Kila Raipur readies for the birth of its library - Hindustan Times
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Kila Raipur readies for the birth of its library

Dec 26, 2021 07:49 PM IST

Spice of Life: Despite the discouragement from some villagers, who felt no one may visit the library, the youth club members went on to pursue their dream

Just days ago, my friend Paramjit Singh Grewal, who heads the Youth Club at Kila Raipur – the village known for the rural Olympics near Ludhiana, bombarded my phone with pictures, showcasing some construction work. As I patiently scanned through them, I was surprised, rather elated, for they were a perfect example of actions speak louder than words.

It’s unfortunate that most villages and several towns are without a library. Books have the power to mould our minds, and eventually our lives. (Representative image)
It’s unfortunate that most villages and several towns are without a library. Books have the power to mould our minds, and eventually our lives. (Representative image)

Instantly, I was taken back to the after-dinner walks during my visits with the young minds of the club, two years ago, when we would go on talking about the library’s birth, with the help of villagers settled abroad. The seed of this discussion was sown as one evening we began counting gurdwaras of Kila Raipur. Sixteen in all, mostly built by NRIs with roots in the village. We wondered why they never came up with the idea of setting up a library.

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As we wandered that night under the starry sky on the silent streets, none of us knew that with that question the library would become our favourite topic, during almost every walk, inundating the air around with many creative thoughts, many of which are currently into play. After all, the club members have commenced meeting librarians, writers, poets, professors and even villagers – young and old for their suggestions and have initiated the collection of books and magazines, many sourced from homes, where they were just gathering dust.

Excited, I have also compiled heaps of magazines and books from my own bookshelf and have asked many other book lovers to pitch in. I would also love to volunteer in the library as many other club members, chiefly when literary events would be organised, from writing contests to book meetings. This would be the village’s first public library and if the construction work continues as planned, it will be the most inspiring gift ever to the villagers on the upcoming Lohri festival in mid-January, and it would always offer free admission.

It’s unfortunate that most villages and several towns are without a library. Books have the power to mould our minds, and eventually our lives. Laura Bush, the wife of former US President George W Bush, who has also been a librarian once concluded, “I have found the most valuable thing in my wallet is my library card.”

Author JK Rowling too had a powerful epiphany for a library: “When in doubt, go to the library.”

Words of Albert Einstein, which I recently came across on a school wall, also underline the library’s vitality in our lives. “The only thing that you absolutely have to know is the location of the library.”

Hence, despite the discouragement from some villagers, who felt no one may visit the library, the youth club members went on to pursue their dream. A special thanks to everyone who supported them financially, especially NRIs from the village, who are now desperate to see their villagers becoming bibliophiles. Hopefully, other villages will follow suit as the birth of libraries will do wonders to infinite minds. Imagine their influence on youngsters! Even government bodies should play a big role in this direction.

As Lilian Jackson Braun, an American writer, observed, “A library card is the start of a lifelong adventure.” I agree, for sure. rameshinder.sandhu@gmail.com

The writer is an Amritsar-based freelance contributor

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