Words On Wheels ; a Mobile Library has Become a New Source of Enlightenment for 15,000 Readers in Six Villages

Summary

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It's a sweltering afternoon in Gujjarwal, a village in the interiors of Punjab's Ludhiana district. But the languid village square springs to life as a caravan-like bus rolls in and is parked in front of the Government Girls' High School. Both elders and children board the air-conditioned vehicle and are instantly transported to a world of knowledge. For it is a library on wheels-- the first of its kind in the state--run by Jaswant Singh, a US citizen. Singh makes two or three long trips to India every year and has hired two persons to manage the library.

The bus has on its racks 3,000-odd books on a wide range of subjects. There are children's books, those on general knowledge and even some out-of-print books by eminent Punjabi writers. The library reaches out to 15,000 people in six villages--Jorahan, Gujjarwal, Rangoowal, Phallewal, Kalakh and Dhulkot--twice a week. Singh, 73, adds 300 new books every year. A Ph.D in library science from the Western Michigan University and librarian in American schools for three decades, he invested Rs 30-lakh into the venture modelled on the American bookmobile concept. "In a democratic society, every child has the right to have access to knowledge without a direct cost," says Singh who provides the locals books free of cost.

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Words On Wheels ; a Mobile Library has Become a New Source of Enlightenment for 15,000 Readers in Six Villages

The mobile library's popularity is reflected in the growing number o...

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