Author Visit - Samina Mishra

Grade 5 students at the Shiv Nadar School, Noida got an opportunity to meet and interact with Delhi-based author Samina Mishra. Speaking to a full house, Samina conducted a storytelling session on Jamlo Walks, a picture-book that tells a story of the migrants walking back home during the Covid-19 lockdown.

Samina Mishra is a documentary filmmaker, writer and teacher based in Delhi, with a special interest in media for and about children. Her work uses the lens of childhood, identity and education to reflect the experiences of growing up in India. Her other works include Nida Finds a Way, a chapter book for early readers that follows a young girl as she explores the world around her including a citizens’ protest, and Happiness Class, a documentary film on the idea of happiness for children, examined through the Happiness Curriculum in Delhi government schools. 

The author underlined the importance of reading on a regular basis and stressed the need for reading a diverse range of books. The engaging session helped the young minds understand the complexities of the issue and connections between the story of Jamlo- a migrant worker and the various forms that migration has acquired including climate-related displacements. The students grabbed the opportunity to engage, inquire and discuss a range of socio-economic and socio-cultural questions on migration and its repercussions on all countries and societies. The session was lively and enlightening. As Samina tirelessly answered all the questions of the inquisitive minds, the entire class lit up with ideas, suggestions and innovative solutions to migration and its various manifestations.