Meet Pippi Longstocking at a story telling event in Mumbai

The event is open to kids above five years

A childhood without books - that would be no childhood. That would be like being shut out from the enchanted place where you can go and find the rarest kind of joy," Swedish writer Astrid Lindgren once said. Apart from being a journalist, Lindgren was best known for her children's book series that reflected her sheer disregard for conformity - moulding characters like Pippi Longstocking, Emil Svensson, and Karlsson of Karlsson-on-the-Roof. The Crazy Adventures of Pippi Longstocking aka Pippi Lambemoze ke Mazedaar Karnaame will be presented in English and Hindi this weekend by educator Priyanka Babbar of Small Tales Storytelling, who frequently conducts bilingual storytelling events.

Babbar will be playing Pippi, a super-humanly strong nine-year-old girl with carrot-coloured hair who loves doing brave things. "She wears her father's shoes and different coloured stockings. She doesn't stick to these notions of being a girl," Babbar tells us, while mentioning that Lindgren wrote the story when her own daughter was unwell.

Priyanka Babbar

For what essentially is going to be a one-woman-show, we ask her about her choice of staging it as a bilingual version. "Today's children aren't open to learning Hindi. They look down upon it," she replies, adding, "It's sad because it is such a beautiful language that reflects our rich culture and literature. So, our goal is to familiarise them with it, and by keeping it bilingual, we are making sure that they aren't completely alien to it."

The performance that will be held at Kahani Tree for the first time will serve as a listening exercise for children. Babbar adds, "I will break down the big words. This is suitable for children above five years as younger ones may not be able to sit through an entire performance. But there is no upper age limit; we've had parents and grandparents in attendance".

On April 20, 11 am to 12.30 pm
At Kahani Tree, Industry Manor, Prabhadevi. Email info@kahanitree.com (to register)
Cost Rs 650

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