New Delhi, Jun 29 (PTI) Illustrator Suddhasattwa Basu received the Big Little Book award for contribution to Indian children’s literature at Parag Utsav here on Saturday.
Parag, an initiative by the Tata Trusts, also unveiled the fifth edition of its Parag Honour List, comprising 28 children’s books in English and 13 books in Hindi.
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The Big Little Book Award recognises the craftsmanship and ingenuity of authors and illustrators for their contribution to Indian children’s literature and for “inspiring young readers to delve into the realms of wonder and exploration through their exemplary storytelling”.
Basu has designed and illustrated over 60 books, including Khushwant Singh’s “Delhi Through the Seasons”, Ruskin Bond’s “To Live in Magic”, and Vijaya Sulaiman’s “The Homecoming”.
He has also authored and illustrated picture books for children, including “The Song of a Scarecrow”, “Whatever You Give”, “Ravan Remedy”, and “Chandernagor – A Burg of the Moon”.
“Receiving this award has strengthened my conviction in the transformative power of storytelling through art. I am profoundly honoured by this recognition, as it has not only invigorated me personally but inspired others in the ecosystem to captivate young minds with their creative endeavours,” Basu said in a statement.
The Parag Honour List, spanning diverse themes and genres, is aimed at providing recognition to the work of publishers “while acting as a compass, guiding children, parents, and teachers towards quality children’s literature”.
Speaking about the initiative, Amrita Patwardhan, head of education of Tata Trusts, said that children’s books enable the building of strong foundational literacy skills as well as open up ways to make sense of the complex world around children.
“Access to high-quality, engaging storybooks in Indian languages is central to laying the foundations of critical thinking and lifelong learning.
“Our support for the development and dissemination of children’s books in multiple Indian languages, the activation of school and community libraries, professional development courses for teachers and librarians, and recognition through awards is part of a larger vision to build a nation where every child has access to and the opportunity to embrace the joy of reading,” Patwardhan said.
The list of books includes “How to be a Writer” by Ruskin Bond, “Who’s There?” by Hansda Sowvendra Shekhar, “My Daddy and the Well” by Jerry Pinto, “Godam” and “Ek Kahani” by Vinod Kumar Shukla, “Betiyan Bhi Chahein Azadi” by Kamla Bhasin, “Tail Tale” by Anushka Ravishankar, and “Duniya Meri” and “Agar Magar” by Gulzar.
Other authors whose works have made it to the list include Lavanya Karthik, Sushil Shukla, Vibha Batra, Nandini Nayar, Yuvan Aves, Prerna Singh Bindra, Varun Grover, P Sainath, Jacinta Kerketta, and Nandita da Cunha.
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