On International Literacy Day, I'm going to post some pictures of our rural public libraries. We have over 5600 rural public libraries; in the last 10 months, a million children have been enrolled free of charge as new members. #readon
Library in Bilikere, Mysuru with a 'bayalu granthalaya' (open-air library) and a lovely garden.
Hoddur, in Kodagu.
A library is a space to learn and grow.
Oduva Belaku. The light of reading.
In revitalising our libraries, young people have discovered the spirit of voluntarism.
Corner library in the anganwadi! 💕
And here is a short story about a rural library...
On International Literacy Day, let's remember that literacy doesn't come with only teaching & testing.
Literacy comes with free public libraries, books for all interests, and the joy of reading.
Kids in the library. This is in Sulekal, Koppal.
This group of govt schoolteachers asked their students to read library books & talk about them - "Naanu Odida Pustaka" - every week, over 20 weeks. #rurallibraries#kidsarereading
Ceto came to our home after losing her family in the second wave of Covid-19. She was our pandemic dog. And what a dog! A large, long-limbed black Labrador, slightly deaf, with tranquil red-brown eyes and a greying muzzle.
We discovered that the name Ceto was Greek for a primordial sea goddess in charge of all the dangers of the ocean. In mythology, Ceto was the mother of Echidna, the Gorgons, the Nemean lion, and the Sphinx; Wikipedia said the name could also mean ‘sea monster’.
Well, here was definitely some sort of other-worldly creature. The day we brought her home, she seated herself on the living room dhurrie and gazed around with equanimity at her new family. She was no frisky pup; she was eight years old, which is canine middle age.
New digital inclusion program of Karnataka’s rural libraries launched by the Honble Chief Minister in the beautiful Banquet Hall, Vidhana Soudha today, in the presence of distinguished guests including 400 gram panchayat presidents. #rurallibraries
And kids watching the program from rural libraries across the state. This picture from Antharasanthe. #rurallibraries#digitalinclusion
Rest in peace Suresh Shah, founder of Sapna Book House, who passed away due to Covid. Started life as a railway coolie & headed Bombay Coolie Association. Started Sapna in Majestic. Published Kannada writers. Remarkable life.
Sapna wasn't a fancy bookstore, no frills but plain vanilla. Something for everyone: exam prep, dictionaries, comics. Lots of books for rural libraries were sourced from there. I found a beautiful new translation of Anna Karenina at the Residency Road store.
Sapna, Nagasri, Premier, Gangarams, Select. They weren't posh bookshops with iced coffee and armchairs, but they sold books and more books, and they kept the city's book culture alive.