Mussoorie International Writers' Festival

"Does anyone know what the Antarctic is?"
"It's the north pole at the south!"
"That's exactly right!"
Conversation between Dr. Gabrielle Walker and a Woodstock Middle School student during a presentation about the two Poles.

From discussions led by Dr. Walker and Gretel Ehrlich on their observations and writing about the Poles, to poetry about nature to discussions about how to write about the environment, the theme of this year's Writers' Festival was about the natural world.

The week long event was inaugurated by the launch of Woodstock alumna, Mrs. Chandralekha Mehta's ('40) new book, "Freedom's Child," a memoir about growing up during Satyagraha (India's struggle for freedom). Mrs. Mehta treated the audience to a reading from her book including the following excerpt that includes Woodstock:.

"The Americans we had met during visits to Naini with Papu were a different breed of white people from the British in India. They were informal, spoke Hindustani and worked in villages. During our time in Woodstock three American missionaries were asked by the British government to leave the country because of their outspoken sympathy with the cause of Indian independence and the Congress."

Following from that auspicious beginning were numerous workshops, readings and classroom visits, giving students, staff and guests the opportunity to rub shoulders with world renowned authors and learn about their craft.

Below are some of the highlights of the festival:

• Ullas Karanth, author and naturalist made a thoughtful presentation about the tiger conservation efforts in India. He also spoke of his own journey into his profession, a passion he discovered as a young man.
• One special evening, Mussoorie residents and Woodstock employees were invited to a poetry reading conducted in the regional languages of Hindi, Kumauni and Garhwali, an event that moved some to tears as poetry about life in the Garhwali Himalayas was not only read but also sung.
• Woodstock hosted a variety of groups over the course of the week: Doon School, Welham School, Tibetan Homes, and the Rashtriya Indian Military College, probationers at the National Academy of Administration in Happy Valley, as well as a group of Tibetan monks from the Songsten library in Rajpur all of whom had opportunities to attend some of the sessions.
• As the week progressed, beyond the education inherent in such an event, new friendships were formed, most notably between authors and students. Shamini Flint, former lawyer, author and stay-at-home mom, created a special bond with elementary students with her humor and warmth. One student asked when her birthday is; she should expect a barrage of e-cards!

The week concluded with the annual Book Fair and final readings from Ms. Flint, Geoff Page and Adviat Kala along with book signings and the final hugs of new-found friends.

Click here to link with the Writers' Festival site