Jalgaon: A unique initiative called ‘Book Street’, organised by the Vallabhdas Valji Library in Jalgaon and Pai Friends Library from Dombivali to promote a culture of reading, was held in Jalgaon for the first time. Residents responded with such enthusiasm, queuing as early as 4.30 am, that they effectively dispelled the notion that the culture of reading is in decline.
The Vallabhdas Valji Library is celebrating its 150th anniversary this year. To mark the occasion, the library, in collaboration with Pai Friends Library, Dombivali, organised the ‘Book Street’ event. One lakh books were displayed across 75 designated squares laid out on a red carpet at Kavyaratnavali Chowk. To manage the expected crowds, the square remained closed to traffic from 5 am to 4 pm.
The event was inaugurated at 5 am in the presence of Member of Parliament Smita Wagh, Member of the Legislative Assembly Suresh Bhele and District Superintendent of Police Shrikant Dhiware. Book enthusiasts from Jalgaon began queuing as early as 4.30 am, and entry was closed at 11 am. More than 10,000 readers took advantage of the initiative.
Amey Ghaisas, head of Pai Friends Library in Dombivali, told The Free Press Journal that the concept of ‘Street Books’ was inspired by a practice in Germany, where people sit on the streets to read. Through a book-exchange initiative, they have collected between 2.5 lakh and 3 lakh books. The initiative, which offers books free of cost, aims to put literature into the hands of avid readers and has been receiving an excellent response.
Following its success in Dombivali, Thane and Pune, the initiative has now reached Jalgaon, the first location in North Maharashtra, where one lakh books were brought in by truck and displayed. The collection included literary works, children's books, poetry anthologies and titles in Marathi, Hindi, Gujarati, Kannada and English.
Senior citizens were seen selecting religious texts, while the younger generation gravitated towards English books. Ghaisas said some Jalgaon residents even contributed books of their own. He expressed gratitude and praised the overwhelming response from over 10,000 book lovers in the city.
Hemant Nehete, associated with Pai Friends Library, said the massive turnout, despite it being a Sunday, had created a new chapter in history. He said the people of Jalgaon had debunked the notion that the culture of reading was in decline and expressed confidence that providing such opportunities would help the culture flourish further.
Himanshu Patil, a college student, praised the management of the ‘Street Books’ initiative, noting the impressive variety of English books available. Meanwhile, Shital Tayade, a homemaker, said there was a great selection of books covering diverse and engaging topics. However, she regretted arriving a little too late, as some books were no longer available.
Dr Shubhada Kulkarni, secretary of Vallidas Vachanalaya and organiser of the ‘Book Street’ initiative, said after the event that Jalgaon residents truly appreciated quality offerings. She emphasised that reading good books was essential for the personality development of children.
On behalf of the library, she expressed gratitude to people across various age groups and with diverse interests for their overwhelming response to the initiative. She said the experience confirmed that when something of high quality was presented, the people of Jalgaon responded with great enthusiasm.
