“If not now, then when? And if not you, then who?” asked Sudha Ramen, Deputy Director of the Arignar Anna Zoological Park, who was the chief guest at the launch of Young World’s Whoopee 30!, an exclusive collection of stories, on Wednesday, at Seth P.D. Hinduja Sindhi Model School, Chennai.
The book, published to commemorate Young World’s 30th anniversary this year, features 30 captivating stories penned by much-loved children’s authors including Paro Anand, Jerry Pinto, Devika Cariapa, Natasha Sharma and Sowmya Rajendran, among others. The genres range from humour and fantasy to grief and mystery. Designed by Sonal Goyal and illustrated by the award-winning Ashok Rajagopalan, the book is a definite keepsake.
Whoopee 30! was released by Suresh Nambath, Editor, The Hindu, who handed over the first copy to child prodigy and pianist Lydian Nadhaswaram. LV Navaneeth, CEO, THG Publishing Private Ltd., gave away five copies to students of the school to be added to the library collection.
Sudha Ramen, deputy director, Arignar Anna Zoological Park, spoke on the importance of ecosystems and the need to protect them. Her engaging talk covered topics like conservation, ecosystem services, conservation methods, and sustainable living.
The highlight of the event was Lydian Nadhaswaram’s spontaneous interaction with the students. He emphasised the importance of practice and shared his journey through the finals of The World’s Best, a reality talent competition, which Lydian won last year.
“I started playing the drums on this same day in 2007 when I was two years old and I am happy to be here today marking my journey,” said the 14-year-old, in response to a question posed by one of the students.
The book, priced at Rs. 999, is now available for pre-booking at https://publications.thehindugroup.com/bookstore/ and at The Hindu’s office. It is currently available at a discount of 20 %.
