Kudumbashree volunteers of Choornikara panchayat in Kerala deliver books at homes there to promote reading among women and children

Sunil Kumar KR, the librarian of the Choornikara Panchayat Library, calls 50 women, each members of 250 positive Kudumbashree units of the Panchayat, which has 21 wards, the unit down the occurrence of its Aksharadeepam project. As portion of the project, inaugurated successful 2023, books from the room are doorstep-delivered to homes successful the Panchayat to beforehand speechmaking among women and children. The books were purchased by ₹1.5 lakh sanctioned by the panchayat for the project. Later on, arsenic connection spread, books person besides travel successful via donations. 

The project, which has been portion of probe projects globally, has garnered attention, is powered by these women whose ages scope from 23 to 68. “They are my warriors!” says Sunil, “I conscionable request to inquire them to bash thing and it volition beryllium done.” Five of the women volunteers — Athikka Beevi KK, Sherbila MS, Sreeja Mani, Sheela Suresh, and Jalaja Sugunan — grin proudly arsenic they motion enthusiastically successful agreement. 

“Sunil sir needs our enactment to prolong this task and we are determined to guarantee its longevity,” they chorus. This is voluntary work, they summation thing from it but “the joyousness and restitution of getting these books to radical who privation to work but cannot,” says Jalaja Suseelan, 1 of the older volunteers. “Often determination is truthful overmuch other besides happening successful our lives, but we guarantee that we marque clip for this work. We person to,” she adds. 

Although it is an ‘urban’ area, it looks much similar a colony aspiring to beryllium a tiny town. The room is located successful the aforesaid gathering arsenic the anganwadi, the speechmaking country is connected the crushed level portion the room is connected the archetypal floor. Outside the hallway adjacent to the library, connected a partition with Aksharadeepam written connected it are hung maroon cloth bags. They are numbered, determination are astir 40 of these. “These were the archetypal bags, which could acceptable 10 books, the fig that we distributed initially. We person present resorted to larger bags for our quota of 17 books,” says Sheela Suresh. A dedicated WhatsApp radical keeps the Aksharadeepam squad successful the loop astir activities. Besides this, the Library organises enrichment activities for these volunteers arsenic encouragement isolated from commemorative mementos. 

Armed with their achromatic bags, which is past packed successful a astute jute tote, filled with books which see fabrication and non-fiction, for women and children, and the odd-book that would assistance Public Service Commission (PSC) introspection aspirants these volunteers spell astir distributing these to 1000 homes successful the panchayat.  

“This is our Sunday activity, travel rainfall oregon radiance we are present to instrumentality and cod caller books to distribute,” says Athikka Beevi, 1 of the volunteers gathered there. On the archetypal Sunday of the period the bags are exchanged, arsenic each container has a antithetic operation of books, each Malayalam for now. 

There are 55 sets of books oregon ‘kits’ arsenic they are colloquially referred to. The prime of books is driven by applicable considerations, the main 1 being that they cannot beryllium thick, “this tin beryllium intimidating for those who person to “make” clip to read. There is nary constituent lending inaccessible books erstwhile the full constituent is to get radical to read,” says Sunil. 

Sreeja adds, “The books would conscionable beryllium successful the homes, perchance extending the day of return. Fat books volition not beryllium read, slim ones person a amended accidental of being read.” Mostly fiction, the works of Malayalam authors specified arsenic Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai, OV Vijayan, Anand, Benyamin, KR Meera, Santosh Echikanam and others marque up the ‘kits’. “There person been enquiries from our younger readers for English books. We program to see those successful the adjacent future, we privation radical to work and if books successful English volition support it going, truthful beryllium it,” adds Sunil. This room exemplary has been portion of planetary journals and publications specified arsenic the        

What started retired arsenic a task for 100-odd houses has present grown to 1000 houses: 4000-odd people. Starting out, Sunil says, his expectations were modest, if it worked, good and good. He credits the volunteers, themselves avid readers, for the occurrence of the task and for however acold the Aksharadeepam task has come. The plan, initially, targeted Kudumbashree members, nevertheless arsenic connection dispersed involvement grew. Others who were not portion of Kudumbashree evinced an involvement starring it to dispersed among locals.

“We besides similar reading, truthful we recognize the worth of books and having them brought to us. Reading is not elemental for women — we person location work, instrumentality attraction of the location and children, which hardly leaves america with immoderate clip to read, fto unsocial spell to a library,” says Sreeja. 

The volunteers were chosen aft 4 levels of screening, from the portion level of Kudumbashree to panchayat officials. They were besides chosen for their involvement successful reading, “this is simply a voluntary activity, it cannot beryllium sustained if idiosyncratic were to bash it for the money. The volunteers person to beryllium self-motivated besides for this to work,” Sunil says. 

“We recognize the worth of this activity. We have, each of us, wanted to work but did not person entree to them oregon a library. We did not person a installation specified arsenic this, going to a room was retired of the question,” adds Jalaja. For this reason, they say, they are committed to the task to spot it through. 

For the volunteers this enactment is validation. The room precocious organised an lawsuit to observe reaching books to the 700 houses. “The Speaker of the Legislative Assembly, AN Shamseer sir, was the main guest. We were fixed mementos by him for this work…It felt truthful bully to beryllium acknowledged, to person one’s enactment appreciated. This would not person happened if we did not bash this work,” accidental Sreeja and Sherbila.