Six priceless treasures of Una — a turn-up for the books!

Doorstep pick-up and doorstep drop in a government vehicle was nothing short of a dream for Mehar Chand, 58, and Mukhtyari Devi, 51. They also got a shawl and a box of sweets each. This VIP treatment for the daily wage labourer who works under MGNREGA and his wife opened the door to a life of opportunities, hopes — and dreams.

The key to this door was with their son Satish Kumar, 23, MCom, who had got Junior Research Fellowship. He had made the most of the library at Amb, and his studiousness was honoured by the SDM. “For me, this library came as a godsend — with good books and good study environment. I spent hours and hours here even during the pandemic. It has given a new direction to my life,” says Satish.

The proud parents distributed sweets in the village and shared their joy, the joy best expressed in three words: “Bahut achchha laga (Felt very nice)”.

Satish’s success has set off more dreams. Sakshi Thakur, 22, from Diara village, and Nisha Thakur, 22, from Gagret, dream of joining the IAS (Indian Administrative Service), so do Shivani Devi, 23, from Katohar Kalan village, Sarabjeet Singh, 24, from Kalruhi village, and Sunaina, 22, from Panjoa Ladoli village.

Ramzan Mohammad, 24, from Jaman Quali village, has a dream of making it to the HAS (Himachal Administrative Service).

And what is Satish’s dream? “To open a library at my native village of Ghagoh in Una district,” he says.

Swami Vivekanand Smriti Pustakalaya, Thana Kalan

Construction cost: Rs 8.87 lakh
Inaugurated on: October 1, 2022
Open from: 9.30 am to 5 pm, Monday to Saturday
Area: 600 square metres
Seating capacity: 36
Number of books: 439
Subjects: Books related to verbal/non-verbal reasoning, English grammar, quantitative aptitude, objective arithmatic, history, political science, economics, geography, environmental science, social science, sociology, anthropology, public administration, Constitution, environmental studies
Membership fee: Rs 200 per annum
Number of members: 8
Facilities: AC, computer, lockers, book shelf with sliding doors

Yeh Dil Maange More! This old jingle finds a new resonance here. Vishal Kumar Badhba, 22, is pursuing MA in History from IGNOU and preparing for civil services examination. A bright chap, he belongs to Balhkholi village. He likes the library as “home atmosphere is not conducive for studies” but reels out a list of books which he wants to see soon on the shelves.

Vanit Kumar, 26, BSc, BEd, too is from Balhkholi village. He is a PTA (Parents Teachers’ Association) teacher at the same school but wants to do better in life. So, he is preparing for HAS and is making more use of the library.

Akhil Chauhan, 23, has done BTech from NIT-Hamirpur. Hailing from Thana Kalan, he is preparing for civil services. He brings his tablet to the library every day. “Facilities are fantastic here. Even tier 2 cities are not getting such facilities,” he says. But he finds discussion-level learning missing and wants more dialogue and debate.

Librarian Ajay Kumar, who is from Budhwar village, teaches maths and science at the same school. His students want more from him. So, after school timing, they troop into the library, study there and shoot their queries at him.
There is more on the cards. The library will undertake a journey from the basement to the first floor when the construction is complete over the principal’s office situated near the road. The idea behind this shift is to help more and more people to access the library. The stress is on more and more.

Swami Vivekanand Smriti Pustakalaya, Gagret

Construction cost: Around Rs 5 lakh
Inaugurated on: July 15, 2022
Open from: 9 am to 5 pm, Monday to Saturday
Area: 90 to 100 square metres
Seating capacity: 40
Number of books: Around 500
Subjects: Books related to competitive exams, general reading, novels, newspapers, magazines
Membership fee: Rs 100 per month
Number of members: 36
Facilities: AC, two computers, printer, WiFi, water cooler

Good things come in pairs, in twos. That holds true for this library as it has been stitiched together with a training centre where women learn the ABC of sewing. Shweta Sharma, 28, from Kuthera Jaswalan village, has two jobs at hand: one of a sewing trainer and the other of a librarian. She started at a salary of Rs 5,000 and is happy she soon got a hike of Rs 1,000. Her salary comes from Ved Prakash Goyal, a public-spirited man who runs the training centre. But he is not happy to confine himself to just one good deed. So, he also distributes free sanitary pads to schoolgirls. “Yeh Prabhu ichcha hai (This is God’s will). I just want to do whatever I can for women empowerment,” says Goyal.

Abhishek Kumar, 22, is pursuing MCom from Himachal Pradesh University and is preparing for civil services. When he starts for the library from his home at Ambota village, he does not go all alone. His cousin Kanchan Thakur, 22, accompanies him. She, too, is doing MCom from HPU and preparing for civil services. The two study at the library from 9.30 am to 4 pm. While Kanchan finds here “no distraction like at home”, Abhishek says “the environment is good for group studies”. The two share a secret: “For the books which are not available at the library, we send a link to the SDM sir, and he orders them for us.”

Bhavna, 22, too, knows a thing or two about the library which provided her what even her house at Gagret could not. Living in a two-room accommodation with four younger sisters, she always yearned for more space to study. The brave beti of her parents — her father is a carpenter and mother a housewife — has cleared the written test for paramilitary forces. Now she is waiting for stage two of interview.

