Karnataka - Bangalore   

The librarian is as old as the readers here

Bangalore: While libraries in the city are struggling to sustain themselves with the advent of the Internet, e-books and podcasts, a library in a village can still prove a crucial window to the world beyond.

The children's library started by Child Rights Trust (CRT) Chagalatti village, situated eight kilometres from the International Airport, is proof of how a library can broaden a child's world. That it is managed entirely by the children of the village is an additional feather in its cap.

Top of the heap

The library was last week given an award by the Hippocampus Reading Foundation (HRF) as the “best library in a community centre”. The foundation has also donated a large number of English books to the library and trained children in library maintenance.

Various genres

Chagalatti village (called “chocolate” by its residents!) is the only library within a 15-km radius, explains Nagasimha Rao of CRT. It has over 1,700 books in English and Kannada, covering a wide variety of genres including fiction, non-fiction and reference books.

Among the most active members of the library are eight children who also maintain the library books and records. Fifteen-year-old Meghana C.V., who is considered the head librarian, is proud of the fact that migrant children from nearby quarries also visit the library on a regular basis. “Children who visit the library come from other villages and distant communities to. That helps bridge the gap between caste and religious groups,” she says.

The library is maintained through membership fees of Rs. 10 each and a book rental of 50 paise a day. These contribute to book-binding costs and also cover the costs of programmes held each year for Library Day, August 14, the day this modest institution was founded. On this day, children conduct story writing competitions in the village and honour members who read the most number of books that year.

New interest

Sukanya Vishwanath, Meghana's mother, is thrilled at what the library has done to the children here. “Children of Chagalatti have stopped spending long hours in front of the television,” she says.

Contact Nagasimha Rao on 98804-77198.

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