Bhilar is declared a 'book village' – the first in the nation – after 25 locations across the hamlet are converted into reader hotspots with free libraries and thousands of books to choose from
The route to Bhilar village welcomes visitors with excerpts from books
Bhilar has long been known as a sleepy village more famous for its strawberries than any pretensions to literature. And yet, this hamlet is now the go-to destination for bibliophiles ever since it was declared India's first 'Pustakanche Gaav' (village of books) by the Maharashtra government recently.
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Villagers took a page out of Hay-on-Wye's book -- this Welsh town in the UK is known for its bookstores and literature festivals. In a similar effort, 25 locations around Bhilar village have been decorated artistically and turned into reading hotspots, with a display of books ranging from literature and poetry, to religion and folk literature. The government has also provided facilities such as chairs, tables, decorated umbrellas and glass bookcases at these spots to enhance the reading experience. The concept was mooted by the Marathi Bhasha department and Rajya Marathi Vikas Sanstha, a government body.
Localspeak
Balasaheb Bhilare, a villager and one of the 25 hosts, who has turned a portion of his house into a free library, expressed the hope that the initiative would promote a reading habit among the youth. "The objective of the initiative may be to boost tourism and help the village economically. But, we think that it will also transform the village, as our young generation will soon be enchanted by the Marathi language and literature."
Bhilare said that more people are coming forward to host free libraries at their homes.
Women skim through books at a reader hotpot. Pic /PTI
One spot, one genre
Each of the 25 locations chosen initially is dedicated to a particular genre of literature and the walls of the cottages are depicted with literary themes. "The libraries are arranged in such a way that a visitor can choose books as per his or her interest. If somebody is interested in novels, there is a dedicated spot where he can walk in and browse through fiction," said Dr Jagatanand Bhatkar, assistant secretary of the Marathi Vishwakosh Centre. Of the 15,000 titles currently available, around 2,000 are children's literature.
Vinay Mavlankar, in-charge of the project, said that currently there are only Marathi books but, soon, English and Hindi books will also be stocked. In the next phase, the government also plans to build a state-of-the-art library, litterateurs' corner and a venue for literary workshops, all on a 3.5-acre plot. "The initiative, led by state Education Minister Vinod Tawde, has received whole-hearted support from the villagers," he said.
HL: Maha village gets 'book'ed
Strap: Bhilar is declared a 'book village' – the first in the nation – after 25 locations across the hamlet are converted into reader hotspots with free libraries and thousands of books to choose from
Bhilar has long been known as a sleepy village more famous for its strawberries than any pretensions to literature. And yet, this hamlet is now the go-to destination for bibliophiles ever since it was declared India's first 'Pustakanche Gaav' (village of books) by the Maharashtra government recently.
Villagers took a page out of Hay-on-Wye's book — this Welsh town in the UK is known for its bookstores and literature festivals. In a similar effort, 25 locations around Bhilar village have been decorated artistically and turned into reading hotspots, with a display of books ranging from literature and poetry, to religion and folk literature. The government has also provided facilities such as chairs, tables, decorated umbrellas and glass bookcases at these spots to enhance the reading experience. The concept was mooted by the Marathi Bhasha department and Rajya Marathi Vikas Sanstha, a government body.
Localspeak
Balasaheb Bhilare, a villager and one of the 25 hosts, who has turned a portion of his house into a free library, expressed the hope that the initiative would promote a reading habit among the youth. "The objective of the initiative may be to boost tourism and help the village economically. But, we think that it will also transform the village, as our young generation will soon be enchanted by the Marathi language and literature."
Bhilare said that more people are coming forward to host free libraries at their homes.
One spot, one genre
Each of the 25 locations chosen initially is dedicated to a particular genre of literature and the walls of the cottages are depicted with literary themes. "The libraries are arranged in such a way that a visitor can choose books as per his or her interest. If somebody is interested in novels, there is a dedicated spot where he can walk in and browse through fiction," said Dr Jagatanand Bhatkar, assistant secretary of the Marathi Vishwakosh Centre. Of the 15,000 titles currently available, around 2,000 are children's literature.
Vinay Mavlankar, in-charge of the project, said that currently there are only Marathi books but, soon, English and Hindi books will also be stocked. In the next phase, the government also plans to build a state-of-the-art library, litterateurs' corner and a venue for literary workshops, all on a 3.5-acre plot. "The initiative, led by state Education Minister Vinod Tawde, has received whole-hearted support from the villagers," he said.
Agencies
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