Bihar’s Purnia district set to become a bibliophile’s haven

Purnea district magistrate Rahul Kumar, a bibliophile, remembers how libraries had helped him and his friends shape their careers

Bihar’s Purnia, once seen as a backward and illiterate area, is all set to become a bibliophile’s haven with a library in almost every panchayat of the district, resulting in a collection of over 100,000 donated books.

Purnia DM said he realised during his many visit to schools in rural areas about two years ago that something needed to be done to nurture rural talents. (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Out of 230 panchayats in Purnia district, 190 panchayats have their own libraries and the district administration has launched a ‘Kitab Daan Rath’ (a book donation vehicle) to collect books donated by patrons not only to open libraries in the remaining 40 panchayats but also to keep reading habits, especially amongst the youth, alive.

“So far we have received over one hundred thousand books through donations and have set up 190 panchayat libraries, each of them with at least 500 books,” Purnia district magistrate (DM) Rahul Kumar said, adding, “We have launched a ‘Kitab Daan Rath’ to collect books from people to set up libraries in the remaining 40 panchayats of the district.”

Kumar, a bibliophile, remembers how the libraries helped him and his friends shape their career. “Libraries, small or big, create a difference in one’s life” he claimed. “If our villages are equipped with libraries, students from rural areas need not go to the big cities like Delhi or Patna to pursue their career,” DM said.

On January 25 this year, the first panchayat library with 1000 books was set up at Paroa panchayat in Krityanand Nagar block and now 190 panchayats have their own libraries, the DM said.

“We need at least 20,000 books for the remaining 40 panchayats and hence, whoever wants to donate they can do so in the office of DM or DEO (district education officer) or BEO (block education office) or they can contact us on the mobile numbers: 8544411773, 8544411774 and 8544411776 and the Rath will visit them to receive the books at their door.”

Purnia DEO Shyam Babu Ram while expressing his satisfaction over the enthusiasm among the people for the libraries at panchayat-level, claimed, “This has started bringing about a change in rural areas with children as well as books lovers visiting libraries.” “We are also thinking of issuing a directive to every government school falling under respective panchayats to take their children to the library at least once a week so that reading habits may be cultivated in them.”

Purnia has two enriched libraries with rare collections of hundreds of books--one is the collector’s library and the other one is the district library. Besides, there are at least 12 private libraries in the district.

“We are preparing for competitive examinations so that we can take jobs at the earliest,” Amit Kumar Mandal, who passed the intermediate examination this year, said “Our first priority is to get a government job and till yesterday it seemed to be impossible in the village, but ever since the library has started functioning, we have become hopeful about our career.”