The Subarnapur administration is trying to regain the district’s place as the seat of culture and heritage in Odisha. With that aim in view they are attempting to uplift the youth of the district to be at par with youth in other parts of the country. As the district has previously produced some of the most renowned writers and artists of the state, the administration has opened a modern public library to encourage students to read books and broaden their knowledge. They have also made arrangements for experts from different fields to come and guide the students.
The losses incurred in human capital development due to the Covid 19 pandemic are hard to measure. It is to address such issues that the District Administration of Subarnapur has opened the public library, with help from the Department of Culture, to engage the youth in educational activities and help them focus on studies and future careers. The idea is to not just promote but also recreate a new society, where people can escape to from the mundane activities of life, and engage in productive activities instead.
PEOPLE’S DEMAND
In an exclusive interview to Indian Masterminds, Subarnapur District Collector, Ms Aboli Sunil Naravane, IAS, said, “Previously the district has produced many notable people and critics in various field. However, that number has slightly decreased over time, mainly because of people migrating to other places like Bhubaneshwar, etc. As opportunities and facilities are good in such places, people here were demanding for a good public library for long, a place where they can sit and study.”
And the district administration decided to fulfill their demand and set up a public library in coordination with the Culture Department. The funds were allocated by the Culture Department and a public library was built near the RTO office at Culture Bhawan in Subarnapur.
OBJECTIVES
The library has been built not just to cultivate reading habits among youngsters but also to promote literacy, disseminate useful information to the people, and encourage lifelong learning through its reading materials and resources. It will provide opportunities, ensure freedom and equal access to information for all members of the community.
The books, materials and resources that have historical, cultural, social, economic and archival value, will be maintained and preserved in an organized collection.
FACILITIES AND REGULATIONS
The library has an outstanding collection of local history. The reading room of the library provides a peaceful atmosphere, away from the noises and din of the outside world. It also has a gender-segregated section in the reading room.
A library membership is a must for all readers. However, there are exceptions for senior citizens, differently-abled students, economically backward classes and orphans. The primary purpose behind setting up of the library is to allow readers, especially underprivileged children, to read different kinds of books, which, otherwise, are expensive to buy from the market.
The library consists of around 5300 books of different domains like literature, fiction, non-fiction, Sci-fi, and competitive exams and dictionaries in Odia and English.
As the idea has been adopted from the 5T agenda of the state government, it has been appreciated by the Culture Department. Ms. Naravane said, “The department will now allocate funds to us for setting up smart libraries where people could avail these benefits at their fingertips.”
Apart from this, libraries are being set up at the Gram Panchayat level , too.
COUNSELLING SESSIONS
The library is already becoming quite popular with a marked rise in visitors since its launch. As part of making the library more attractive and productive, the district administration is providing counseling sessions to the aspirants of competitive examination on the fourth Friday of every month. Similarly, there will be an orientation programme for students on various topics to be conducted by guest speakers from different streams.
The first session was conducted by the District Collector herself, which was for the UPSC aspirants – how they can succeed in the examination. Ms. Naravane said, “As an IAS officer, I guided them and gave them some tips which I followed to clear the exam.”
Another session was conducted by renowned Indian classical dancer Saswat Joshi, who introduced the students to other areas of academics. In the coming days, the district administration will rope in other professionals as well, who can be guiding lights for the students of Subarnapur.
