The Homecoming

Written by Nirupama Kaushik, LEC 2022

“If I say ‘moon’ then the Moon team runs to the safe zone while the Sun team tries to catch them. If I say ‘sun’, then the Sun team will be chased by the Moon team. Ready? Let’s go…” Standing on Bambolim beach, Goa, as I listened to the instructions for the game and observed the teams waiting with bated breath, I closed my eyes and reflected on my voyage that had brought me to this moment. 

I was invited to join the new LEC cohort as a mentor in July 2022. As the excitement settled, I paused to ask myself if I really wanted to start something new just after deciding to take a break from a full time job. Since 2018 (the year I completed the course), life had led me on several paths and not all of them led to the library. I could feel a cloud of confusion descending. After speaking to the Bookworm team at length, I decided to take up the offer. While it meant a new experience in terms of guiding mentees, I was also drawn to the idea of returning to the calm company of books and libraries. 

All the mentors met in Mumbai in September to discuss what mentoring encompassed and how we could hold the cohort together, encouraging meaningful engagement and mindful practice. The mentor group from the previous years freely shared about their moments of celebrations, shortcomings, learnings and gave me answers to all the questions that I had about the role. I could not help but smile at the gentle reminder that at no point should a mentor become a Tormentor. The two day meeting soothed my apprehensions and I was better prepared for the responsibility that lay ahead. 

A few months later, I was in Goa. As we packed the material to be taken to the LEC venue in old Goa, I came to understand the magnitude of planning that went behind putting the course together. Every library book, stitching kit, piece of furniture, artefact, decoration, stationery item and saree that went into the cardboard boxes had a specific purpose. We reached the venue and got to work, transforming the room into a cosy space that would anchor the LEC experience. We were ready to welcome the participants. 

The next six days were centred around exploring and unpacking pertinent questions – When we speak of childhood, whose childhood do we refer to? How does a child become a reader? What elements come together to make a place a library? What does a vision for a library mean? What makes a “good” collection of books? How can a library be an inclusive space? What is the role of a library educator? – Revisiting these questions after four years in the presence of passionate faculty members and an energetic and diverse group of participants nudged me into viewing the idea of a library in a new light. There were times when I wanted to blurt out answers during discussions but held back because the role of a mentor was teaching me to be a more patient listener. After all, the participants were here to create or discover their learning joys, not for those nuggets of knowledge to be told to them. So whether it was facilitating a small group interaction or observing the participants being introduced to ‘Book Talks’, I watched the moments unfold and enjoyed them vicariously as I delved deeper into their perspectives in my mind. 

On Day 3, the Mentee-Mentor groups were revealed and a discussion with my mentees ensued. As I listened to them speak about their motivations behind joining the course and discussing the logistics of the virtual meetings post the contact period, it was reinforced that the journey was as much as a learning for me as it was for my mentees. It was okay if I did not have all the answers immediately. Some things we would unravel together over the next 7 months. When in doubt, I could always reach out to my fellow mentees, faculty members and the Bookworm team. I realised that being a mentor also meant nurturing the spirit of collaboration. 

I began to see that the end-of-the day debrief with the LEC team was a powerful aspect of mentorship. It provided valuable insight into the art of reflection and gaining a collective understanding of how each member approached his/her segment, what worked well and how things could be more effective the next time. These debriefs also gave us openings to relax and laugh together after navigating the intensity that an educational course brings with it. It taught me how to communicate with my mentees while being aware of their personal stories and professional expectations from the course. I knew that in the Mentee-Mentor meeting that would happen online, I had to strike a balance between my need for sticking to a planned agenda versus engaging in free flowing conversations that came from the heart. Apart from academic guidance and sustaining rigour, I would also need to provide emotional support. This was a huge shift for me. 

Every evening, as we played various theatre games, the thin line between faculty, admin, mentees and mentors disappeared and was replaced with teamwork and a sense of community. As stated by Margaret J. Wheatley, “There is no power for change greater than a community discovering what it cares about.” While LEC 2018 unsettled my thought structures and urged me to think critically about children’s literature, LEC 2022 was giving me the opportunity to work once again with like minded people who were here to challenge standard practices and question established norms – all in the quest to make a difference. 

My mind jogged back to Bambolim beach. Looking at the group playfully competing, thinking of all the interactions I had immersed myself in over the contact period, fondly recollecting the new books I had read (some of my favourites that were re-read), and imagining what lay ahead of me, after a long time, I felt one with myself at last. 

I was home again.