Swami Vivekanand Memorial Library, Haroli

Construction cost: Rs 14.50 lakh
Inaugurated on: June 16, 2022
Open from: 10 am to 5 pm, Monday to Saturday
Area: 75.05 square metres
Seating capacity: 40
Number of books: 321
Subjects: Books related to competitive exams, newspapers, magazines
Membership fee: Nil, but Rs 100 per month proposed
Number of members: 18-20
Facilities: New hall, toilets, drinking water, CCTV surveillance; Internet and AC shortly

There is a way of doing things — and doing them up. Just look at this panchayat building. The old on the ground floor has made way for the new on the first floor. While the post office and anganwari centre downstairs do not arouse any interest, the library upstairs catches everybody’s eye: spacious, serene, and spick and span.

Librarian, Balvinder Kaur, 33, from Samnal village, got a salary of Rs 5,500 with a hike of Rs 500 in February this year. Good news came with bad news in the same month. Her husband met with an accident and lost his leg. Now she is on leave taking care of him. She refused to take her salary in April. Why? “My husband told me we can’t take money for a job we are not doing,” she says.

That created a problem for Sucha Singh Kang, of Shiksha Sudhar Samiti, an NGO mainly composed of retired school teachers which had appointed her and which pays her salary. “We were ready to help her out. But she did not agree,” he says.

So, till Balvinder comes back, her place has been taken by Anuradha who is impressed with the behaviour of students. “They are mature and focussed. While studying, they only take a short lunch break,” she says.

Sourabh Kumar, 23, from Panjuana village, has done a diploma in veterinary pharmacy. Now he is preparing for competitive exams. He brings his books and notes. Balwinder Kumar, 28, from Badhera village, has done BSc and is now preparing for a bank examination. While Sourabh does not find “any home disturbance” here, Balwinder says no continuity of studies is possible at home.

Reshab Jaswal, 22, Ghaluwal, has done BSc and is now preparing for a clerical exam. He studies from 9 am to 2 pm. Priyanka Sharma, 24, from Badhera village, has done MSc and studies here from 11 am to 4 pm.
All the four know they will succeed if they study, and the library has thrown open a new way to study hard — feeling at home away from home.

Swami Vivekanand Smriti Pustakalaya, Dehlan

Construction cost: Rs 7.79 lakh
Inaugurated on: October 1, 2021
Open from: 9.30 am to 5 pm, Monday to Saturday
Area: 600 square metres
Seating capacity: 28
Number of books: 426
Subjects: Books related to reasoning, grammar, quantitative aptitude, objective arithmatic, history, political science, economics, geography, environmental science, social science, sociology, anthropology, public administration, Constitution, environmental studies
Membership fee: Rs 100 per month
Number of members: 15
Facilities: AC, a computer with printer, two magazine stands, locker for keeping personal belongings, book shelf with sliding doors, CCTV surveillance

Delhi abhi door hai, so is Dehlan. It holds true for all those students coming to the library at DIET (District Institute of Education and Training). Even if it is not easily accessible as it is situated away from the main road, Tamanna Thakur, 23, from Sunehra village, is not one to give up. When she started coming to the library, she was being dropped and picked up by her father on a scooter daily. Now she is on her own.

“I specially learnt how to ride a Scooty just to come here. I do not want to miss out on what this library has to offer us,” says Tamanna, who has done BSc and is preparing for the IAS.

Neelmani Sharma, 25, from Behdala village, is another regular at the library. He, too, is preparing for the IAS. “The library is closed on gazetted holidays. That disturbs our rhythm,” he says.

Gaurav Saini, 26, from Santokhgarh village, has done BTech and is preparing for engineering services. “The library should open a little early and close a little late,” he says.

Timing is an issue with all the students. They want more study hours.

There is a bigger issue as well and they are united on this one too: there is talk of shifting the library. “It is catering to nearby villages. It should be where it is; it should not be shifted at all,” says Neelmani.

It seems the students are not prepared to let go of their daily DIET of studies.

Mata Shri Chintpurni Ji Library, Chintpurni

Construction cost: Rs 17,37,564
Inaugurated on: May 9, 2023
Open from: 9 am to 7 pm, Monday to Saturday
Area: 1,225.57 sq ft
Seating capacity: 40
Number of books: 406
Subjects: Books related to computer, history, environment science, anthropology, NEET, JEE, sociology, religious matters, reasoning etc.
Membership fee: Rs 500 per year
Facilities: Smart computers, Internet, comfy furniture, AC shortly

Situated in the Baba Shri Mai Das Sadan — Mai Das was the man who had first dreamed about Mata Chintpurni and discovered the place where now the temple stands — this is the most beautiful library one can dream of studying at.

The design is the reader’s delight. The imaginative and impressive interior looks inviting.
Among many smitten by its beauty is Abhay Sharma, 26, from Bhater village which is seven-eight kilometre from Chintpurni. “If not for studies, people will come to see the library for sure,” he says. “I was planning to go to Delhi to prepare for civil services exams. Now I won’t go. This is a high-tech library. I am getting all the facilities here.”

Nikita Kalia, 22, is pursuing MCA from IGNOU and preparing for the IAS. “Earlier, I used to go to Amb library. Commuting was a big problem. Now it takes me just 10 minutes to reach the library as I am from Chintpurni only,” she says.

Nishant Chaudhary, 21, has done BCA. Working as a clerk for the shrine trust, he is also preparing for competitive exams and making use of the library. “Theek lag raha hai (It feels nice),” he says.

Librarian Raman Kumar says eight-nine children are coming daily to the library being run by the temple trust. Temple officer Balwant Singh Patyal claims there is a room adjacent to the library which will be used for online classes.

The icing on the cake is the daily langar served by the temple trust in the building from 12 noon to 3 pm. A sort of midday meal? Nikita, for one, has stopped bringing her lunch from home and claims all the students partake of langar every day.