Staff Reporter

Shillong, Oct 8: The 2nd edition of the Shillong Book Fair — organised by the National Book Trust under the Ministry of Education, Government of India — is getting more interesting by the day, especially for young book lovers, who are the ambassadors of this annual event.

The fourth day on October 8, 2024, began with an exhilarating session at the children’s corner, immediately uplifting the morning mood at the fair.

The musical storytelling event by Vasudha Ahuja, accompanied by guitarist Kunal Shandilya, became an instant hit among the 500-plus students from 14 schools. All the children in the auditorium sang with the storyteller.

Dailaigingkmen Lyngdoh, a Class IV Mawngap District Christian Multipurpose HS School student, said this was her first time witnessing musical storytelling. “I like listening to stories and today’s session was so exciting. I also understood the songs in Hindi,” she added.

The children’s session got better with the portrait-making workshop, conducted by artist Arni Sarkar, which followed the story-telling session. Participants were directed through the technicalities of making a portrait.

Sarkar, an alumnus of Visva Bharati, Shantiniketan, is a Delhi-based art practitioner.

An orientation session on Rashtriya e-Pustakalaya, which is a regular feature at the book fair, was also held.

The musical evening on October 8, 2024, was defined by mesmerising performances by Pynter Orchestra Group and Kupar Shadap’s band performance.

The October 9, 2024, session will start with the folk dance and song and performances by choir groups from schools. Children can also learn a few tricks to make puppets in the following session.

For the city’s literary minds, there will be a book discussion on Basketry: Everyday Art of North-East India.

Visitors can gear up for a lively musical evening with a drum ensemble by Really Lyngskor and the renowned band Summersalt.

An interesting feature of the book fair is the introduction of a mobile bookstore and library. Governor CH Vijayashankar inaugurated the ‘book van’ on October 2, 2024. The vehicle will travel to the outskirts of the city. The vehicle, which has over 200 titles, will travel till October 13, 2024.