A PICTURE BOOK IN HINDI
जाड़े की दोस्ती
Jade Ki Dosti
An illustrated story by Anil Singh, brought to the page by Rabaab Naqvi.
A&A Books20 pages · Full colourISBN 978-93-92664-11-3
WRITER. STORYTELLER. EDUCATOR.
नमस्ते, I’m Anil.
A world
between
the pages.
Stories from everyday life. Wonder in small things.
And a lifelong belief in the magic of reading.
कहानियों की अपनी एक दुनिया है।
A little curiosity goes a long way.
A little curiosity goes a long way.Stories that stayLibraries that come aliveLearning that lastsकिस्से, किताबें और ज़िंदगी
PARAGHonour
List2020
Go on, open the book.List2020
01 ON THE BOOKSHELF
Small-town life.
Wonderful stories.
चमनलाल के पायजामे
Chamanlal Ke Paijame
Six stories rooted in everyday community life. Familiar people, unexpected moments, and a child’s way of noticing what the rest of us might miss.
Stories in HindiIllustrated by Taposhi GhoshalJugnoo Prakashan · Ektara
02 THE WRITING DESK
A few words.
A little wonder.
Notes from classrooms, reflections on books,
and the many ways we learn to see the world.
साप्ताहिक बाज़ार: दुनियादारी का गणित
The mathematics of everyday life
A school market becomes a place to explore money, making things, and learning together.
Read the article Hindi · PDFSANDARBH · NOV–DEC 2025 · PART 4सुबह की संगीत सभा: विस्तार है अपार, प्रजा दोनों पार
A school day, set to music
How a daily music gathering at Anand Niketan makes space for singing, listening and learning together. Part two of Anil’s school series.
Read the article Hindi · PDFSANDARBH · JUL–AUG 2025 · PART 2 · PP. 45–53आनंद निकेतन डेमोक्रेटिक स्कूल: एक स्कूल जो होना ही चाहिए
A school that ought to exist
A personal account of Anand Niketan, where Anil joined as a parent and became part of a shared experiment in learning.
Read the article Hindi · Issue PDFSANDARBH · MAY–JUN 2025 · PART 1तोतिया तीतर: पुस्तक समीक्षा
Looking closely, through poetry
A review of Prabhat’s poetry collection and Proiti Roy’s illustrations, exploring the remarkable observations tucked into ordinary things.
Read the review Hindi · Read onlineSANDARBH · MAR–APR 2025फर्डीनैण्ड के बहाने
Being yourself, with Ferdinand
Using The Story of Ferdinand to think about identity, growing up, and the pressure to become what others expect.
Read the essay Hindi · PDFPARAG · JUL 2024 / PATHSHALA · SEP 2024किताबें विविधतापूर्ण जीवन की झलक हैं
Books open windows into diverse lives
On the people, experiences and differences we meet in literature and how we respond to them.
Read the essay Hindi · PDFSANDARBH · MAY–JUN 2024 · PAGE 71एलईसी के बाद खुला बाल साहित्य का संसार
A new way of seeing children’s books
Anil follows Kunwar Singh’s journey from working among books at Pitara to discovering their layers through the Library Educator’s Course.
Read the profile Hindi · WebPARAG · 7 MAR 2024पुस्तकालय: नज़रिया और कौशल दोनों ही अहम हैं, समुचित प्रशिक्षण ही एकमात्र रास्ता
Libraries need people, skills and perspective
Why a good collection needs trained library educators to bring it to life and connect children with books.
Read the article Hindi · PDFPATHSHALA · MAR 2024‘एलईसी’ के बाद खुद को ‘लाइब्रेरी एजुकेटर’ कह पाया
Becoming a library educator
An account of Navnit Nirav’s experience as an LEC participant, published under Anil’s byline at Parag.
Read the profile Hindi · WebPARAG · 26 FEB 2024एक हलचल जो बदलने चली है जिले की तस्वीर
A reading culture takes root in Katni
A profile of Rajendra Asati’s work with teachers and school libraries, and the possibilities opened up by the LEC.
Read the profile Hindi · WebPARAG · 25 JAN 2024कक्षा की पाठ वस्तु से पुस्तकालय का जुड़ाव
Connecting classroom learning and the library
How fiction and nonfiction can extend textbook learning, with examples of books and conversations from the classroom.
