Pune Festival : Felicitation of Smt. Anuradha Oak, Director of Balbharati

The Pune Festival honored the 60-year journey of the ‘Maharashtra State Bureau of Textbook Production and Curriculum Research’—popularly known as ‘Balbharati’—recognizing its significant contribution to the state's educational and cultural development over the past six decades. On Thursday, Balbharati Director Anuradha Oak was felicitated by Pune Festival President Krishnakumar Goyal with a memento, a shawl, and a coconut. On this occasion, senior thinker Ulhas Pawar, General Secretary and Chief Coordinator of Cultural Programs Dr. Satish Desai, and Trustee Mohan Tillu were present.

Anuradha Oak stated, "Nowadays, children's screen time is increasing while their interest in reading is declining; therefore, there is a need to steer children back towards a reading culture. Children are precious to us. Even though the magazine *Kishor* operates at a loss, efforts are being made to reach children with it at the lowest possible cost and cultivate a love for reading among them. *Kishor* and *Balbharati* have now merged; alongside the production of textbooks, *Balbharati* is also working to foster a reading culture."

She appealed to the residents of Pune to take the initiative in preserving the strategically located Balbharati site.