5 Questions with Kavya Srinivasan (Actor, Playwright and Educator)

I am happy to share the first of hopefully many in this series, where I ask five questions to writers, educators, theatre artists, librarians and the many others who work with children and influence what they read. Kavya Srinivasan is a dear friend, a brilliant artist and someone who always offers her energy to others’ creative pursuits. She has seen many of my first drafts, and I am pleased to share bits of our chat on reading and making space for creativity in our lives.

You have been a storyteller for many years - what kind of books have you seen the children in your sessions really enjoy?

I have been a storyteller for many years but the truth of the matter is that I teach more than I do storytelling for young people. When I teach theatre, I work with different types of text, including poetry, prose and reportage. I discovered that it is hard to say what works for children as a unit. When I work with children 7 to 10 years old, I pick light, fun, low-stakes books. Also, so much of it comes down to individual dispositions; children are picking up what to read from their friends, classrooms, and parents, but I think that book series with long-term character arcs are something children enjoy. I see children from a certain class, caste and regional demographic in my classes and storytelling sessions. They read American and British writing and consume more media from these regions than Indian content. It has been a bit of a mission for me to bring more Indian writing to the classroom and go beyond the 2-3 Indian children’s writers we are all familiar with. Also, we fall into this trap because well-meaning adults do not know where to go for recommendations.

You don't fit the stereotype of a 'writer and reader' - you do music, theatre, improv and dance - how can adults in their mid-twenties or thirties introduce movement (that is not exercise or fitness goal-oriented) and find joy in their bodies and movement?

I don't fit the stereotype only because we have a certain imagination of readers and writers who are quiet and introverted. I am also very happy alone. A lot of my work in music, theatre, and dance, facing children and adults, is offset by my natural disposition for solitude (which is also a function of being an only child).

There is a lot to learn from young people about movement. When we become adults, we end up viewing movement as a chore. We end up viewing any creative, physical, embodied pursuit as something we ought to do, like 'I got to work out because I have to lose x kilos'. It then becomes transactional.

When was the last time you did something for its own sake? For example, when did you paint just to paint? Not to document it, not to give it to somebody, not to put it up in your house, none of that. That will give you an important insight into working with your body.

We are losing the space for things to be what they are without turning it into a goal or a hustle. For example, I love making playlists because it is the last bastion of an unmonetizable hobby.

If it wasn't apparent from my previous question, I am completely in awe of everything you do - how do you make space for so many creative projects?

This is a two-part answer. We don’t talk enough about privilege when we talk of space, time and energy to do creative work. My family is completely understanding and supportive of my creative career. My partner goes above and beyond to make time for my creative decisions. I have many buffers by way of connections, places I studied, people my family knows by way of caste, class and being English speaking. We often do not talk about the constellations of things that allow an artist to have many varied, deep creative outputs and processes. Every day, I am grateful for what I have and think of what I can do for more artists that don’t have this space. What does that look like? I really have a room of one’s own, the thing that allows women writers to be, the spaciousness required for creative work.

The second part is that I am a generalist. I recommend David Epstein’s book ‘Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World’. It is a book that really changed my relationship with my multiple creative pursuits in my life. We have a society obsessed with specialization where we often forget how we are connected to the larger picture. I am an enthusiastic beginner in everything, and I am excellent at drawing insight from one place to another. I am very good at letting go of things that don’t serve me - I am very good at making connections across the spectrum and bringing together universes that appear different together. The minute I said this to myself, I freed up a lot of creative space in my life.

What is your one big tip to anyone trying to encourage the children in their lives to read more?

If you want your child to read more, you have to read more! Children are not interested in what you tell them to do, they are interested in what you do, the actions you take. If you read, you may not even have to tell your child to read. You have to approach reading with love. I am a product of two people who love to read. Both of my parents read different things. My mother is a professor, she read a lot of non fiction and academic work. My father, who is retired for many years, reads detective stories, thrillers and murder mysteries. They have always given me a lot of space to read way above my reading level. They would have a book for me everywhere we went.

What are two Indian children's books that you recommend?

‘Jaldi’s Friends’ written by Kalpana Swaminathan (Puffin, 2003) and ‘Annual Haircut Day’ written by Rohini Nilekani and illustrated by Angie & Upesh (Pratham Books).

I was 11 years old when I read ‘Jaldi’s Friends’, and my best friend had been given a puppy for her birthday. All I was thinking about was dogs - and this book was everything I dreamt of. I think it’s one of those books that made me think and feel, and I still pet and feed every stray I meet because any one of them could be Jaldi.

Perhaps you’ve already read ‘Annual Haircut Day’ and its sequel. I put it on this list because it has a special place in my heart. When I was new to storytelling, I shadowed an amazing storyteller as a part of a library program in Tamil Nadu. This was the first story I heard her tell, and I was in awe. (I hope you’re good, wherever you are Rathi!)

The other reason I put it on this list is because it’s available for free online as a part of Pratham’s Storyweaver program. Storyweaver is a great way to find lots of small books for children, and there are ways for kids to build their own stories using images from other stories! Look at Annual Haircut Day here.

Also, if you find value in this content, please share this newsletter with a friend or two!

Till next time,

Varsha