Mumbai will have fifteen more public garden libraries as Project Mumbai aims to expand its Read Mumbai initiative across the city in collaboration with the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation. The novel initiative to facilitate reading at public places, will be implemented in 100 municipal gardens across the city.
In a city like Mumbai, which lacks open public spaces for the citizens, the BMC came up with a novel initiative in 2022 to set up libraries in public parks. The Gardens Department of the municipal corporation has collaborated with multiple organisations to execute the plan and have set up over 20 public libraries in Colaba, Dadar, Matunga, Kandivali and other parts of the city.
Project Mumbai Partners Up With Read Mumbai Initiative
Project Mumbai, which is one of the organisations partnering for this novel initiative has also helped the corporation set up libraries in Jogeshwari, Malad, Bandra, ghatkopar, Mulund and Santacruz. However, the organisation plans to expand the project to different parts of the city by setting up a total of 100 libraries across the city with around 15 libraries to be set up by the end of this year.
Shishir Joshi, founder and chief executive officer of Project Mumbai, said, “The idea behind this model is to involve public as much as possible and inculcating the idea of giving among the citizens. When the donors see that people are reading the books donated by them, they feel a sense of accomplishment that comes from charity.”
Reading exercised inside In Sawantwadi the Barrister Nath Pai memorial community library | FPJ
Read Mumbai: In Sawantwadi the Barrister Nath Pai memorial community library | FPJ
Read Mumbai Initiative | FPJ
Val, books initiative officer of Project Mumbai, said, "Through Read Mumbai, our effort us not only to make reading and books accessible and available but build among citizens a sense of kindness through giving. Afterall, we at Project Mumbai do believe Mumbai is the country's Kindness capital."
The public garden libraries are designed to run on a model which is by the people and for the people as books donated by people will be deposited in these libraries which can be read by visitors for free. People can leave their used or new books at a designated location from where the books are later deposited to the nearest public garden library.
Read Mumbai: Libraries in jails and schools for underprivileged to
Project Mumbai’s initiative Read Mumbai aims to open libraries at as many public places as possible and in a bid, the organisation has opened public libraries in Arthur Road jail and Byculla jail for the jail inmates. Under the initiative, a library has also been set up at a school for underprivileged children in Sawantwadi.
“At Project Mumbai, our ethos is to make Mumbai the kindness capital and this is one such step in that direction. So far, we have set up toy and book library at Arthur Road and Byculla jails with around 1,000 books of different languages. This year we plan to set up additional 15 garden community libraries,” added Shishir Joshi
