This report documents the design, implementation and outcomes of the Pilot Bilingual Reading Program, a structured reading intervention implemented by the Vakkom Moulavi Foundation Trust (VMFT) for Grade 5 students in two disadvantaged coastal communities of Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala.1 The program, grounded in Cummins’ (1981) interdependence hypothesis and a translanguaging pedagogy, set out to strengthen the enjoyment of reading and reading comprehension in both Malayalam (L1) and English (L2) among 60 children, using levelled storybooks, expert-designed lesson plans, and facilitators who received continuous support and feedback. Facilitators were guided on how to use both languages, including using Malayalam in English reading classes in a deliberate manner.