Get booked for a cause

When children think and are aware of themselves as thinkers they are healthier believes Mridula Koshy founderdirector The Community Library Project TCLP a nonprofit which runs four free libraries in Delhi and Gurugram hooked to the belief that reading is thinking Having been born out of a small reading programme and growing to cater to 4000 members TCLP is now hosting the first edition of its online Free Library Festival FLF to keep up the momentum of a free library movement in IndiaAditi MittalKoshy tells us that FLF is not just an attempt to raise funds for TCLP but also an attempt to create a demand for free libraries A lot of times the possibility of free libraries is written off by saying that today people dont read Who are these people The term describes only a handful A large number of workingclass children are not part of this people as they dont have access to good free public libraries she explains Koshy elaborates that the free library movement is a call for the creation of public libraries that are open to all and where everyone is equal To create that system we need to understand what has stopped us from doing so One reason is the caste system which continues to deprive people of access to education And theres the long colonial legacy of an education system that was offered to a few and is geared to teach people how to do bureaucratic work she says adding that this kind of education doesnt encourage reading as thinkingShubha Mudgal and Aneesh Pradhan will host workshopsFLF was thus prompted by an urge to engage with the society It kicked off this weekend with an online auction comprising oneofakind memorabilia donated by Vidya Balan Abhishek Bachchan and Gulzar among others Also on the cards are workshops including one on Hindustani classical music by Shubha Mudgal and Aneesh Pradhan poetry by Michael Creighton nonfiction writing by Annie Zaidi and how kids can weave their own stories by Jack Gantos Aditi Mittal will host the concert on the final day Its a mix of live and prerecorded performances by Rahul Ram Varun Grover Sonali Kulkarni Danish Husain and two budding rappers from our library among others the writer informs usJack Gantos and Annie ZaidiKoshy shares that its been wonderful to see writers and artistes embrace the free library movement Writers are writing books as they want to engage in thinking about the kind of society we live in If it doesnt get read then theyre agonising alone She adds that if these books are in shiny bookstores then the child accompanying the person who might be cleaning it concludes that this reading is not for them The movement aims to break these barriers and thats something we could all be part of isnt itOn Auction is live workshops and concert on December 19 and 20Log on to linktreetclpfreelibraryfestival or TCLPs page on Facebook or InstagramKeep scrolling to read more newsCatch up on all the latest Mumbai news crime news current affairs and a complete guide from food to things to do and events across Mumbai Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates MidDay is now on Telegram Click here to join our channel middayinfomedialtd and stay updated with the latest news