Pay It Forward Library

Sheetal Sanghvi Shares:

There is a pay it forward library that we started out at The Urban Ashram, which was actually inspired by the free library at the Mehta House. I put out all the books I had in a steel cupboard near the entrance and genuinely encouraged all visitors to take a book home. In due course, people from all Pune and visitors alike took many, and also left many books. The library has now grown to 2 cupboards, and has a healthy mix of books across different genres of philosophy, religion, service books, children books, fiction, etc.

One of my friends, Sangeeta Bhagwat, an author recently donated many of her books for the library and also encouraged her other author friends to do the same. Result being now we have more books than space to host the same. Am now planning to start the same library in 3 other locations in town. 2 friends have agreed to donate their unused steel cupboards and am now looking for spaces that will host this library.

The same lady also coined a nice term for the library called €œSpread the Word€. We wish to offer this project to the Universe, so that it may such free libraries may appear all over the globe. I believe that each book is alive and is just waiting to be opened and read so that it may breathe and come alive in the hearts and minds of the reader. Really wish that all the books that are sitting in the living rooms and studies of people all over the world, bored to death by the neglect of their owners find such free libraries to go home to.