Kudumbashree volunteers of Choornikara panchayat in Kerala deliver books at homes there to promote reading among women and children

Kudumbashree volunteers in Choornikara deliver library books to homes, fostering reading among women and children in the community.

Sunil Kumar KR, the librarian of the Choornikara Panchayat Library, calls 50 women, all members of 250 plus Kudumbashree units of the Panchayat, which has 21 wards, the force behind the success of its Aksharadeepam project. As part of the project, inaugurated in 2023, books from the library are doorstep-delivered to homes in the Panchayat to promote reading among women and children. The books were purchased by ₹1.5 lakh sanctioned by the panchayat for the project. Later on, as word spread, books have also come in via donations. 

The project, which has been part of research projects globally, has garnered attention, is powered by these women whose ages range from 23 to 68. “They are my warriors!” says Sunil, “I just need to ask them to do something and it will be done.” Five of the women volunteers — Athikka Beevi KK, Sherbila MS, Sreeja Mani, Sheela Suresh, and Jalaja Sugunan — smile proudly as they nod enthusiastically in agreement. 

“Sunil sir needs our support to sustain this project and we are determined to ensure its longevity,” they chorus. This is voluntary work, they gain nothing from it except “the joy and satisfaction of getting these books to people who want to read but cannot,” says Jalaja Suseelan, one of the older volunteers. “Often there is so much else also happening in our lives, but we ensure that we make time for this work. We have to,” she adds. 

Although it is an ‘urban’ area, it looks more like a village aspiring to be a small town. The library is located in the same building as the anganwadi, the reading room is on the ground floor while the library is on the first floor. Outside the hall adjacent to the library, on a wall with Aksharadeepam written on it are hung maroon cloth bags. They are numbered, there are around 40 of these. “These were the first bags, which could fit 10 books, the number that we distributed initially. We have now resorted to larger bags for our quota of 17 books,” says Sheela Suresh. A dedicated WhatsApp group keeps the Aksharadeepam team in the loop about activities. Besides this, the Library organises enrichment activities for these volunteers as encouragement apart from commemorative mementos. 

The volunteers with Sunil Kumar KR, the librarian | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

Armed with their white bags, which is then packed in a smart jute tote, filled with books which include fiction and non-fiction, for women and children, and the odd-book that would help Public Service Commission (PSC) examination aspirants these volunteers go about distributing these to 1000 homes in the panchayat.