'The more you read, the more you know, the more you know, the smarter you grow,' said the great Dr Seus. Indeed, much has been said about the many benefits and wonders that reading can bring. Yet, despite the latest debate about providing free internet to rural India, it is sad to note that there are regions in India where even reading books is still a luxury.
Thus, in an attempt to take books to these regions and also to spread the joy of reading can bring, Satabdi Mishra and Akshaya Rautaray decided to start Walking Book Fairs in January 2014 in Koraput, Odisha.
“Books have always been limited to only certain niche spaces. There are no books other than textbooks or course books in many parts of India. So we started Walking BookFairs because we wanted everybody - right from the farmer, to the housewife, to the college student to experience books. And to make books more accessible, we thought of taking books to them,” says Mishra. The couple first began by carrying storybooks to nearby villages and towns in Odia in a backpack, displaying them on footpaths, bus stops etc. where people could easily browse and read books and also be able to buy them at a discount.
Following this, the couple renovated an Old Maruti Omni ambulance, packed it with books and went off to different districts of Orissa. But realising that the need for endorsing reading for pleasure is a nationwide issue, they decided to launch the Read More India 2015 book tour. “Parents and teachers alike are reluctant to allow children to read storybooks and are more insistent on general knowledge books and tailor made essay and grammar books which is a dangerous trend. It is important that school going children everywhere be introduced to good literature and storybooks to foster independent thinking as they grow up into adults and build a good citizenry,” says Mishra. “Most of the problems we face as a nation today arise out of the fact that people have been denied access to books for a long time. Reading story books encourages independent thinking and fuels the imagination while reading only textbooks does just the opposite. It kills the natural curiosity in children. Reading also improves vocabulary, reading skills and make children more aware of the world around them.”
As part of the tour, the couple is travelling across 20 states in their truck including Goa and will cover a stretch of 10000 kms.“It is a big adventure and a big risk - being on the road for 90 days. When we were travelling through the red corridor in Bastar district in Chhatisgarh, we were continuously stopped by the police for questioning,” recalls Mishra. “ But the experience has been wonderful and we have been overwhelmed by the response in Telangana. In fact, many people have written to us inviting us to visit their towns and cities.”
The custom made truck in which they travel in is a free library for all consisting of around 4000 books in English. Apart from that, they also conduct reading sessions along the way where they interact with school children and others.The couple has also gotten praise from quite a few authors like Jerry Pinto, Jash Sen, Kishalay Bhattacharjee, Ravinder Singh and Ruskin Bond.
“The journey so far has not been very difficult because we have good road connectivity in the country. Also we have charted a route map keeping in mind good road connectivity and access. But finding wide spaces to park the book truck has been difficult because half the roads have been encroached upon and the other half is full of vehicles,” admits Mishra.
All set to land in Goa on January 17, the couple will park their book truck at People Tree, 6 Assagao and then open it out for people to come in and read. “We would also like to take the truck around some other public spaces in Goa. Everybody is welcome to come and join our public book display,” says Mishra and adds, “The biggest inspiration is the joy on the faces of children when they are with books. That is what keeps us going.”
