GUWAHATI, Oct 7 - The 12th Anwesha Festival of Books for Children will be held from October 14 to 21 in the Assam Engineering Institute (AEI) Field, Chandmari here.
The theme of the festival will be �Child rights and child protection,� said the organisers in a press release issued here.
A number of activities have been planned around this theme at the festival, along with UNICEF and other organisations, working in the field of child protection, the press release said.
There will be a session on child rights, gender discrimination and problems of adolescence, which will be attended by experts in the field. Then, there will be another session titled, �Elements of child rights and child protection in oral traditions and literature�.
Authors from different language backgrounds are being invited to speak to the children on this issue.
The theme of the festival will also be the theme of Rong Mela. The Rong Mela will be about poster making. The best entries will be awarded in the festival, which will be printed later to promote the cause of child protection. To enlighten children and general public on child rights issues, an exhibition on child rights will be organised in collaboration with the State Child Protection Society, Assam, during the festival, said the organisers.
Jeeva Raghunath, celebrated storyteller from Chennai, will attend the festival to conduct a workshop on storytelling.
There will be an artist corner as well, where, every day for a few hours, children will get a chance to practise drawing with Atanu Roy, a well-known illustrator-cartoonist. Roy will conduct a two-day art workshop for children at the beginning of the festival.
The office of the Commissioner of Police, Guwahati Metro, will also participate in the festival. An interactive programme will be organised for children on police-people relationship. The session will be attended by leading public figures, the Police Commissioner and senior police officials. This event will be inaugurated by the Director General of Police.
The Guwahati Municipal Corporation will also participate in the festival. A session on Guwahati flash flood will be organised in collaboration with the civic body.
Save the Children, an international organisation working in the field of child rights, will organise two events for children � one on natural calamities and violation of child rights and the other will be an interface between the lawmakers and children on the child rights scenario in the State.
