Muvattupuzha: Children’s stories may begin at bedtime, but their meanings stretch far beyond it. Exploring how tales for young readers shape culture, identity and imagination, Nirmala College hosted a national seminar titled “Beyond Bedtime Stories: Children’s Literature Across Cultures” under the banner of Katha 1.0 on Tuesday.

Organised by the Postgraduate and Research Department of English in collaboration with the Department of Malayalam, the hybrid colloquium brought together writers, editors and academics to reflect on the evolving social and pedagogical role of children’s literature. Rev. Dr Jestin K Kuriakose, Principal, presided over the inaugural session, while writer and editor N Somasekharan inaugurated the event.

A highlight of the morning session was the panel discussion, “Changing Times, Changing Stories: Generational Shifts in Children’s Storytelling”, featuring N Somasekharan, founder-editor of Balamangalam and creator of Dinkan; Madhavan Pallatheri of Malayala Manorama; and T N Subodhkumar, former designer of the newspaper’s children’s division.

The afternoon session focused on “Children’s Literature Across History and Theory”, with talks by K Sreekumar, writer and journalist, and Dr Aju K Narayanan, Professor at MG University, Kottayam. Offline paper presentations followed.

The seminar explored themes such as representation, inclusivity, indigenous narratives and digital storytelling, reaffirming children’s literature as a dynamic cultural archive and a powerful pedagogical tool.

The event was convened by Dr Jasmine Jose and Ms Diya Mathew.