Read the article Hindi · PDFPATHSHALA · DEC 2023पढ़ना ज़रा ठहरना… ठहरना ज़रा सोचना!
Read. Pause. Think.
A reflection on Krishna Kumar’s book, and the questions it asks about reading and education.
Read the review Hindi · PDFSANDARBH · SEP–OCT 2023बाल साहित्य: नए संसार की खिड़की
Children’s literature: a window to new worlds
How thoughtful children’s books support learning, with a discussion of literature that belongs in school and community libraries.
Read the essay Hindi · PDFPATHSHALA · SEP 2023 · PP. 13–21परिवार के विस्तार के रूप में स्कूल
School as an Extension of the Family
Classroom experiences of supporting children after school closures, with attention to trust, companionship and emotional wellbeing.
Read the article Hindi & English · PDFLEARNING CURVE · HINDI: AUG 2023 · ENGLISH: 2023दहलीज़ से बाहर सामाजिक विज्ञान का संसार
Social science beyond the classroom
Visits, conversations and everyday experiences help children connect social science with the lives around them.
Read the article Hindi · PDFPATHSHALA · MAR 2023कहानियाँ आखिर करती क्या हैं?
What do stories really do?
Three classroom experiences explore the social, emotional and educational possibilities of telling stories with children.
Read the article Hindi · PDFPATHSHALA · DEC 2021 · ISSUE 10 · PP. 21–28पढ़ने का सफ़र बनाम सक्रिय साक्षरता का सफ़र
From reading words to active literacy
An introduction to the Four Resources Model, and the different roles a reader plays when making sense of a text.
Read the article Hindi · PDFPATHSHALA · JUN 2021 · ISSUE 8 · PP. 14–19नवाचारी प्रक्रियाएँ ताकि हर बच्चा सीख सके
Innovating Processes to Help Every Child Learn
Five children’s experiences at Anand Niketan show how teaching can adapt to different needs, abilities and circumstances.
Read the article Hindi & English · PDFLEARNING CURVE · HINDI: APR 2021 · ENGLISH: AUG 2020दीवार पत्रिका: कक्षा-कक्ष से बाहर सीखने-सिखाने की नायाब खिड़की
A wall magazine opens a window
Children take the lead in gathering ideas, writing and making a wall magazine that connects learning with life.
Read the article Hindi · PDFLEARNING CURVE · AUG 2019 · PP. 7–9बरास्ता सम्पादन: बच्चों के कहन पर भारी, बड़ों का भाषा ज्ञान
Whose words are they, anyway?
A close look at what happens when an adult edits a child’s story, and how to respond without losing the child’s voice.
Read the article Hindi · PDFSANDARBH · JUL–AUG 2016 · ISSUE 105बच्चों-सी बातें करते हो
Taking children’s ideas seriously
Four conversations challenge adult assumptions about children’s reasoning, imagination and capacity to make sense of the world.
Read the article Hindi · PDFSANDARBH · NOV–DEC 2015 · ISSUE 101बोलचाल की भाषा और मुहावरे
Making language come alive
Stories, everyday speech and performance turn a classroom exploration of Hindi idioms into a lively shared experience.
Read the article Hindi · PDFSANDARBH · SEP–OCT 2014 · ISSUE 94शिक्षण में थिएटर: एक अनुभव
Theatre as a way of learning
Reflections from a residential learning camp with Muskaan, exploring what theatre can make possible in education.
Read the article Hindi · PDFSANDARBH · MAY–JUN 2014 · ISSUE 92लँगड़ा गुइयाँ की छलाँग
A Holi adventure
Children prepare for Holi in this story from Chakmak’s March 2014 issue, full of plans, resourcefulness and small-town life.
Read the story Hindi · Issue PDFCHAKMAK · MAR 2014ऊकू बूदू: बिना नाम वाली एक लड़की
The girl at the edge of memory
A remembered childhood encounter asks us to look again at a girl the neighbourhood barely noticed.
Read the story Hindi · Read onlineSTORY · FROM ANIL’S COLLECTIONक्या माहिम डूब जाएगा?
Will Mahim go under?
Two unsettling pieces of news send Geeta searching for what they mean for her home, her family and the sea.
