Back in 2009, when a group of students came to Bookaroo Delhi all the way from Gangtok’s Taktse International School – led by their indomitable principal, Maria Lauenstein – nobody could have foreseen that these visits would become an annual ritual.

As it turned out, a November visit by a select bunch of Taktse’s students was much looked forward to – both by us and Taktse itself – every year for the past nine years. Curious visitors in Delhi would watch as the group from Taktse honoured visiting speakers, and even the Bookaroo team, with scarves bang in the middle of the festival grounds.

Their visits were well-planned and managed, they would have researched which sessions to attend, when to go the festival bookstore and, of course, meet the authors and illustrators for the inevitable book-signing ceremony. Unfortunately, however, not all the Taktse children could come down to Delhi to participate in the fun.

It was four years ago when we first felt that if all of Taktse cannot come to Bookaroo, the festival would go to Taktse – some day. That day has arrived.

This year, we took the decision, thanks to a big helping hand from the school. Mr Sonam Denzongpa, the director, made this decision an easy one by providing the resources to take this forward.

The school’s gates have been thrown open to the rest of Gangtok. We hope to have a full house on the days of the festival – June 28th and 29th. We also take this opportunity to thank IGNCA (Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts), the Ministry of Culture and Sahitya Akademi as well as Takshila Educational Society for making this dream come true. Gangtok, here we come.