Visakhapatnam: Quiet corner into 'woods' amid an urban jungle
Children reading at ‘Miyawaki’ children section highlighting the forest theme at Visakhapatnam Public Library in Visakhapatnam
Visakhapatnam: How about holding your favourite genre of book and getting absorbed in the content amid a mini forest?
Sounds exciting? For young book lovers, who yearn to spot a quiet corner and ensure that they don't get distracted while flipping through the pages of the book, 'Miyawaki', the new add-on to the Visakhapatnam Public Library (VPL) facilitates a delightful option.
The forest theme of the children's corner has been crafted meticulously to pull those aged between three and 15 years from the digital screens and introduce them to the world of books.
Aptly named as Miyawaki, a novel method to create native urban forest ecosystem pioneered by Japanese botanist and Professor Akira Miyawaki, the theme-based zone lends the forest feel. "The idea is to facilitate suitable environs for the children, make them feel comfortable and bring them back to books at their own pace," explains DS Varma, secretary of VPL.
In addition to reading books at the venue, a series of activities have been lined up for the children. They include storytelling sessions, book reading activity, story writing, art and craft sessions and virtual workshops with renowned authors, among a plenty of other activities. "The list has many interesting sessions tailored for the kids. In another month or two, they will be readied so that the joy of reading is not confined to books but expands beyond," adds Mr. Varma.
At a time when dragging kids away from screens has become a challenging task for most parents, a dedicated zone such as this would go a long way in nudging the younger generation to pick up a book and introducing them to different genres and authors.
Currently, the library has a collection of 70,000 books. Catering to diverse age groups, the place facilitates online mock tests for those appearing for competitive exams, interactive sessions involving experts, Professors and IAS officers through a unique platform 'coming together for dissemination of knowledge' and e-learning zone, among other avenues.