A young female teacher named Ngurang Meena from the small town of Nirujli in the northeast Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh started a roadside library for young people and adults in her area.
Young teacher creates roadside library free of cost in northeast India
A young female teacher named Ngurang Meena from the small town of Nirujli in the northeast Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh started a roadside library for young people and adults in her area.
All from her own collection and free of cost for visitors, she has named her library the Self Help Library by Ngurang Learning Institute.
The clip from October 1 shows a wooden shelf loaded with books and a few wooden benches on the road for readers.
Meena said: "Due to lockdown, students opting for online classes are stuck to their smartphones, which is causing health problems including sleeping disorders.
Reading improves grammar and the power of imagination, which the younger generation is forgetting." The books are kept open on the street even at night, and when asked about the fear of stealing, Ngurang explained that people are very honest, and so far, no books have been stolen from the open rack, so she is not worried.
"Even if it gets stolen, I will be glad as it will be of some purpose to the thief.
What can a person do with a book other than reading." Meena also permits students to lend books from her library for 15 days free of cost.
Meena credits her father for her love of literature: "Despite his poverty, he was always reading, learning and inquiring.
His resilient attitude made him an excellent orator and social worker.
I admired his spirit and his passion.
I wanted to be just like him.
He introduced me to non-fiction books during my school days." Now, Meena wants to extend her roadside library into every village and town in Arunachal Pradesh, and many locals have started donating books and money to Ngurang.
She said: "We hope our humble initiative will encourage other youth leaders in every district to start one in their own villages to infuse a taste for reading in the people of Arunachal Pradesh."