Last week we at Let’s Open a Book set up a stall at the 3-day Ladarcha Fair in Kaza, Spiti Valley. Ladarcha Fair is a state-level cultural festival, the largest annual event of the Spiti valley. Our stall was inaugurated by Anuradha Rana Ji, MLA Lahaul-Spiti, together with ADC Rahul Jain Ji and SDM Harsh Negi Ji, all of whom appreciated our efforts not just at the stall, but in Spiti overall.
Our stall had a thematic display – we proudly displayed books on the theme of art and artists from our library collection. This included books from some of our favourite authors, illustrators, publishers and bookstores: कृ पा, Likla Lall, Mamta Nainy, Vaishali Shroff, Art1st, Tulika Publishers, Katha, Ektara, Tara Books, Usborne, KoolSkool – The Book Store, Pratham Books, Free Libraries Network – FLN and others.
Complementing the book display was an art wall, where anyone could paint anything they liked. It was really wonderful to see children flocking to the art wall and paint for hours on all three days. And if they were lucky, they got to meet and paint with Spitian artist Art in spiti, who had displayed his paintings at our stall. It was interesting (and a little bit heartbreaking) to see young and old folks being amazed at the fact that they could paint and read at our stall for free. And that they were even more amazed at the fact that there is a free library space in Spiti where everyone is welcome!
My favorite parts? First, handing out cups full of cool Roohafza to all visitors, amidst scorching heat. And second, reconnecting with old and new library members over our favorite books!