Bhubaneswar: A Bus Library by Bakul Foundation was inaugurated at Kalabhoomi today. It is not a Mobile Library but a stationary one in the parking lot at the Crafts Museum. This Library has been crafted out of an old discarded bus donated by OSRTC and is, therefore, a new exhibit at the Museum as well. This Library has been set up by Bakul Foundation in partnership with the Department of Handlooms, Textiles and Handicrafts and SIDAC in an old discarded bus donated by OSRTC.
The Library was inaugurated by Amar Pattnaik, MP Rajya Sabha, Upendra Tripathy, Chairperson OAVS, Subha Sharma, Commissioner-cum-Secretary, Department of Handlooms, Textiles and Handicrafts, Prof DP Pattnaik, Eminent Educationist, Sisir Kumar Ratha, Member Secretary SIDAC, Shyamabhakta Mishra, Director Handicrafts, and Sujit Mahapatra, Founder of Bakul Foundation.
Bakul Foundation has been running a Library Movement in Odisha for the last 15 years. To complement its flagship library in Bhubaneswar at Satyanagar, it has been setting up satellite libraries across the city. Given the shortage and virtual absence of libraries in the rapidly expanding southern part of the city, Bakul had been wanting to set up a Library in the Khandagiri area.
When Kalabhoomi opened its doors in 2018, it collaborated with Bakul Foundation with storytelling sessions and other activities to engage children and youth on crafts. The seeds of a library at Kalabhoomi were sown then. It germinated when R Balakrishnan, Chief Advisor to the Chief Minister, encouraged both, Bakul Foundation and the Department of Handlooms, Textiles and Handicrafts to carry on the library movement while inaugurating the library at Ekamra Haat in November 2021.
It was decided that the public can exploit the resources of the library better if the Library was not inside the main Museum building but outside without having to go through the regular entry for museum visitors. That would allow the Library to have flexible hours as per the needs of the users.
The Parking Space was found the most appropriate in terms of visibility, access and aesthetics. Bakul Foundation then approached OSRTC for an old bus that could be converted into a Library. OSRTC donated a bus, and Bakul then mobilized its well-wishers to contribute for the transformation of the bus into an attractive library.
The seats were removed and book racks were created on one side including the baggage rack on the top. On the other side, a long bench was created for readers to sit. Children can sit on the mats on the floor as well. The row of seats at the back of the bus has been retained to keep the feel of the bus. Similarly, the driver’s chair and steering wheel has been retained as a fun selfie point for the readers.
The outside is attractively designed as well using motifs from pattachitra and other traditional crafts of Odisha. There is a beautiful biota, a metaphor for stories traveling across seas, which has its sails looking like a book. At the back, one gets to see the Nabagunjara reading a book as well.
In the last one year, Bakul has been trying to take books to public spaces in attractive and new ways. This includes a library in a public park (Forest Park), at a shopping centre (Ekamra Haat), at a Café (Café 16 Satyanagar) and at a Museum now. The idea is to have books within easy access wherever people go, so that they may feel like picking up a book and get into a journey of reading.
At the same time, to attract people to the library, the library needs to be attractive. Hence, a tree library at Forest Park, a library in a discarded fridge at Ekamra Haat and now a library in a discarded bus at Kalabhoomi.
The Library has books for children and adults though the focus of the library is on children. Readers can read inside the Bus or in the cool natural environs outside the bus. There will be regular sessions on storytelling and craft workshops at the library as well.
The Library will be managed by a young engineer couple, Aparajita Mohanty and Pintu Bhattacharjee. Aparajita gave her full time IT job to work with children and now works part time as a Tech Manager at an organization so that in the second half, she can focus on the library. They will be supported by other volunteers of Bakul Foundation as in the other libraries of Bakul.
