Remember how our grand mother persuaded us to finish lunch? “Tui khabar na khele, pakhi eshe kheye jabe” (If you don’t eat, the bird will come and snatch your food). A sparrow on the windowsill suddenly became the villain, and we hurriedly ate the last grains of rice, half-scared, half-delighted by the story. For many Bengali children, this gentle warning from mothers and grandmothers was a familiar part of childhood. Stories of birds swooping in to eat unattended food were not just playful tactics; they were lessons in imagination, attention and connection with nature.
But today, when a child refuses to eat, parents place a gadget in front of them to ensure a quiet mealtime. Silence falls, mouth opens mechanically, while the eyes are glued to the glowing screens. Ultimately, the world of wonder that once lived in stories of sparrows and mynas has now been replaced by phones . It is this disconnect that inspired Mongrace Montessori House to organise its Literary Fest 2025, themed ‘Save Our Feathered Friends’. Held recently at the Short Street campus, the event transformed the school into a forest-like sanctuary. Paper birds hung from the ceiling, leafy decorations wrapped the corridor, and soft, natural music created the feeling of walking through a forest. In a conversation with The Statesman, Sanjana Vakharia, Principal of the institute, reflected on how the Literary Fest came into being.
“We always wanted the time around Children’s Day to be a little special for our children. Post the pandemic, we found children’s needs a little different. They were reluctant to use pens and pencils. Writing and reading skills had dropped dramatically. And we wanted to build those back in a very interesting way. That’s how the Literary Fest started.” She further emphasised this year’s theme. “In the last decade or so, children have shifted their attention to small screens. We are seeing children looking down into screens for joy, happiness and finding meaning,” Vakharia claimed, adding, “But neuroscience tells us that such an amount of screen time shrinks our brain. Children are then unable to focus, develop imagination, or build relationships.
It is because screen time floods the mind with dopamine, which desensitises it.” This thought process led her to centre this year’s fest around birds. “We realised children need real-world experiences. That’s when we decided to focus on nature, specifically on the feathered friends flying around us.” The fest showcased the creativity of the young learners through handmade books, original artwork, and bird feeders. Each child displayed a self-authored book with their name and photograph on the cover. The stories traced the lifecycle of birds, their habitats, and the magic of wings, quietly teaching children that they, too, could fly high. During the event, tiny voices sang bird songs in English, Bengali and French.
It served as a symbolic reminder that language may differ, but the message is universal. There was dancing, laughter, and finally the certificate ceremony. Young writers received their first author certificates. “This is just the beginning,” Vakharia shared. She went on to add, “They will take the bird-feeders with them, and when they place them with seeds and a bowl of water on the windowsill, they will invite the birds. They will wait, and one day a sparrow will land. Then another. Soon the child will realise he has made new friends who visit every morning.” She further stressed that this gives them a sense of responsibility. “They will see the birds coming back for something they have made. They will regularly fill the feeder with seeds. They will develop eco-friendly habits, which the world needs today.” At the end of the event, Vakharia shared a powerful insight.
She pointed out that from zero to six years of age, the minds of children are absorbent. The things they see and do get etched into their minds. These experiences sculpt the brain and create neural pathways which remain with them for a lifetime. “So whatever these little children do at an early age stays with them, and the feelings attached to these activities stay with them as well. They will eventually keep repeating them to find real joy and happiness.” She concluded, “Today, people say that pigeons or sparrows are disappearing from the environment. We must pause and think, are they only disappearing from the environment or from our mind as well? It should be our responsibility to find them, look after them, and befriend them. That’s what we wish to convey through the event.”