“My name is Haripriya. I run this little library for children at DD Colony with the aim of raising readers and building a sense of community. During my post-graduation days in Singapore, I spent a lot of time in the University library. The huge community libraries were awe-inspiring and I was surprised by the reading culture. After I moved back I began reading aloud to my niece at bedtime and also suggested young adult fiction to my nephew. I realized that reading is a fundamental habit that everyone should cultivate and felt strongly that it should become a part of every child’s daily routine. And thus began my journey in August 2016 after thorough research focussing on Indian Kid literature with a collection of 1500 books. Over the next few years, I strived hard for excellence and sourced books from across the country and also from the US. At present we have over 9000 books with members coming from far and wide across the city.

The year 2020 began on a great note for me. The library won the Kidsstoppress award in the category of the best library and bookstore, Hyderabad. We celebrated the world read aloud day on 5th February and the mother language day on 21st February with book read reading session under the tree by children and the parents at the library. The children were looking forward to completing their annual exams and begin their reading marathons. Little did we know what was in store for us. As the pandemic hit, I closed the library and the children were unhappy as they were all cooped up in their houses. All our plans of storytelling, read-aloud sessions suddenly came to a halt. At the library, the children exercised their choice through books, and because of the closure of library it has been taken away from their lives. The entire world was adapting to this new situation, and online classes became a sudden necessity. Since I did not endorse reading on gadgets or apps, I did not take up online sessions in the initial months of lockdown. I felt helpless until some of my friends from other cities encouraged me to take up online sessions.

And thus I began our online reading program called Readathon. Around the same time, I began to hear about famous bookstores and libraries closing down. I also contemplated shutting down the library permanently and conveyed this to the members. It did not go down well with the children as they had a special bond with the library. They were heartbroken and urged me to rethink my decision. My family too supported me and finally, after much contemplation, I reopened our little reading space, following all the covid norms. It was heartwarming to see children visit and borrow books. The place was filled with so much joy and laughter and that gave me hope during these testing times.

While I am conducting virtual meetups for Storytelling, Puppetry, and read-aloud sessions, I miss our read-aloud sessions in the open space under the trees. I am hopeful that it will happen soon.”