‘Tamso Ma Jyotirgamaya’ – in Sanskrit it means ‘from darkness, lead me to light’.

Rural libraries in Karnataka are lighting up the lives of village children. What used to be dull-looking and deserted small buildings with creaky and dusty bookshelves are now housed with bright coloured furniture, computers with internet connection and hundreds of story books.

In the past over one year, rural libraries in Karnataka have been revamped into modern centres of learning and recently, the central government has also taken note of these centres and asked other state governments in the country for a similar transformation of public libraries in their states.

In an official letter dated July 6, Alok Prem Nagar, joint secretary in the Union Ministry of Panchayati Raj wrote that the ‘initiatives of the State of Karnataka are worth replication by other States/UTs [Union Territories]’.

The revamp of these libraries has also been appreciated by the school students who are experiencing a radically positive change in their learning environment.

“It’s not just reading books or newspapers that is done here. We also use electronic gadgets to learn new things,” Yuvraja, a student of class eighth in Karnataka’s Government Higher Primary School in Abbetumkur in Yadgir district, told Gaon Connection. “From clay modelling, anchoring, coding and internet browsing, we get to learn new skills which not only enhance our confidence but also make me happy. I would like to thank the librarians and my teachers for all this,” the student added.

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The project to revamp a total of 5,623 public libraries began in March, 2019 when the state government’s Rural Development & Panchayat Raj Department took over the reins of these public libraries from the Department of Primary and Secondary Education. These public libraries are situated across the gram panchayats [village council] in the state.

In addition to the updation of the stocks of books and reference reading material in the libraries, provisions have also been made to raise digital infrastructure within these libraries.

As part of revamping the rural libraries, over 3,000 libraries have been renovated with furniture, child friendly murals, beanbags, indoor plants, chess sets, etc. Also 2,600 libraries have been equipped with computers and internet, and the rest will be done this year. Also, 1300 libraries are equipped with Android TV and digital devices for online learning.

So far, a total of 1,805,708 school students in Karnataka have received the free membership of these rural libraries.

Talking about the revamp of these libraries, Uma Mahadevan, principal secretary in the state’s Rural Development & Panchayat Raj Department told Gaon Connection that these rural libraries are not just a frill or an extra add-on but they are an important part of basic social infrastructure.

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“For rural students, they are learning spaces. We are happy that in the last one and a half years, 18 lakh rural children have been enrolled as library members, free of charge,” the senior bureaucrat said. “Also, over 11 lakh books have been collected through donations, making it a public movement. And placing computers with internet in the libraries makes it possible for rural children to access online resources,” she added.

As part of revamping the rural libraries, over 3,000 libraries have been renovated with furniture, child friendly murals, beanbags, indoor plants, chess sets, etc. Also 2,600 libraries have been equipped with computers and internet, and the rest will be done this year.

“We are happy to see rural communities taking this forward with garden libraries, terrace libraries, career guidance classes, language classes etc. Rural libraries can be a powerful pillar for transformation,” Mahadevan highlighted.

Apart from revamping the libraries, the library supervisors’ salaries have als been raised from Rs 7,000 per month to Rs 12,000 per month, while the working hours of the library have been increased from four hours to six hours daily.

Oduva Belaku: The light of reading

The official note on the revival of public libraries in Karnataka mentions that in the wake of COVID-19, schools were forced to close for months.

“Rural children needed a way to stay connected to reading. ‘Oduva Belaku’ [The light of reading] began as a programme across Karnataka to revive rural public libraries, help children stay connected to reading, and build a library culture within communities,” it stated.

These rural libraries were taken up for revival in phases.

“Many GPs [village councils] were given new spaces, and some got new buildings. Most libraries received electrical connections, book racks, furniture, reading rooms or balconies, study desks for students, armchairs, and garden benches for seniors. Attractive mural paintings were done on the walls of library buildings,” it stated.

Free of cost, open to all

Under the revival project, library membership was made free. “In the months that followed, one million rural children enrolled. They received library membership cards so they could take a book home to read,” a presentation prepared by the rural development department mentioned.

It went on to inform that “many [rural libraries] were given new spaces and some got new buildings, electrical connections, book racks, furniture, reading rooms or balconies, study desks for students, armchairs and garden benches for senior.”

Digitisation of the library

In addition to the updation of the stocks of books and reference reading material in the libraries, provisions have also been made to raise digital infrastructure within these libraries.

“Minimum digital infrastructure was recommended to be added including minimum two computers; uninterrupted Power Supply provision (1-2 kilovolt); internet facility – Wifi, router and modem; Access to the Karnataka Digital Public Library portal developed by the Department of Public Libraries,” the presentation on the project mentioned.

The digital library of the Department of Libraries, Karnataka maintains 25,011,312 registered members and 2,180,638 e-content.

“The department’s decision to go digital materialised with the opening of the first digital library in February 2020. Within a period of two years, as many as 372 public libraries were transformed into digital libraries in a phased manner under Karnataka. The digital library which had about 92 lakh members and 20 lakh e-books in 2021 has been expanding by leaps and bounds,” it added.