Mumbai: Bhilar, a village near Panchgani, popularly known for its strawberries, will soon become an open public library for tourists.
The concept is similar to that of a town in Wales named Hay on Wye, known as “the town of books”. In Bhilar, 25 places, including houses, lodges, temples, and schools, will store over 15,000 books of different genres. The books will be available for reading, but not for for sale. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis is scheduled to inaugurate the initiative on May 4.
The State’s Cultural Minister, Vinod Tawde, said the initiative was announced on February 27, 2015, during a literary festival. “On May 4, we are opening it to all those who love language and literature. All these books are going to be available free of cost to the readers.”
All 25 places have been painted according the genre of books they have. “Over 75 painters from an organisation named Svatva have painted these places. The whole village has become a sort of public library. From novels, to books on religion and environment, and biographies, we have ensured that every genre is being made available here,” the Minister said. He added that the State government plans to attract tourists to Bhilar with literary festivals. “During long vacations, lots of tourists rush to Panchgani and Mahabaleshwar. We will organise literary festivals during the same time in Bhilar.”
