Meet the chief executive officer of the Dakshina Kannada Zilla Panchayat, Kumara, who is appreciated not just by parents but also children who are getting to see and read books during their wait for vehicles at bus stops in almost every gram panchayat in the region.
IAS officer Kumara tells South First, “In this era of mobile phones, people rarely touch books. It is saddening, so I thought I must do something about this. I felt public places, especially bus stops, are the best places to bring back attention to books.”
More ‘Pustaka Goodus’ please
Like the neighbouring state of Kerala, Dakshina Kannada too is known for its high literacy rate. The officer began the ‘Pustaka Goodus’ or book nests with small bookshelves at 17 gram panchayat bus stops in the Karnataka region that had shelters.
“Several people spend a lot of time at the stops waiting for the buses. Since it is a sheltered place, sometimes villagers also sit there to spend time. So those places were chosen,” Kumara explained.
They had books that catered to almost every age group. In just a few months, the demand for such book nests went up and as of now, they are present in 268 locations including parks, sheltered bus stops, and hospitals.
The books here range from novels to volumes on general knowledge, science and technology, and arts and culture, to children’s books. There are also books on academics, competitive exams, etc., in the Pustaka Goodus.
The demand for book nests continues to go up across Karnataka’s Dakshina Kannada, not just in rural areas but even in urban ones.
“We have one such nest in Wenlock District Hospital in Mangaluru. Even there, people waiting for the doctor are busy scrolling through books. We have also added newspapers there,” Kumara says.
Book nests in Dakshina Kannada are open round the clock
“What’s interesting about our initiative is that we don’t lock these bookshelves. They are always kept open, and the books are available round the clock. People can read them for free at any time of the day,” says Kumara.
The IAS officer’s initiative, launched in May 2021, has been appreciated even by the Union Ministry of Panchayat Raj and was selected for the national-level Deen Dayal Upadhyay Panchayat Sashaktikaran Puraskar 2022.
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What about book thieves?
Kumara laughs when asked about the safety of the books.
What if they get stolen? “Then they are really book lovers!” he quips.
When initiating this concept, Kumara was also questioned by his colleagues on the possibility of books and magazines getting stolen as they are not placed in a locked cupboard.
“These books are not highly priced ones. We spend a maximum of about ₹2,000 in total at each book nest. In several places, the books are donated from homes and libraries. So I did not worry much about the books getting stolen,” he says.
Books are circulated and changed every month, two months once from one bus stop to another.
CSR, personal funds only for Pustaka Goodus
Kumara stresses that no funds are taken from his department or any government agency.
The initiative was started with his own money. In some areas, companies have come forward to help.
In places such as Ujire town, a beautiful ‘Pustaka Goodu’ has been created using the CSR funds of companies.
“We have not really looked at making the place very fancy. With whatever funds we can manage, we have created this space. The focus is on the availability of books,” he says and adds that the responsibility has been given to gram panchayat officers, and its president and other elected representatives over ensuring availability of books and making sure the Pustaka Goodus are clean.
Kumara appreciates those who have encouraged this programme and says, “It is a collective effort and it is due to the gram panchayat members’ efforts that we have been able to make this programme a success. I wish more districts would try this concept to inculcate the reading habit in people.”
