04 July,2026 10:12 AM IST | Mumbai | Bhumika Israni
Commuters read at the Flybrary at Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar Airport. pics courtesy/@ratnanidhicharitabletrust
What if an airport lounge, a doctor's clinic, or even a vehicle showroom could double up as a library? That's the idea driving Grant Road-based Ratnanidhi Charitable Trust. The venture's latest initiative seeks to transform these waiting spaces into libraries to boost a reading culture among people across the country.
The idea of taking libraries beyond educational institutions began nearly a decade ago in 2016, when the trust realised that people spend long hours waiting in places such as doctors' clinics, hospitals and commercial establishments. "Our job is to make people read," says Rajiv Mehta, managing trustee, Ratnanidhi Charitable Trust. "We wanted to create libraries in non-conventional spaces where people have time but often don't have access to books. We realised people spend hours waiting in these places. If books are available, they are more likely to pick one up." This led them to set up reading corners in doctors' clinics across Mumbai.
A book corner at an automotive showroom in BKC
Soon, this network expanded to nearly 400 reading corners in doctors' clinics across the city before expanding to Sion Hospital, the National Centre for Performing Arts (NCPA), and the Smt Samaratben Tarachand Mehta English Medium Secondary Girls' School in Ghatkopar, where it developed a model library with more than 1000 books. The initiative has also reached commercial spaces, including automotive showrooms in BKC, Thane, and Malad. The latest in this network is a reading space at the Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar airport, which opened on April 29, 2026. While the reading space stocks up on books, it also allows readers to lend a hand with the curation process. Visitors can leave comments in a feedback register sharing their own preferences, and allowing the trust to refresh the collection over time. Mehta explains that the airport approached the trust after seeing its social media appeal inviting organisations with waiting areas to host free libraries.
Rajiv Mehta
Explaining the reason behind opening reading spaces in unlikely commercial establishments, Mehta says that it allows them to reach out to the entire family. "Children often accompany their parents during such visits of purchases. The reading corner gives them something meaningful to do while they wait," he says. The trust is now inviting schools, housing societies, and establishments across Mumbai to dedicate a shelf or unused corner for books they can provide. "Sometimes one book, one small corner can open a very large world," Mehta points out.
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