Gomti Book Festival Opens with New Films for Kids
The third Gomti Book Festival has opened in Lucknow, bringing books, movies, drama, and songwriting together for young learners.
Imagine walking along a riverbank lined with cheerful tents, tall stacks of storybooks, and outdoor movie screens. The third edition of the Gomti Book Festival officially began on 9 November 2024 along the scenic banks of the Gomti River at the Gomti Riverfront Park in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh.
This nine-day celebration of literature, art, and storytelling runs from 9 November through 17 November 2024. Organised jointly by the National Book Trust under the Union Ministry of Education and the Lucknow Development Authority, this grand festival brings books and cinema together under the open sky.
What happened?
For the very first time, the festival introduced an International Children’s Film Festival dedicated to showcasing visual storytelling alongside printed books. Young visitors can enjoy curated national and international short films, animations, and documentaries. Some of the lovely movies screened include nature- and friendship-themed titles such as Agastya, Granny Green Thumbs, and The Apple.
The festival grounds are organised into themed zones so that every visitor can find something exciting to explore. Kids can rush straight to “Shabd Samsara”, which is the special Children’s Corner, or take a stroll down the bustling “Book Street”. Older readers can visit “Lekhakganj”, explore the “Youth Corner”, or discover digital stories in the “Digital Reading Corner”.
Book lovers will be thrilled to know that Book Street features 150 publisher stalls from all across India. These colourful stalls offer a massive collection of children’s storybooks, folktales, and educational titles in multiple languages. Whether you enjoy tales of brave heroes or curious science facts, there is something special on the shelves for everyone.
Activities at the Shabd Samsara pavilion kept visiting school students full of energy. Young participants jumped into interactive role-playing drama sessions where they could act out creative scenes. They also joined an exciting poetry and songwriting workshop led by musicians Chinmayi Tripathi and Joell, learning how simple words can be turned into catchy songs.
The festival also made sure that everyone felt included through a sensory storytelling workshop titled “The Sense of Touch”. This special session was designed for visually impaired students. In addition, these students were gifted books in Braille under the thoughtful “Books for All” initiative, ensuring that the joy of reading reaches every young mind.
Throughout the celebration, visitors can also listen to and learn from acclaimed creators. Renowned guests participating across the sessions include mythological author Anand Neelakantan, author Ambalika Bhat, and filmmaker Muzaffar Ali.
Why does it matter to you?
Have you ever finished reading an amazing book and wished you could watch its characters come alive on screen? This festival demonstrates how reading books and watching inspiring movies go hand in hand to ignite our imagination and creative thinking. When you read a page, your mind paints a picture, and when you watch a thoughtful film, you discover brand-new ways to tell stories.
Festivals like this provide an exciting space where you can try hands-on workshops, meet book creators in person, and discover stories from all over the world. It shows that learning does not just happen behind a classroom desk, but also through songs, theatre, and colourful pages outdoors!
Words to know
- Literature: written works, such as books, poems, and stories, that share creative ideas.
- Documentary: a movie or television show that tells a true story about real people, animals, or events.
- Braille: a system of raised dots that people who are visually impaired can read with their fingertips.
- Sensory: relating to physical senses such as touch, sight, hearing, smell, and taste.
Did you know?
Braille was invented nearly two hundred years ago by a French teenager named Louis Braille, who created the system of raised dots so he and his friends could read books independently!
Think about it
If you could turn your favourite storybook into an animated short film, which book would you choose and why? What kind of creative workshop would you like to design for your friends at a book festival?
Quick quiz
What brand-new feature was introduced for the first time at the third Gomti Book Festival?
- An International Children’s Film Festival
- A hot-air balloon racing contest
- A robotic coding championship
See the answer
An International Children’s Film Festival
Sources
This story was prepared by the Kids Gazette news desk with the help of AI research and writing tools, using the sources listed above.
