Library Girl Mariyam Mirza gets award for Mohalla Library concept

Mumbai: The efforts of 'Library Girl' Mariyam Mirza for launching the concept of Mohalla Library during the Covid-19 pandemic has bore great results.

Mariyam has successfully established 36 libraries dedicated to children's literature in various neighbourhoods in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, earlier known as Aurangabad.

Mariyam, now a Class XI student of Maulana Azad College, has been conferred with a Special Award by the Maharashtra State Urdu Sahitya Akademi.

In her quest, the biggest support was her father Mirza Abdul Qayyum Nadvi.

Mariyam started the mission when she was in Class VII - to be precise when the country was hit by Covid-19 pandemic.

“It is a recognition of the efforts,” she said, adding that the Mohalla Library is a sort of a movement.

The award, comprising a cash prize of Rs 15,000 and a memento, will be presented during the Akademi's golden jubilee celebration programme, scheduled to be held in Mumbai from October 6-8.

“At a time when young kids are busy with mobile phones, laptops and television, it is time that we inspire them to read,” said Nadvi.

“What we did was to easily make books accessible to needy and underprivileged children. Mariyam has so far successfully established 36 libraries dedicated to children's literature in various neighbourhoods,” he told DH on Wednesday.

Mariyam's childhood passion for reading, fostered by her father's book-selling business, led her to realise that her friends lacked access to reading material.

The libraries contain children's literature, including biographies, stories, and novels in Marathi, Hindi, Urdu, and English, as well as books on leaders of the freedom movement, all chosen to cultivate an interest in reading among children.

"During the Covid-19 lockdown, when schools were shut, Mariyam observed children in her neighborhood spending their days playing, deprived of formal education or reading. She realized that many children from poor and deprived families lacked access to books, while she, thanks to her father's book-selling business, had a vast collection,” he said, adding that he backed his daughter’s idea.

On January 8, 2021, she set up her first 'Mohalla Library' in her home's balcony, with just 300 books in an old cupboard. This library was aptly named after India's former President, Dr A P J Abdul Kalam.

Mariyam Mirza not only initiated this movement but also developed it into a self-sustaining model.

The motto of this movement is—"Give us Rs 15,000, and we will give you a library."

Of the funds collected, Rs 5,000 are used for purchasing a bookshelf, and the remaining Rs 10,000 for acquiring quality children's literature. This approach actively involves the local community in the endeavour.

Mariyam deputed local children to manage the day-to-day operations of these libraries, designating them as 'Junior Librarians'. These children handle tasks such as distributing books, maintaining records, and overseeing the library's upkeep. This initiative not only cultivates a reading habit but also nurtures leadership qualities and a sense of responsibility among the children.

These libraries are open for one hour every evening. Children are allowed to take books home to read and must return them within 2-3 days.