For the love of books

For Breach Candy resident Rajiv Mehta, philanthropy came naturally, as he grew up seeing his parents practise it. Ratna Nidhi Charitable Trust is an NGO that was started by his father and grandmother in 1967 and Mehta has been shouldering the trust’s responsibilities efficiently.       

  

The trust's projects cover a wide range of activities not only in India, but also in Afghanistan, Sudan, Kenya and Burundi, with emphasis on the welfare of  children and youth. 

Donating prosthetic limbs for amputees, conducting routine eye check-ups, sending out bookshelf units along with books are a few of the many activities that the trust has undertaken. Acknowledging that books are important for children, Mehta started not only donating the books, but also publishing them. “Many school principals provided feedback that the English books are great, but if there can be stories written in regional languages then it would be better,” says Mehta. 

He found publishers who work in regional languages and donated quite a few books. “But I soon realised that their quality wasn’t on par with English books. The quality of paper, illustrations and even the stories was quite average,” he says. So he took the decision to design and publish better quality material himself.

The trust then started a registered publishing division, roping in writers  in Marathi and Gujarati, and designers to customise illustrations. “The format of the book has been changed too, from vertical to horizontal. We have published 75,000 copies and 55 titles, which we are giving free of cost to the schools,” he explains. 

The subjects include folklore, iconic women, people from the field of science, lesser known freedom fighters, animal kingdom, soldiers, and more. “This is a great way to teach them about important people but in a fun manner. Apart from these subjects, there are a few fictional stories which are written in a way that encourages children to explore their imagination,” he concludes.