Aurangabad student opens mohalla library: The city in Maharashtra state now has eleven more mohalla (or neighbourhood) libraries for children, thanks to the efforts of sixth-grader Mirza Mariam. The libraries, which are located in slum areas of Aurangabad, have a collection of around 500 books exclusively for the young readers in the neighbourhood.
Schools are closed and children in her neighbourhood play throughout the day, Mariam told the news agency ANI, adding that's the reason she decided to open the library so that they can utilise their time. The 12-year-old added that her father had gifted her 150 children books last year and she had already had 150 more books in the store. "I put all the books in the library, which has now more than 500 books. Children can take these books to their home and return after 2-3 days," the Class 6 student in Aurangabad revealed.
This is not the first time that Mariam has launched such libraries in her area. Earlier this year, two mohalla libraries for children were established in the same neighbourhood with a collection of around 300 books. As per a report by the Times of India, her father Mirza Abdul Kayam of city-based Read and Lead Foundation said his daughter had a collection of books, which she decided to utilise for the benefit of the public. After she began a maiden mohalla library for children (up to 10th standard) in the city last year, several such initiatives have come up in towns of Jalna, Indore, Beed, Jalgaon, Ahmednagar. One such library will also reportedly open soon in Central Mumbai area.
The Coronavirus-induced boredom is what triggered the sixth-grader to founding a library at home as well. “I had spent a couple of months at home and read many books which I got from my father’s shop,” said Mariam.
Feature Image Credit: ANI
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