DHAKA: Generally libraries are set up at particular locations and they don‘t move, but in Bangladesh, things are topsy-turvy as mobile libraries travel to the doorsteps of readers, in a bid to create “enlightened people” to reconstruct the country.

The mobile library is the brain child of one college teacher, Abdullah Abu Sayeed. He began the long enduring journey with a small fund, and a few books in a small place. Nowadays, however, the library boasts 170,000 books, reports the New Europe.

Initially, the library was set up in the capital Dhaka in 1978. It was named Biswa Shahitya Kendra or World literature Centre in English. It wasn’t long before it spilled over into 250 sub-districts of the 56 districts of the country. At present, the libraries have 125,000 members, the report added.

This initiative will continue to be developed further for the progress of the country.

The library, which was founded with his own limited fund, earned Abdullah Abu Sayeed the prestigious Ramon Magsaysay award in 1994, which is called the Nobel Prize of the east.

Abu Sayeed said in order o spread the habit and encourage more people to read books, the authorities of the Kendra took steps to set up branches of the mobile library in each district of Bangladesh to inject such habits into everybody there.

The Biswa Shahitya Kendra, which was originally founded in a tiny room, now has a nine-storied building, occupying a 5,300 square metre area. The complex houses a rich and modern library of 175,000 books, one art gallery, a film centre, a conference centre, and an improved book store.

In the capital, the Kendra has seven mobile vehicles. The libraries can carry between 4,000 and 17,000 books to the readers depending on the capacity of the vehicles and on the size of the roads. The mobile libraries have spaces for reading books, holding small conferences and cafeterias for the readers.

The destinations of the vehicles are based on the sizes of the roads and each library travels to 40 places a week in villages and towns, and stays there for up to two hours to distribute books to its members. The members borrow new books of their choice and return the ones they borrowed earlier from the library.

The authorities have taken steps to collect the best books from Bangladesh and other countries and translate them into Bengali to facilitate readers of the country having access to the best books in the world in a language they can read.

So far the authorities have translated 400 such books.

The Kendra is run by a nine-member trustee board headed by Abu Sayeed himself. The Kendra is encouraging children to read. It has also introduced giving annual prizes to reward children who have made a particular effort, or who have attained a certain goal for their age. The authorities have started a school dubbed Alor Iskul, or School of Light in the Dhaka Kendra in a bid to encourage a population of more enlightened thinkers with a global perspective, knowledge and understanding.

Under the programme, the centre will arrange 100 courses to rotate every five years for the members, on art, literature, music, fine art, psychology, science and humanities.

Abu Sayeed said his Biswa Shahita Kendra was actively engaged in helping a requisite number of people to become further educated, inspired and enlightened, with the necessary values to further develop the country towards achieving its goals.

Sayeed referred to an oath taken by Greek youths about 2,500 years ago, that decreed they would achieve something better in their lifetime, to ensure the betterment of Athens, from the time of their birth until their passing.

BDST: 1513 HRS, OCT 28, 2014