சரியமாக இருக்கிறது. மேலும் குழந்தைகள் புத்தகம் என்றாலும் நான்கு நிலைகளில் உள்ள குழந்தைகளிடம் கொண்டு சேர்ப்பதும் சவாலான வேலையே.

As an adult it is easy to understand adults’ language. But to understand and translate in a child's language is hard. Sometimes when I try to simplify words thinking it might not be understood by children, it was surprising to know children already knew those words. It is also challenging to work across four different levels.

Q: You have translated more than a few books for us now. Which is your favorite among them and why? 

நான் மொழிபெயர்ப்பு செய்த கதைகளில் எனக்கு மிகவும் பிடித்தது கோடைகால நண்பர்கள். குழந்தைகளிடம் பாலினம் குறித்த மிகத்தேவையான உரையாடலையும், சகமனிதர்களை அவர்களாகவே ஏற்றுக்கொள்ள வேண்டும் என்கிற கருத்தையும் அந்தக் கதை கூறியதால் எனக்கு அது பிடித்திருந்தது.

Friends Under the Summer Sun was my favorite. As it starts the necessary discussion about gender, and tells every kid to accept others as they are, I like it.

Q: What is the hardest thing about translating from English into Tamil? How do you navigate words or phrases that are tricky to translate?

பெயர்களையும் ஊரையும் மொழிபெயர்ப்பில் கொண்டுவருவதே சிரமமாக இருக்கும். சில சமயம் ஒரு நல்ல கதையை மொழி பெயர்க்கும்போது நம்மால் பொருத்திப்பார்க்க முடியாத பெயர்கள் இருக்கும்போது அவற்றுடன் தொடர்புபடுத்த முடியாது. அம்மாதிரியான சமயங்களில் வாய்ப்பிருந்தால் அர்த்தம் மாறாத மற்றும் தொடர்புபடுத்தக் கூடிய பெயர்களை உபயோகிக்கிறேன். பின்னர் உணர்வுகளை வெளிப்படுத்த பயன்படும் எந்த பொருளும் இல்லாத சத்தங்களும் கடினமே. அவற்றிற்கு இணையாக தமிழில் பயன்படுத்தப்படும் சத்தங்களை அந்த இடத்தில் பயன்படுத்துகிறேன்.

It is hard sometimes to capture names of persons and places. In such situations, I make them sound more relatable. Onomatopoeia is always a challenge, I try not to transliterate and use sounds more relatable to Tamil readers.

Q: What type of person do you think makes the best translator for children’s stories?

குழந்தைகள் உலகத்துக்குள் பெரியவர்கள் எனும் அடையாளத்தோடும், அதிகாரத்தோடும் நுழையாத ஒருவரால் மட்டுமே குழந்தைகளுக்கான புத்தகத்தை எழுதவும் மொழிபெயர்க்கவும் முடியும்.

Only those who can leave the authority of adult-ness outside can write and translate books for children.

Q: Do you have any advice for anyone interested in becoming a translator?

நமது திறமையையோ நமது மொழிப்புலமையையோ குழந்தைகளுக்கு நிரூபிப்பது நமது வேலையல்ல. ஏற்கனவே எழுதப்பட்ட புத்தகத்தை சுவையும் கருத்தும் மாறாமல் எளிமையாக நமது மொழியில் மாற்றிக் கடத்துவது மட்டுமே நமது வேலை என்பதைப் புரிந்துகொள்பவராலேயே ஒரு நல்ல மொழிபெயர்ப்பை செய்ய முடியும்.

We are not trying to impress children with our talent and language skills. We only transfer a book with the same feel and simplicity. One can be a good translator when one understands this.

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You can read all the books translated by Gireesh here. 

Do join the conversation by leaving your thoughts in the comments section below. You can also reach out to us through our social media channels: Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

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In the last year Pratham Books’ StoryWeaver platform has scaled up its offering of joyful multilingual books for children. One of our content streams headed by Bijal Vachharajani is creating 50 brand new books every year. “It's a tall task, one as gigantic as Hagrid!” shared the Potterhead. “Conversations with Outreach partners told us that we needed more engaging level 1 picture books to take to the youngest children. We also wanted to find new writers to work with.”

The editorial team was wondering how they could reach out to new authors who could write Level 1 picture books that used sound and action, which are always popular with young readers and educators alike. That's when wedecided to reach out to the children's theatre community. After all, who better to collaborate with than professionals who have spent much of their career writing, directing and acting in plays for children?

The venue for the workshop was the wonderful Bhau Daji Lad Museum, Mumbai.

Pratham Books Editor Shinibali Mitra Saigal, one of the founders of Kahani Karnival, reached out to her extensive network of writers in theatre. She also stepped in to curate the workshop.

