Thane Granthotsav 2025 Celebrated With Literary Fervour In Navi Mumbai

The 56th Annual Convention of the Thane District Library Association along with Thane Granthotsav 2025 was held with great on December 28 and 29, 2025, at Sahitya Mandir Auditorium, Sector 6, Vashi.

The two-day event was jointly organized under the Maharashtra State Cultural Policy 2010 by the Higher and Technical Education Department of the Government of Maharashtra, the Office of the District Library Officer, Thane, the Directorate of Libraries, Maharashtra, the Thane District Library Association, and Prof. Manikrao Kirtane Library, Vashi.

The festival featured book exhibitions, book sales, panel discussions, recitations, and cultural programmes aimed at promoting reading culture and strengthening public libraries.

The event commenced on Sunday morning with a grand book procession (Granth Dindi) taken out from Sahitya Mandir to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Chowk via the MGM Hospital–Vashi Police Station route.

About 100 students of Modern High School, teachers, library members, and officials participated. Students performed Lezim, raised slogans promoting reading, and paid tribute at the statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj before returning to the venue.

Welcoming the gathering, Subhash Kulkarni, President of Prof. Manikrao Kirtane Library, greeted guests, library workers, and book lovers. Changdev Kale, President of the Thane District Library Association, reviewed the association’s activities over the past year, including workshops on the Library Management System (LGMS), guidance on e-Library 4.0, librarian certificate courses, and visits to libraries across the district.

Prashant Patil, District Library Officer, Thane, and Assistant Director of Libraries, highlighted the importance of preserving reading culture and supporting authors, publishers, librarians, and library staff, while also spreading awareness about government schemes.

The Granthotsav was inaugurated by former Director of Libraries Mo. Bhu. Meshram, who spoke about the current condition of libraries and raised concerns over the salaries of library employees—a matter echoed by other speakers. The inaugural session was presided over by noted writer and entrepreneur Rajiv Shrikhandey, who shared insights into global literary traditions.

The first technical session featured a panel discussion on “Artificial Intelligence and Libraries”, with former Mumbai mayor Nirmala Prabhavalkar, former Lokmat editor Sukrut Khandekar, and mathematician Dr. Vivek Patkar, who explained the application of AI in libraries through a PowerPoint presentation.

The second session, “Book Lovers’ Passion for Reading”, saw an engaging conversation between writers Ganesh Matkari and Pankaj Bhosale, moderated by anchor Makarand Joshi, highlighting how deep reading habits shape writers. The session left a strong impression, especially on students.

An open convention followed, during which resolutions were passed demanding increased library grants, revised library classification, recognition for new libraries, pay scales for library staff, and greater involvement of district library associations in government reading initiatives. Patil assured that staff-related issues are under consideration at the government level.

The day concluded with a special evening programme marking Granthali’s 51st Reader’s Day, featuring recitations by actress Anita Date and director Prajakta Deshmukh, followed by the release of three books.

On Monday, the festival resumed with children’s poetry by senior poet Arun Mhatré, followed by a panel on “Reading Culture: Past, Present and Future.” A thought-provoking audiovisual presentation titled “My Maharashtra – Whose Mumbai?” highlighted Maharashtra’s history and identity, drawing an enthusiastic response from the audience.

The afternoon featured a poetry tribute to Narayan Surve on his birth centenary, followed by a ghazal evening. Director of Libraries Ashok Gadekar guided library workers on modernizing libraries to attract readers and later felicitated exemplary libraries, librarians, and activists.

In the valedictory address, Prashant Patil thanked participants and praised anchor Dilip Jambhale for his effective conduct of the sessions. The programme concluded with the National Anthem, marking a successful and vibrant celebration of Thane Granthotsav 2025.

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