In 2017, the villagers of Vilar, a sleepy hamlet near the picturesque Panchgani hill station, took it upon themselves to encourage the book reading habit that is being beaten in the internet age. Seven years later, as the country’s first ‘Pustak Ko Gao’ (Village of Books), Vilar’s popularity has grown astronomically.
Buoyed by the flow of visitors that Vilar attracts and its residents’ ability to sustain the reading movement, the Maharashtra government launched a similar ‘book village’ in Pombhurle (Sindhudurg) in March this year and now plans to launch the initiative in Verul (Chhatrapati). Sambhaji Nagar), Navegaon Band (Nagpur), Unclekhop (Sangli) and Amalner (Jalgaon).
“Villar has proven to be a benchmark in motivating people to read. The government’s aim is to develop similar enterprises in at least one village in every district of the state,” said Dr Shamkant Devare, Director, State Marathi Development Institute of Maharashtra.
Describing the plan to set up book villages, Devere said that government officials first identify villages with adequate literary culture. “For example, Amalner was the home of Sane Guruji, who wrote the autobiography, Shyamchi I, considered the greatest tribute to mother’s love. We are also looking at it from the tourism angle. Nagpur’s Navegaon Bandh is already a popular destination for tourists due to its natural beauty and there is a Book Village. The installation will bring more visitors,” he said.
The organization then partners with the gram panchayat and village sarpanch, who identify 10-15 houses that can store books and provide a reading room environment, Devere said.
At Vilar, the state’s Marathi language department had built a collection of over 15,000 books under various genres. These books were distributed to 25 houses in the village, which were given a new coat of paint to distinguish them from other houses. Today, the village has 35 houses that collectively have 40,000 books.
Villar Book Village was conceived on the same lines as Hay-on-Wye, a Welsh town in the UK famous for its bookshops. The then minister of state for cultural affairs, Vinod Tawde, took the initiative to start the book village. Today, the village receives visitors from across the state and other parts of the country. Moreover, schools make a point of sending their students to these home libraries. Balaji Halde, project assistant of Vilar Pustakche village, says, “At least 5-6 lakh people have come to the village over the years.
Avinash Pawar, a small-time industrialist from Murbad in Thane, had recently visited Vilar with his friends. “This is my first visit and I am really fascinated. We have heard a lot about Pustabche Gaon and the work here is very relevant to preserve Marathi literature,” he said.
Inspired by Vilar, Pawar plans to start a similar initiative in Murbad. “This is a new idea where villagers can provide space in their homes to encourage others to walk and read. We hope to do something similar in Murbad,” he added.
Saraswati and Prashant Vilare’s home in Vilar is thronged with visitors throughout the day, many of whom come to see Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s vast collection of books. “We have about 800 books of the great Maratha emperor,” says Prashant. And so, this charming hill station has become a haven where the bounties of nature and the joy of learning coexist.
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