Irked at how precious books many times land in the rubbish bin, a booklover came up with Pustaka Parishe. Anyone can pick up their favourite Kannada literature for free.
How many times haven’t you bibliophiles wished that you could think of a book and it would be there, ready for you to simply pick up, take home, read and keep it for life — all for free? Well, your wish can come true. Creative head of Srushti Ventures, Nagaraj Navunda, has made it possible for book lovers to relish Kannada literature of their choice, absolutely free. Talking about the inspiration behind this novel venture, Navunda says: “Basavanagudi, as we all know, is famous for the Kadalekaayi Parishe (groundnut sale). As a book lover, I wanted to extend this concept to Kannada books — not as a part of a sale, neither as a charity. The aim is to prevent books from gathering dust, and to invite youngsters, children in particular, to enjoy literature.”
Navunda was determined to succeed in his mission. He started by approaching everyone he knew, to donate their books for the Pustaka Parishe. “Initially, we were slightly apprehensive about the success but the response was encouraging. Nissar Ahmed donated 400 books, Kannada Sahitya Parishat donated 300 books, Padmini Nagaraj donated 750 books, we even have 200 rare books from Pt Sheshadri Gawai’s collection and so on,”
Navunda says. His companion Rajkumar, an IT professional, who works for Pustaka Parishe in the evenings, adds: “There were some who suddenly got attached to their books and refused to part with them when we approached them, but most people were only too glad to support us. It kills to see people senselessly give away books to the raddi or to the grind mill. We have even spotted some first editions discarded at the raddi.” They claim in unison that through this venture, they want to prevent misuse of precious literature and create awareness amongst children, who might not hear about great writers if such initiatives are not taken up.
One might wonder how this enterprise will indeed reach out to youngsters, considering that the popularity of Kannada literature is waning in the cosmopolitan set up of Bangalore but Navunda is quick to retort: “How many people read English literature in that case? The problem is not with the language, but the attitude is wrong. There is a dearth of people who are interested in reading — blame the media for it. Also, cultivation of healthy reading habits begins at home.”
Someday, they wish this trend would become a revolution and books of every language can become a part of this Parishe. They believe that staunch support from the government and from genuinely interested litterateurs can help them scale greater heights. They have currently collected about 5,000 titles on society, culture, literature, art, history etc and have segregated them into 20 categories. They also invite anyone interested in donating their Kannada literature. However, magazines and textbooks are not welcome. Navunda and Rajkumar assure that publishers won’t be affected by their free offer, since they are not catering to a business. “It’s for the love of literature and the eagerness to preserve and spread awareness, and to induce interest amongst even those who may not have tried literature. We can help you start from scratch. No strings attached,” Rajkumar smiles..
To reach Srushti Ventures log on to www.srushtiventures.com or call 99450 03479/ 93434 99518 .
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