Aurangabad: The Maryam Mirza Mohilla (neighbourhood) library movement celebrated World Book Day with enthusiasm. Under the aegis of the Read & Lead Foundation, several book reading and distribution events were held in city mosques and Urdu schools. At the event, Mirza Abdul Qayyum Nadvi, the Foundation’s President, announced the launch of a “Book at Home, Book at Every Home” campaign. He claimed that the book-reading awareness campaign was launched only because the emergence of new technological gadgets, particularly smart phones, has caused today’s young population to lose interest in reading.
Books in Urdu, Marathi, and English were presented to youngsters at the Maulana Syed Abul Hassan Ali Nadvi Mohalla Library in Masjid Faiz Beri Bagh, Harsol, Aurangabad’s historic city.
It should be emphasised that the Read & Lead Foundation has been operating 28 libraries in Aurangabad for the past year in various parts of the city, slums, mosques, Urdu schools, and neighbourhoods. These libraries are home to more than 5,000 children.
The Imam of Masjid Faiz, where the Maulana Syed Abul Hassan Ali Nadvi Mohalla Library is located, Maulana Sheikh Yusuf Nadvi, promised that he would do everything in his ability to ensure that the library serves the children and women of the region as much as possible. He also announced the start of the door-to-door book drive after Friday prayers.
Sheikh Nargis Fatima, Headmistress of Al-Huda Urdu High School, remarked that her school’s students and instructors would be more involved in the campaign and would lend any assistance they could. A school teacher, Farhat Jahan, and several teachers attended the lecture and shared their thoughts.
Members of the aforementioned libraries received monthly children’s periodicals such as “Bachu ki Dunia,” “Umang,” “Taleemi Inquilab,” “Majhi Marathi,” “Meri English Kitab,” “Gulzar Urdu,” and other books, magazines, and journals.
It’s worth noting that mosques house eleven (11) of the 28 libraries dedicated to children. Masjid Shadab Hina Nagar, Ahmadi Masjid, Shatabdi Nagar, Misrarwadi, Qazi Iqbaluddin Mohalla Library, Bismillah Masjid, Madrasa Falah Darin Ghulam Mustafa, Sher Khan Pathan Mitra Mandal Library, Narey Village Mohalla Library, and more locations World Book Day was also observed in Al-Huda Urdu High School Baijipura, the Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam Mohalla Library Baijipura, and other libraries.
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