‘Library on Wheels encourages reading habit’

Nagpur: The Library on Wheels, an initiative that had started to take curated books to readers all over Nagpur, celebrated its second anniversary on Saturday. The event saw an invigorating panel discussion between experts.

Mayank Bhadoriya led the discussion that comprised Sachin Jahagirdar, co-founder of Vidharbha Literature Fest, Ganesh Birajdar, founder of Learning Companions, and Shraddha Kalamkar, owner of The Next Chapter Cafe.

Jahagirdar said that the outreach, ease, and access of Library on Wheels make it dynamic. On the library culture in the city, he said, “The British Raj had established the Town Hall Library. In metro cities, there are curated books in the British Council Libraries, which are a culture and cult. There is a need for a Town Hall Library in Nagpur because we have the structure and place for it,” he said.

He further said that filtering and research are the keywords when finding a book. “Seek books of primary research rather than secondary research. Authors who infuse their personal experiences in their books are the masterpieces,” he said.

From the academic perspective of reading, Birajdar said, “There should be no curriculum in schools. The students are handed everything in the classroom in a limited scope. There should be freedom to select spaces of interest.”

Kalamkar spoke about the impact of Library on Wheels, “It encourages reading habit through various means by making books accessible for people and has created opportunities for cafes as well.”

Library on Wheels is run by working professionals and volunteering students. They have more than 400 books and 200 readers. Founder Likhit Agrawal said the main motto is to inculcate the habit of reading. “The moving library, discussion sessions, and the inbox library keep the readers connected to us. We will soon introduce ‘Library in Classroom’, providing books curated by different publishers to village schools.”

(Reporting by Snehal Devikar)