After ‘Pustakanche Gaon’, ‘Kavitanche Gaon’ to come up in Maharashtra now

Tawade, who was the then minister of cultural affairs and Marathi language, had brought in the novel concept of ‘Village of Books’ under which Bhilar village near Mahabaleshwar in Satara district was converted into ‘Pustakanche Gaon’. The concept was based on Britain’s Hay-on-Wye, a Welsh town known for its bookstores and literature festivals. ‘Kavintanche Gaon’ was a proposal by Kesarkar which was pending approval for a while.

Legendary Marathi poet Padgaonkar spent his childhood in Ubha Danda and the culture of the village comes across in his poems. The village will have a library of poetry books not only in Marathi but other languages too. Leisure reading areas will be built at different spots in the village with benches. At the entrance of the village, an arc will be built having ‘Kavitanche Gaon’ written on it. It will also hold poetry reading events.

The announcement, however, is being criticised by students’ organisations. Rohit Dhale, president of the Chatra Bharati Vidyarthi Sanghatna, a students’ organisation, said, “At a time when the government is going to close down schools having less than 20 students, some villages may not have schools and children from there will have to commute to nearby villages through hills, rivers etc. This daily exposure to nature may inspire them to write poetry where they will portray their sufferings and those too should be included in the collection of poems for this new Kavitanche Gaon.”