Bhubaneswar: Writer Ramendra Kumar said children take keen interest in stories and writers and storytellers must churn out tales, which entertain and enthuse young ones.

Speaking at the Jaipur Literature Festival, the children's writer said: "This will wean away the young minds from the distractions of the virtual world. The notion that children are not interested in stories is incorrect."

Author of at least 33 books, Kumar said he conducted story telling sessions in several schools as part of the Jaipur Literature Festival Outreach. Kumar, who happens to be the chief of communications of Rourkela Steel Plant, visited a number of schools and interacted with the students in the age group 7 to 14 years. The students were from various backgrounds and were comfortable in different languages, the author said. For the first time he even conducted a session in Urdu, he said. "But one thing that seemed common was their love for unadulterated fun and pristine madness," he said.

"Apart from telling tales I discussed aspects of writing fiction," said Kumar. According to a source from RSP, Ramendra is the only children's writer and performance storyteller from Odisha to have been invited to the Jaipur Literature Festival. The writer has won 31 prizes in various competitions for writers of children's literature organised by Children's Book Trust, the highest by any author so far. His writings have been translated into 27 languages and published in school textbooks and anthologies, both in India and abroad. (PTI)