Human Library
I was at a library with a difference. There were five books on loan and about thirty readers assembled in that space to read the books. Each of the five books had a different tale to narrate and in the scheduled three hour session, each reader had to choose any two books.
Once I had made my choice, I joined other ‘readers’ who had opted for the same ‘book’. Our ‘book’ narrated ‘its’ story and we then had a conversation.
I was at a Human Library event. Human Library is ‘a worldwide movement for social change... designed to build a positive framework for conversations that can challenge stereotypes and prejudices through dialogue’.
What made the library unique, and thereby the ‘reading’ experience, were the ‘books’. The pages of the ‘books’ were not paper, nor were they displayed on digital media. The pages were live narrations by real people of life-changing episodes etched in their memories, to be told and retold to interested ‘readers’.
As with any book, not all stories appeal to all readers. You may ‘read’ an unbelievably extraordinary tale and may also end up being disappointed with an uninterestingly predictable one. What is vital here, though, is not the efficacy of the stories themselves but the fact that this provides a platform for human interactions.
Our lives are made up of several stories but how many of us are willing to come forward and share them with others? Even if someone did, the response would be an emoji, silence or a judgmental comment.
Soulful, heartfelt, honest, candid human interactions have become a rarity these days. Human Library is a great initiative in tackling the growing incapability of simple, non-judgmental conversations. The world needs more of them and I am glad to have been at least a drop in the ocean. Vidya Shankar
Published in The Gulf Today / Short Take, dt July 21, 2018)
http://www.gulftoday.ae/portal/d9235ab6-8739-44a0-9607-16ee1fb1f978.aspx
Here's my first book! An ensemble of poetry and photographs.
Click the link below to watch a 30-second promo video.
https://youtu.be/5BhbjMaIwpk
You can buy it at this link:
https://notionpress.com/read/the-flautist-of-brindaranyamwww.facebook.com
Once I had made my choice, I joined other ‘readers’ who had opted for the same ‘book’. Our ‘book’ narrated ‘its’ story and we then had a conversation.
I was at a Human Library event. Human Library is ‘a worldwide movement for social change... designed to build a positive framework for conversations that can challenge stereotypes and prejudices through dialogue’.
What made the library unique, and thereby the ‘reading’ experience, were the ‘books’. The pages of the ‘books’ were not paper, nor were they displayed on digital media. The pages were live narrations by real people of life-changing episodes etched in their memories, to be told and retold to interested ‘readers’.
As with any book, not all stories appeal to all readers. You may ‘read’ an unbelievably extraordinary tale and may also end up being disappointed with an uninterestingly predictable one. What is vital here, though, is not the efficacy of the stories themselves but the fact that this provides a platform for human interactions.
Our lives are made up of several stories but how many of us are willing to come forward and share them with others? Even if someone did, the response would be an emoji, silence or a judgmental comment.
Soulful, heartfelt, honest, candid human interactions have become a rarity these days. Human Library is a great initiative in tackling the growing incapability of simple, non-judgmental conversations. The world needs more of them and I am glad to have been at least a drop in the ocean. Vidya Shankar
Published in The Gulf Today / Short Take, dt July 21, 2018)
http://www.gulftoday.ae/portal/d9235ab6-8739-44a0-9607-16ee1fb1f978.aspx
Here's my first book! An ensemble of poetry and photographs.
Click the link below to watch a 30-second promo video.
https://youtu.be/5BhbjMaIwpk
You can buy it at this link:
https://notionpress.com/read/the-flautist-of-brindaranyamwww.facebook.com
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