When IPS officer Pragya Jain from Punjab Police went to police lines, where a doctor facility was set up, to get her Covid19 vaccination jab, she happened to walk through a store-room filled with thousands of worn-and-torn books. Surprised by the lack of care for the books, she decided to do something about it.
Then and there she decided to come out with something totally new at the place: A library for the children.
In an exclusive conversation with Indian Masterminds, Ms. Jain, who is the Additional DCP-1 in Ludhiana city police, talked about her initiative.
COLLABORATING WITH AAS-EHSAAS NGO
Aas-Ehsaas, a Non-Governmental Organization for women and children in Ludhiana, came forward to join hands with Ms. Jain and establish a special setting for children of all ages to sit and learn in. The officer wished to construct a special reading-cum-activity area for the kids who were deprived of such facilities.
“I floated the idea to Commissioner of Police, Ludhiana, Mr. Rakesh Agarwal who was completely receptive about it. He was very supportive about the whole concept and motivated us to complete the project within three days,” Ms. Jain told Indian Masterminds.
COMPLETED WITHIN 72 HOURS
The officer and the NGO team members decided to establish ‘Book Nook’ within 72 hours, which would be inaugurated by the DGP Dinkar Gupta. At the moment it seemed like an impossible task, but they took it up as a challenge.
Recalled Ruchi Bawa, the head of Aas-Ehsaas NGO, “It was a dump area zone filled with old records and we had to deep clean the whole room. I even remember seeing rats jumping around here and there. But our zeal to paint the canvas given to us took us forward,”.
Ms. Jain added that “an entire team of almost 50 people including SHOs, Saanjh employees, NGO members and private craftsmen such as painters, carpenters, electrician, etc., worked day and night, without any sleep, and helped us refurbish the entire place within three days.”
Book Nook’s first visitor was a three-and-a-half-year-old daughter of a sweeper who gasped in awe when she saw the reading area built for them. “Her expression was priceless and lit up our day!” stated the IPS officer.
BOOK NOOK
The newly-built library is stacked up with over 1000 books, from Rudyard Kipling to Nancy Drew to Enid Blyton’s Famous Five, and a plethora of other titles that will appeal to the little ones.
“Getting the book was a task in itself. It was pouring cats and dogs and our team visited Delhi book market which is a 6-7 hour drive from here. All the while I was on a video call with them and picked relevant books. Our team reached us back at around 2 AM and the next day, we sorted all the books,” Ms Jain told Indian Masterminds.
DGP’s VISIT
The officer and her team wanted to get finished with the construction before DGP Dinkar Gupta’s visit to the city. Known to not stay at a place for more than five minutes, the senior IPS officer was so awestruck by the police personnel’s and NGO’s efforts that he stayed for long, going through books and having a chat with the little ones.
“He was extremely happy with the work. Our biggest support was CP Agarwal’s unflinching faith in us. Also, a special thanks to Aas-Ehsaas NGO members who helped us throughout,” beamed Ms. Jain.
A PLACE FOR EVERYONE
Hailing from a small town herself, Ms. Jain had the first-hand experience about the lack of appropriate exposure to international authors in small regions and how it negatively impacted the mental growth of little ones. She, therefore, wished to bridge the gap and wanted everyone, including and Class IV employees and their children, to enter the fascinating world of books.
“Even the constables who were assigned to segregate the books hadn’t seen those books in their life, which a normal metropolitan kid reads on a daily basis such; books such as Hardy Boys, various encyclopedias and works by authors like Ruskin Bond,” she held.
Book Nook is a fully air-conditioned, CCTV secured place packed with over 1000 books and 100 different varieties of games. With an aesthetic ambiance and a seating area for 4-18-year-olds, the pace has E-Learning stations with internet access for children wishing to use its services.
“DGP sir gave us the idea to get subscriptions of online classes like Byju’s, where they can attend classes. The civil society is also helping us by donating books and giving us ideas on how to support it further,” says Ms. Jain.
The main attraction is a thematic star-studded tent with several board games for kids of 4-6 years of age that will induce motor learning skills in them.
“I believe every child should get the privilege of growing up in an environment like this. We are trying to make it a warm and engaging place for the children. This will also abolish the mindset of Class IV employees that their children cannot sit or study with children of officers. I hope our Book Nook will convince people that education is for everyone and it’s the right of a child to be educated,” stated Ms. Ruchi Bawa.
One hopes more such libraries for children would come up in other regions of the country. After all, one passes through childhood only once.
