Shahtaj Begum/Pune

The world celebrates World Book Day on April 23 but for the children of Vasai village of tehsil Koli Wada (Thane) of Maharashtra, every Wednesday and Sunday is a special day of books. On these days the trolley bag of Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam Mobile Library comes for them to connect with the world of books.

This Library is different from the common libraries. Here, the books are kept in the bag, not on the shelf. This library goes to its readers. Muntazir, Shaheed, Mehboob, Armaan, Shahid, and many of their companions leave to their respective destinations at a fixed time with their library bags. They go door to door calling children and then sitting under a tree, in the local park or even roadside as children settle down with their favourite book to read.

The children are also issued books for carrying home. The mobile library has a rulebook that says the books will be issued only after the children attend a reading session and these must be returned within a week. 

Children with their books

Muntazir Shaikh, who along with others launched the mobile library, says that the children do not even wait for a week; mostly they return the book they had taken on Wednesday on Sunday so that they can carry home another book for reading.

Muntazir is the eldest among the founders of the library and he is studying in Class IX at Huzaifa Urdu High School, Vasai. 

Shaheed Mehboob Mansoori says that initially when he moved around with the Mobile Library, only four children showed interest in reading books. However, today a large number of children wait for him. 

Armaan Sagir Ahmed Khan says they follow the official address of their classmates to choose a place to visit with their library. However, books are offered to all and not only to their schoolmates.

Children making use of mobile library

The lockdown has had a variety of impacts on the lifestyle; education suffered the most. However, during this time people remembered the most valuable things of life, including books. The one-month Aao Books Se Dosti Karein (Come, let’s be friends with books) campaign from December 18 was not a success but it also motivated the All India Ideal Teachers Association (AITA), Palghar, to arrange a mobile library and school children were given its charge.

 The students in charge of the AITA library study in classes VII, VIII, and IX. The children of Zilla Parishad Urdu School, Vasai, occasionally accompany those in charge of the library. Salman and Abdul Kalam proudly announced to Awaz-the Voice that they have read all the books of the mobile Library. “Today we will ask for the inclusion of new books in the library,” they said.

Children immesed in reading

Abdul Kalam of the seventh standard says he was happy to see the increasing number of children getting attached to the library. Earlier, he says they were worried about whether the children would leave TV and mobile and read books. “Today, see, so many children request us to come around their house,” he said.

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Reading a book daily keeps the brain active. Like the body, the brain also needs exercise to keep it strong. Reading books not only expands vocabulary but also develops analytical skills, teaches important life lessons, builds self-confidence. In life, they play an important role in introducing the world of imagination, imparting knowledge of the outside world, improving communication skills as well as enhancing memory and intelligence.