Read the story Hindi · Read onlineSTORY · FROM ANIL’S COLLECTIONटेनिस के अण्डे
The eggs that weren’t
Binni waits for birds to make a home on her balcony. What turns up in the nest is quite a surprise.
Read the story Hindi · Read onlineSTORY · FROM ANIL’S COLLECTIONधनीराम के दद्दा
A familiar face, another side
Memories of a formidable man in Umaria reveal the person behind his imposing presence.
Read the story Hindi · Read onlineSTORY · FROM ANIL’S COLLECTIONलालपुर का जंगल और जूली के बच्चे
Julie and the forest of Lalpur
A neighbourhood’s memories of Dilip Chacha and his dog Julie unfold into a story of affection, separation and waiting.
Read the story Hindi · Read onlineSTORY · MANUSCRIPT DATED 21 NOV 2022शान्ती मार्ग का गब्बरसिंह
The Gabbar Singh of Shanti Marg
A small-town man borrows a film villain’s swagger. Time changes both his audience and his place in the neighbourhood.
Read the story Hindi · Read onlineSTORY · MANUSCRIPT DATED OCT 2024हीमोटोन और मिनी फ्रिज
A tonic and a small refrigerator
At a medical shop, a young narrator gradually pieces together the connection between a popular prescription and an unexpected delivery.
Read the story Hindi · Read onlineSTORY · FROM ANIL’S COLLECTIONमनुष्यता की उम्मीद जगाती कहानियाँ
Stories that keep hope alive
Poet and theatre practitioner Hemant Deolekar reflects on Anil Singh’s story collection Chamanlal Ke Paijame.
Read the review Hindi · Read onlineBY HEMANT DEOLEKAR · ON CHAMANLAL KE PAIJAMEमन की ज़मीन पर शरीर की थिरकन: नाच
The mind, the body and the freedom to dance
A review of Navnit Nirav’s novel, exploring Saroj’s struggle between identity, social expectations and the freedom of the stage.
Read the review Hindi · PDFNAACH · NOVEL BY NAVNIT NIRAV · EKLAVYA33 pieces in the collection
Stories, essays and reviews in Hindi and English. Read stories here, open original PDFs, or visit the publishers. Manuscript dates are marked where available.
Usually found with a book.
Sometimes in the kitchen.
Always up for a story.
03 THE PERSON BEHIND THE PAGES
Hello again.
I’m Anil Singh.
Writer by instinct. Educator by practice.
Storyteller, always.
For more than two decades, my work has brought me close to children, teachers and the stories that connect us. From classrooms in Bhopal to libraries across India, I’m interested in how we read, imagine and learn together.
I lead the Professional Development vertical at Parag Initiative, working with library educators and helping create spaces where children can discover the joy of reading.
The longer story
I have been associated with Anand Niketan Democratic School in Bhopal since its inception, and have worked with Eklavya and Muskaan. Along the way, I’ve trained teachers, organised bal melas, and brought theatre into everyday learning.
With studies in social work and mass communication, I write about classroom experiences, children’s literature and education in contemporary society. Outside work, there is cooking, poetry, acting, singing, and always another story.
कहानियाँTheatrePoetryCookingLife’s little things
04 BEYOND THE PAGE
Good stories grow
when we share them.
Working with people who help children
find their own way into a book.
20+
20years of learning
alongside children
librarians in the Rajasthan
programme’s capacity-building efforts
01Libraries full of possibilityPARAG INITIATIVE
Leading professional development through the Library Educator’s Course in Hindi and the Children’s Library Course, with responsibility for course content, faculty work and strategic direction.
Also supporting the Rajasthan School Library Programme and engaging LEC alumni in Madhya Pradesh to deepen library practice.
02A classroom beyond four wallsCHILDREN & TEACHERS
From Anand Niketan Democratic School to work with Eklavya and Muskaan, a long engagement with education grounded in children’s lives: teacher training, bal melas, conversations and shared discovery.
03A little theatre. A lot of expression.STORYTELLING & THEATRE
Theatre workshops for children and teachers, storytelling, poetry and performance. Bringing expression into everyday activities gives children room to imagine, participate and find their voice.
05 CONTACT ME
आइए, बात करें।
There’s always room
for one more story.
I live in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh. For a conversation about stories, books or learning, write to me.
WRITE TO ME[email protected]
