Bandana Sen Awards: Celebrating libraries, librarians

New Delhi: The inaugural Bandana Sen Awards celebrated libraries and librarians, recognising the best practices in nurturing learning environments.

To facilitate world-class libraries across the country, OneUp Library, Bookstudio and Learning Lab launched this one-of-a-kind award in memory of Bandana Sen. The awards aim to motivate and promote library as a space for nurturing young students' imagination, critical thinking abilities and the development of collaborative spirit and innovation.

There were 100 school entries from 15 states spread across the country, the organisers said. Shri Ram School, Vasant Vihar, New Delhi won the award for its junior library while Cathedral and John Connon School, Mumbai received the award for its senior library. At the awards ceremony this weekend, noted children's author Paro Anand spoke about the obstacles, challenges and the infinite joy of being a librarian with special focus of what an innovative librarian can achieve. Advisor and theatre personality Sanjna Kapoor felicitated 25 trailblazer schools and announced the Community Library Grant for The Community Library Project - Sikanderpur branch, Delhi.

The Jury Appreciation Awards for programmes specifically centred around reading, literacy and library, were presented by educationist Abha Adams to Shiv Nadar School, Noida (Senior Library), Abacus Montessori School, Chennai (Junior Library) and Shikshantar School, Gurgaon (Junior Library). For her contribution to children's literature in India, Kavita Gupta Sabharwal, Curator, Neev Literature Festival was awarded the Thought Leader of 2019. Dalbir Kaur Madan, founder of OneUp Library and initiator of the awards, said this is beginning of a conversation on the need for futuristic libraries, celebrating the unsung champions - the librarians and redefining libraries as "exploratoriums of learning".