Books build bridges

Books are vital to a child’s ability to imagine, learn, and thrive — yet access to quality children’s literature in India remains deeply unequal. For many children, particularly in rural and underserved communities, school and community libraries are the only window into the world of books. Recognising this, Tata Trusts launched the Parag initiative to address systemic gaps in children’s reading and library access.

Parag supports the development of and access to good quality storybooks for children and youth in Indian languages. It also supports school and community libraries so that children have free access to books and an open and vibrant environment that supports reading for pleasure. It offers professional development courses and works with teachers, librarians and facilitators to develop their capacity to engage with children’s literature and create a relationship between books and children. Parag also nurtures the children’s literature sector through awards (like Big Little Book Book Award), professional courses (like Library Educators Course, a first of its kind in India), while supporting illustrators and authors to strengthen the children’s literature ecosystem and creating platforms for linking stakeholders.

As World Book Day celebrates the joy of reading, this page highlights the Trusts’ efforts to make that joy accessible to every child, through stories that speak their language and libraries that open up their world of endless possibilities.

Children’s Books: An Indian Story jointly developed by Eklavya and Parag, and edited by Dr Shailaja Menon and Sandhya Rao, is a collection of writings on contemporary children’s literature exploring its recent history in India, focusing especially on developments in the English language. It highlights salient genres and themes within children's books; examines challenges related to representation, accessibility and translation; identifies gaps; and discusses how literature and libraries can be used effectively with children to cultivate a deeper literary experience and understanding.

It also brings "voices" of different stakeholders including publishers, illustrators and authors, directly to the reader. Deliberately without jargon and technical language, the essays speak directly to anyone interested in the world of children’s literature. Peppered with examples and citations of published works, Children’s Books: An Indian Story springboards a thought-provoking platform for debate and discussion in a critical, creative space.

This is a must read for someone who is interested in Indian children’s literature or uses literature in their work with children.

Parag Utsav supports children's literature in India

The Parag initiative hosted the Parag Utsav on June 29, 2024, in New Delhi. The event showcased the best of children's literature, including the unveiling of the Parag Honour List 2024 and the Big Little Book Award. Illustrator Suddasattwa Basu was honoured for his significant contribution to children's literature. A new compendium published by Eklavya, Children's books: An Indian story, edited by Dr Shailaja Menon, a language educator who currently leads the literacy initiatives at the Tata Trusts, and Sandhya Rao, was also launched. The event concluded with a poetry reading by Jacinta Kertetta.

Tata Trusts' Parag initiative recognised at IBBY Congress

The Parag initiative supports the development of and access to good quality storybooks for children and youth in Indian languages. In 2024, the Parag initiative was selected for the India chapter of International Board for Book for Young People (IBBY) in 2024. Amrita Patwardhan, Head, Education Theme, Tata Trusts participated in the 39th Congress of IBBY in Trieste, Italy where representatives from 65 countries and over 600 delegates participated. She presented a poster on "Professional development courses for educators: An Invisible force for reading promotion" based on an innovative professional development course for library educators designed by Parag.