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Calcutta Municipal Corporation Receives 500 Books for their School Libraries

Calcutta Municipal Corporation receives 500 book donations for schools following the Mayor's call for contributions.
on Oct 10, 2023

The Calcutta Municipal Corporation (CMC) has received approximately 500 books from Calcuttans who responded to the civic body's plea for donations of books for basic schools.

On September 15, Mayor Firhad Hakim issued a call to locals to donate books for the establishment of libraries in CMC's schools.

The CMC has received a variety of book types, including storybooks, comic books, and textbooks.

Three bags containing around 100 books were donated by two siblings. A Chowringhee resident gave roughly 20 books that her sons no longer read. Around 20 books were donated by a Chetla resident.

Ishi Singh, a third-year computer science student at Vellore Institute of Technology, and her younger brother Ayushmaan, a Class VIII student at St Xavier's Collegiate School, went to a CMC school to contribute 100 books.

"When I got home a few days ago, my mother told me about the CMC's initiative." "She said I should donate all the books that my brother and I no longer need," Ishi, a Ballygunge resident, said. "Some of the books we have are quite expensive, and many people may not be able to afford them." I'll be pleased if the CMC students read and enjoy the books."

Ayushmaan stated that he enjoyed reading mystery novels, and some of the books he gave away were in this type. "It includes Sherlock Holmes, Enid Blyton, Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn," he went on to say.

Ayushmaan and Ishi are the commissioner's children.

Sanifa Farha, a mother of two, donated 16 books that her sons had previously used. "I turned them in at a CMC school in the lane across from St James' School." These include storybooks and other elementary school learning materials. "Both of my sons will no longer require them," she explained.

Priyadarshini Hakim, the mayor's daughter, contributed roughly 20 books. "These are novels that my 5-year-old son used to read. "There are books on how to pronounce words as well as story books," she explained.

There are 224 CMC schools, with courses ranging from Nursery to V, and around 15,000 pupils. Not every school has its own building; many facilities house two schools that operate in shifts, in the morning and afternoon.

The majority of pupils in these schools come from low-income families where reading is not often valued.

According to CMC authorities, if schools have libraries, children will develop a reading habit.

The CMC website has a list of schools where the books can be donated. Books can be contributed through October 10th. There are posts on the civic body's Facebook page with the phone numbers of two officials who may be contacted to donate the books.