“I think it's important to spread the net when trying to catch new writing talent. By focusing our attention on people with a specialised set of skills, and then guide them to picture book creating, we can make books that use their skills. In this case, it was a strong connection to what children find exciting and a good sense of sound, action, dialogue and dynamic storytelling” said Shinibali who kept in mind diverse skill-sets and an ability to accept feedback and change when choosing particpants. Shinibali’s handpicked group included a perfect blend of people like Sananda, Timira and Preeti who had created plays and scripts in schools for years and who were also very well-versed with picture books.

Authors like Neha Singh and Chatura Rao (winner of the The Hindu Good Books Best Picture Books award 2018) and playwrights like Akshat Nigam who recently won the Hindu best playwright award along with a colleague. Much loved theatre group Gillo Gilehri was represented by Janit and Yashoda. Actor and theatre instructor Lovleen Misra who has a rich background in theatre and television brought her own unique flavour to sessions. Bilingual Shawn Lewis is a strong believer in the idea that sounds rule a script while Shivani Tibrewal who has been teaching children to create scripts and plays loves the idea of whimsy.

Author Chatura Rao was keen to attend the workshop as  “Workshops like this help a lot in peer-exchange of ideas.”

Over one-and-a-half days, in the leafy environs of Bhau Daji Lad Museum, a team comprising of Bijal, Shinibali and Assistant Editor Aparna Kapur deconstructed picture books for the participants of the workshop and played games to understand ideas of children's narrative. One of the activities asked the group to split into teams and prioritise what they felt was important in a picture book, using chits of paper that had pre-written statements like ‘A picture is worth a thousand words’ and ‘Picture books should not talk about death, depression and sex’. The teams then had to explain why they chose to order the statements as they had.

Participants talk about writing for children:

 

Masterclass

The workshop also had the privilege of hosting two amazing picture book creators: prolific author Natasha Sharma and illustrator Tanvi Bhat dropped in to talk to the participants about the finer nuances of writing and illustrating picture books.

“The idea to invite Natasha Sharma for the workshop was very clear. Natasha has written a bunch of books for children which elicit a great deal of excitement and joy. Having attending a number of her sessions, I have seen the queries and the laughter elicited by her books.” said Shinibali. “During her session Natasha took all the participants through the creation of a book. She shared her process and was honest about the things that have worked and have not. She also spoke about how she has evolved as a picture book writer over the years. She stressed on the importance of  brevity and cautioned writers against running away with words, and letting the illustrations do the talking. I think that was a very illuminating point for most first-time writers.”

As playwrights, the participants understood the writing process but many of them didn't know what happened to their story once they had written in. Tanvi’s session then looked at the same process of creating books for children but through the lens of an illustrator.

”While making picture books, writers and illustrators are co-creators, so getting an illustrator to talk to the participants was essential. In addition to explaining her own process, Tanvi went into the details of how an illustrator would approach a project in circumstances in which she's involved from the beginning versus one where she receives a complete manuscript, how an illustrator deals with detailed visual notes from the author versus none at all.” Aparna  shared.

Tanvi answered the writer’s questions on how involved writers could and should be during this part of book creation, how much of their characters' final look they could imagine, and how the text sometimes has to change  once the illustrations are done.

Writing time

Before the workshop began, all the participants were sent a list of themes and ideas to think of potential story ideas around. Post lunch on day 1, the writers shared their story ideas with the group and editors. Their homework for the evening was to take on board the feedback they’d received and write a first draft.

Lovleen Misra’s poetry had the group laughing and sighing in equal measure.

Day two started with each participant taking their first draft to an editor for a one-on-one feedback session. This soon morphed into a freewheeling discussion with small groups sitting under the trees that are spread across Bhau Daji Lad Museum’s courtyard.

Hello Kids!

Sure the writing was great, the coffee was good and the lunch was amazing - but the real highlight of the workshop was when the kids arrived! One hundred feisty, energy-filled kindergarteners from the Sai Baba Path School, Parel brightened up the afternoon with their presence. The kids were there to listen to the authors narrate their ideas which was the real litmus test for their work! Each author took on a group of students, and regaled them with songs, activities and of course, stories!

The workshop wound up with a quick recap of what would happen next, before we bid adieu to the writers, excited about the prospect of fresh stories arriving in our inboxes!

Aparna admitted that her initial apprehensions about the workshop had disappeared. “I was tentative about the workshop because it was the first time we were experimenting with such a format. But at the end of the two days, I was delighted! We'd met a group of people, both smart and humble. They were keen to learn a new skill, and understood what children enjoy, better than most people do.”

“We managed to bring together a bunch of whimsical, creative and slightly off-kilter people who love children and get them to create words\ideas that children will love.” said Shinibali.

We’ve been receiving scripts every day and are confident that we have some real winners on our hands.

Here's a quick look at what happened over the two day workshop.

 

 

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