Help Start a Children’s Library in Rural India – Rock Their World!

There is no library or bookstore near Kihim in western Maharashtra, but there are plenty of bright-eyed children who have, over the years, shown up at my mother’s house and spent time with our books and comics. I want to open a small free library for them. We will have books in English, Hindi and Marathi, space to sit and browse indoors and out, and a nice little system for borrowing books.

Our local parents are deeply committed to education. They do whatever it takes to send their daughters and sons to school. Raju drives his daughter Aria to school in his rickshaw, and then works all day collecting fares until he has to pick her up. Gargi sits on the handlebars of her father’s bicycle and grins all the way to her tutoring classes. For the first time, girls are aiming for higher education and white-collar jobs. This despite the fact that the literacy rate in rural India is 11% lower than in the cities.

We are lucky to have the bones of the space already – a beautiful 100-sq. foot room that needs renovation, and a larger outdoor area for reading and hanging out. We will install windows, doors, fans, and lots of shelves. Our book collection has already begun, with a cupboard full of books, including my own, in all three languages. I have bookstore connections who have promised to donate books. The carpenter is all set with his wood and nails, waiting to get the word to start hammering, and the gardener is waiting to make space in the banana grove to install tables. All we need is some financial support to get going.

I hope to initially raise $13,000, which will cover the renovations and some books and supplies. Once the library gets going, I am sure it will organically become a community center. We are already in talks with audiologists who will offer free hearing tests, and exploring options for vision tests as well. We have volunteers who are eager to hold classes. But all this is the next phase: for now, we just want to make the space ready and fill it with books.

Why would you trust me to do this? I have a lifetime of allegiance to the written word. You can read about me at www.sohailaink.com. Besides publishing books for all ages, I work in a bookstore, write and edit for a living, and have worked with many non-profits dealing with education, health and environmental issues. Books have saved my life. I know that books are priceless, and I know that these children deserve them. Also – look around you, at the world. Surely you agree that it is in our best interest to bring words to eager kids. Maybe they’ll be smarter than us and change things for the better. It’s quite possible that we need them more than they need us.

Words change everything. Books are more powerful than swords or cellphones. Help me start this quiet revolution, bringing stories to children in our seaside corner. Please donate if you can (anonymous donations welcome) and pass this campaign along to anyone who might be interested.

We will keep you updated as things progress. And when the shelves are up and stocked and the children are spilling crumbs on the books, do come visit; rock your own world too.