MCubed Library, Bandra, is a space for the avid booklover, no matter what their age
When in conversation with a covey that comprises parents, a matter of discussion that generally crops up is: children today are unaware of the joy of reading books. Either glued to the television or some other form of technological resource, good reads don't seem to fancy these couch potatoes.
But on a morning, take a detour from the vehicle-swamped, noisy off Carter's Road road at Bandra, make your way down D'Monte Park Road and you will notice otherwise. On this quaint little street, on the ground floor of Princess Building, there exists a hub for bookworms. Enter Maharashtra Mitra Mandal Library, popularly known as the MCubed Library, and you can't miss the smell of old pages and an apt silence, rightly a zone for the bookish. We're told that a regular Wednesday is when the colourful kids' zone of the library echoes with rhymes sung by a bunch of enthusiastic toddlers along with their parents (a Baby & Me event).
An initiative by Bandra residents Vibha Kamat, Vaishali Shinde and Sonal Bimal, this public library was set up in 2011 'to allow children discover the magic of reading.' But now, MCubed also has a separate section for grown-ups and reading rooms for students. One of the attractions at the library is a cushioned loft that can be used by anyone with age above 13, to recline while they flip though their favourites: the likes of Arthur Conan Doyle's meticulously written masterpiece or Enid Blyton's adventurous novels. The library caters to a number of genres be it fiction, non-fiction, poetry, cookery, art and theatre among others. The books are mostly received as donations.
On chatting up with Bandra-based Philomena D'Souza, librarian at MCubed, she mentioned, "The library shelves have about 13,000 books and more. While we collect a nominal fee of Rs. 200 per month, we offer free membership to the underprivileged. Many students visit only to use the reading room."
Talking about the inspiration to set this space up, Kamat says, "The inspiration behind such an initiative is the public libraries in the US and what they do for their members, most of whom start very young and remain lifelong readers." MCubed also doubles up as a space for numerous events for its members. Informs Kamat, "We have lots of programmes for kids and several for adults as well, including book club, movie club and a "Last Sunday of the Month" meeting where we conduct talks and discussions for grown-ups of all ages, from young parents to senior citizens."
MCubed is open all days including Sundays from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. (Holidays on January 26 and August 15 only).
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