A question that I often get asked is “How did you figure out that you wanted to run a free community library”?
It was a process that unfolded slowly and organically. It helped that I had been a voracious reader when I was growing up. And that I had had volunteering experience in the free libraries space. But it was only when I took a break from my corporate career that clarity set in. I remember thinking to myself, “What is it that really makes me happy? If there was no other consideration (financial sustenance, career progression, etc), what would I be doing right now?”
And that’s when I knew that I wanted to run a free library. Because working in the library space, getting children to be excited about books is what makes me truly happy. In library work, there are these ‘aha!’ moments, when I knew that a book has deeply resonated with a child and their reading journey has started. These moments bring tears of joy to my eyes. Even talking about it gives me goosebumps.
Of course, at the time, it seemed completely mad that I wanted to do this. That in today’s day and age, when ‘no one reads anymore’, I wanted to run a library. A free one at that, with physical books in it. In a remote Himalayan village. And it was unthinkable that someday I’d get paid to do this. But since I was already taking a break from my corporate career, it felt like there was nothing to lose.
So here I am, running a free community library in Spiti Valley. Our library houses over 3,000 books for children and adults. I make a humble living, which is enough to support my simple mountain lifestyle. I still think it is quite mad, but I also know that I’m the happiest that I’ve ever been!
P.S. The photo was taken in Spiti Valley, where our free community library is.