Books For You

When 11 Pally Unnayan Samity of Rajpur-Sonarpur started its novel service,it was backed by an NGO which provided financial help. The 11 Pally Club bought a cycle van in March 2007,stuffed it with 150 books and it went around lending books as a free mobile library. And,believe it or not,there was a highly positive response from the local people.

The cycle van has been aptly named Boi Gaari. The members of the club carry books in this van and lend them out to the aspiring readers — a free service to promote reading habit and also make books easily available in poverty-stricken areas where buying books is a luxury.

Prasun Dey,secretary of the club that took the initiative with funding from an NGO,himself took the trouble to drive the van through the lanes of Keorapara,Sardarpara,Mishrapara,Dakhhinbari and other localities. There was always a young reader to assist him.

In March 2008,the effort met with a temporary setback. The NGO stopped funding the novel project. However,this didn’t stop the club’s laudable initiative. 11 Pally Club members stared collecting second-hand books from people and continued their service with borrowed books with renewed passion.

11 Pally members not only lend books but also discuss and suggest books with a bid to instilling love for books among children.

“We have at present a collection of around 450 books. Recently,Surojit Das,a class V student,and Chintu Das of class VI,took the onus of delivering books to readers. Every Thursday they drive their Boi Gaari,stop at major cross-roads,and happily lend out books to children. Each title is lent for a week and can be reissued,if needed,” said Dey.

Boi Gaari also lends books to general readers,but it comes at a price. Adult readers have to pay Rs 5 per title for a week.

“Children generally tend to damage books by being careless or tearing pages just for fun. However,the little borrowers here have been amazingly serious and careful when the books are in their possession,” Dey observed.

As an appreciation to the free service by Surojit and Chintu,the club sometimes helps them with their school fees or buys them clothes during the Pujas. But their most cherished reward,of course,is the happy faces of local kids who eagerly wait for Thursdays and crowd around their Boi Gaari as soon as it arrives. With limited resources sometimes making it really difficult for the novel mission to move on,11 Pally Club keeps approaching other clubs from time to time for some support.

Not much positive response has come the club’s way so far,but it seems Boi Gaari continues to have enough steam and spirit to carry on its journey.