For Children who have nothing to Read

There was nothing to read at home. 

I had already read the newspaper and all the books in our little home library... even my elder brother’s English text book.

In those days, a vendor at the Holi market sold chickpeas in little pouches made from old newspapers. I saw some of these pouches on the dining table. I opened one pouch, carefully took off the glued bits, and read what was printed on it while munching the chickpeas.

There was no children’s library in our town and we were always starved for reading material.

.....

The librarian at the International School had a pile of books that she had ‘weeded out’ from the boxes and shelves in the library. These were children’s classics which were slightly damaged or just too old. There was no place for these books in the school library where new books were regularly ordered. The librarian was waiting for the school janitor to take them away to be disposed of.

“If I had those books” I said “I would start a book club for children who have nothing to read.”

The librarian gave them all to me. 

.....

An old English lady, a complete stranger, stood on our doorstep one day with a pile of books in her hands.

“I heard you have started a charity library” she said. “I brought you these because I am leaving Muscat.”

The books were almost brand new and smelt nice.

Soon, other friends and families living in Muscat and those who were leaving Muscat donated their books too.

That’s how the Vidyanjali Children’s Charity Library started. Today we have a collection of over a thousand interesting books.

This library is for all children and especially for those children “who have nothing to read”.

We thank all those children who have donated their much-loved books in the hope of spreading the joy of reading to others.