Library in Palghar: Learning space created by the people, for the people

ldquoSometimes I read books kept in the library and try to gain knowledge as much as I canrdquo says 28yearold Sunil Guhe a fifthgrade dropout who offered his small piece of land and an electricity connection from his house to set up a community hall and library space for the local villagersMade up of bamboo branches of trees coloured with mud and Warli painted by the locals a community hall turned into a small library space for the tribal villagers in the Ambedhe village located in Maharashtrarsquos Palghar district is setting an example for nearby villagesLike Guhe many other dropouts as well as young villagers who are still pursuing their education visit the library set up inside the community hall to study as well as read books during their free time Over 100 donated books and novels in three different languages English Hindi and Marathi are kept in the bookshelves for the villagers to spend their quality time readingPicGoonjAccording to the locals the community hall is not only useful for the villagers to conduct meetings but also benefits the students in improving their educational quality ldquoFrom firstgrade students to the ones preparing for their masters all enjoy studying in this space created for them and by themrdquo said Ravi Parhad a villagerAlso Read Mumbai Over 50 pc dogs suffering from canine distemper die in Parel hospitalThis common hall built for three nearby villages Ambedhe Somate and Barhanpur helps around 30 students from these villages including a few girls to have their own study spaceRavi Wartha who is pursuing his MA said ldquoMany times we dont get our own space at home to study in a peaceful environment There is a lot of distraction since there are family members around performing their daily chores Visiting the library along with friends not only motivates us to participate in peer learning but there is an undisturbed environment I can easily concentrate on my studiesrdquoPicGoonjSpeaking about why he offered his piece of land for this cause Sunil Guhe said ldquoThis place is helping to build a better future for youngsters residing in this and nearby villages I was not able to study further due to financial issues but the books kept on the shelves motivates me to read It is helping to cultivate the reading habits among usrdquoldquoStudying alone at home feels boring In this space the youngsters sit together have fun teach each other and study together It makes learning simple easy and funrdquo added Ravi ParhadWhile earlier the village meetings were organised outside in the open in this village Goonj who works in the social sector motivated the villagers to solve the locally neglected issue The youngsters came together to build a community hallldquoAround 40 families participated in building the center within a fortnight The space has been set up with waste out of the best materials All interior materials used such as tables sofas chairs TV cabinets and books to name a few have been donated by the common public This helps around 30 students to have their own reading spacerdquo said Pravin Guhe another villagerMany times in the evenings a local teacher conducts free tuition classes to guide the students in pursuing different careers While a few aims to complete MA and BEd to pursue their career as a teacher or professor a few others get enrolled in different ITI coursesSunil Parhad a teacher who teaches in a private college is among the local villagers who contributed to building this spaceSunil said that the library is helping a lot of students to do group discussions and peer learning It is a great place to bond with the villagers Earlier the students visited my house to resolve their doubts and for lastminute revision before the exams but now this dedicated study place is helping all students to gather together and sort each otherrsquos studyrelated doubts and bring all of them together under one roofrdquo he addedSpeaking about the objective of building community centers in rural areas Meenakshi Gupta cofounder of Goonj said ldquoOur work around creating these Village Community Centers in Maharashtra and other parts of India is a noteworthy example for the world for three reasons The foundation of this work is an urban waste The underutilised household material from the cities like Mumbai which we use to mobilise and empower rural communities to take constructive collective action for their issues Thats a first of its kind across the world Secondly these centers are made completely by the locals for themselves without any external monetary payments resources or expertise It tells us about their potential and knowledgerdquoGupta further added ldquoThirdly these Community Centers highlight the issue of shrinking community spaces in urban and rural landscapes and show how rural communities have wisely built inclusive naturefriendly solutions for this need In times to come we hope this community not only takes more initiative for its own problemsolving but also inspires and teaches other neighboring communities to do the same That would tell us that our work here is donerdquo