Innovative library named after Satyadev Dubey theater pillar opens in Marathwada village
In the premises of the Pandhari Zilla Parishad Primary School, a specially designed library has opened for the villagers. Behind the shelves is a large blackboard on which students can draw or write. Next to them is a spacious wooden bench.
With graffiti on the school walls serving as a colorful backdrop, this newly opened library named “Satyadev Dubey Vachanalay” is meant to attract serious readers and also serve as a meeting place for villagers.
The Aurangabad District Library is the latest initiative of the Nabangan Foundation, created by actor Rajshri Deshpande. The foundation has been working in the village for seven years to alleviate the water crisis as well as to provide education and health care.
Naming the library after Satyadev Dubey, a pioneer of contemporary Indian theater, was a natural fit for Deshpande. Although the actor did not work with Dubey, she took inspiration from the maverick director. That aside, the actor wants to familiarize the villagers with the world of theater and literature.
The library has nearly 1,500 books and their cataloging will soon be done by theater practitioners based in Aurangabad. “The villagers, however, have started to borrow books. We also get subscriptions to several magazines and newspapers, â€Deshpande explains.
The library has books on a range of subjects including music, environment, science, in addition to a collection of major pieces. “Theater practitioners will visit Pandhari to organize workshops with the children. We even plan to develop plays, â€explains Deshpande, known for her performance in S Durga (2017), Manto (2018) and Sacred Games (2018).
The idea to build such a library came from Deshpande’s father, Balwant Deshpande. “My father suggested that since there is a bus stop in every village, there should also be a library stop,†recalls the founder of the Nabangan Foundation. The actor says it was impractical to build a huge room for a library because “it’s not sustainable.” Instead, the architectural duo Yatindra Patil and Vijay Karade researched and came up with this design.
“It cost us Rs 1.75 lakh to install the library. It takes about a month to build one. Over the next two years, we plan to replicate this design in 30 villages across Marathwada. We will be soliciting donations and funds. Depending on the money we collect, we will be opening new libraries.
These libraries will be named after contemporary heroes who have worked in science, environment, education, health and more. Deshpande decided to name one of the libraries after Kamala Bhasin, the women’s rights activist who died this year. The next library will be set up in the tribal village of Dorkin, where the foundation is also building a school.