Young guns give gift of knowledge to the needy

Walking through a maze of written word and sniffing the smell of old paper is an experience that one can only get in a library! To ensure no one misses out on this, a group of Delhi University (DU) students are striving to set up libraries for the underprivileged, across the city. Along with the Shaheed Bhagat Singh Library Committee, these youngsters have been raising funds for the project for a few years.

“The first few libraries were set in two slum clusters of Delhi, namely Baljeet Nagar and Sangam Park in 2005-06. Both the localities have a majority of migrant workers, who are unable to provide their children with a space that’s peaceful and conducive to study,” says Harish Kumar, a student of DU’s Faculty of Law.

What motivated the youngsters to take up this heart-warming gesture is the presence of “youth in these areas” and the consciousness that “they, too, deserve a chance at education”.

Sarvesh Rai, a student of BA (Prog) at School of Open Learning, DU, says, “These libraries were established to provide an alternative environment to the youth in particular, and people in general... Through these libraries, we’re also promoting the ideals of forgotten heroes of our freedom movement as well as progressive understanding of social issues such as inequality and female oppression. The idea is to not only to make a library for visitors to be able to read books, but to enrich their lives by exposing them to literature and the wonderful history of our nation!”

Students from Ambedkar University Delhi, and Jamia Millia Islamia have also contributed for this initiative. “The success and support we’ve received has motivated us to expand in other areas of Delhi such as Badarpur, Jahangirpuri, and Okhla Industrial Area, jahan aisi libraries ki sakht zarurat hai,” says Prithvi Raj, a student of MA (Hons) Hindi, adding, “Hum toh in fact chahte hain ki puri Delhi me aisi libraries khulein. But hope we get people to contribute generously for this cause.”

A GROUP OF DU STUDENTS ARE ON A SPREE TO SET UP PUBLIC LIBRARIES IN SLUM CLUSTERS ACROSS THE CAPITAL , TO ENRICH THE LIVES OF THE UNDERPRIVILEGED