Riya Siddhacharjee
What if we told you that your old fridge can do more than one job! Not only it helps to defrost your food, or stores the cool colas on a hot summer noon. It does more than that.
Take a closer look and behold! A message which reads aloud: ‘inculcate reading habits’ and ‘create a book-loving community.’
Let us introduced you to a free Fridge Library of Kolkata. An old fridge outside a grocery store in Patuli. A model which went viral recently, where the fridge is stocked with a variety of books and if you’re an avid reader then this is a frozen paradise for you. You can borrow books and take them back home. The double door refrigerator stands adjacent to the gate of Dinabandhu Andrews Institute of Technology and Management. More than 100 books are neatly stacked in. The pandora box contains a dictionary for novels and magazines in both English and Bengali. A small world with different stories is ready to be told.
Well, two teachers, Kalidas and Kumkum Halder who came up with this idea seeing how the education system for children and their growth have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. According to them, “We wanted to start something meaningful for those who are stuck at home and stays in front of the computer every single day. They don’t have too much time to read books. They are hooked to mobile phones. This is for those kids.”
Halder smiled and said, “I was looking for something that wouldn’t need much space as well as keep books safe all year round. I really don’t have to worry about the safety of these books.” ₹45,000 was spent to purchase a big collection of Bengali books and build the rack.
That never happened. Those who borrowed books would come back and give them and they will donate some.
Such initiatives are always welcome. After all, there is no other joy more than spreading the joy of knowledge!
