Mobile library loses sheen, Padmanabhanagar residents of Bangalore crave a permanent hub for book lovers

Commuters and local residents of Padmanabhanagar have got accustomed to seeing a blue-coloured bus, halting at the stop near Carmel School for an hour, every Wednesday. This bus is the City Central Mobile Library that has been stopping by the locality, between 12.15 and 1.15 pm, every week for the last 33 years.

Though the mobile library has been operational since 1983, the residents of Padmanabhanagar feel that now there is a pressing need for setting up a permanent government library in the area.

Speaking with iamin, Asha, a local who has been a member of the library for a very long time said, “The mobile library stops by only once a week, for an hour, which is not enough for voracious readers like me. The library consists more of novels compared to literature books, short stories and travelogues. Being someone who loves literature books, I need a larger collection of books to be included in the library. This area has many book lovers and we require a regular full time government library so we can visit it as per our needs.”

She also added that the mid-afternoon time when the bus arrives, does not suit the schedule of many residents. “The mobile library can come in after 4 pm in the evening, when most people are usually free. Since they come at around lunch time we are finding it hard to visit the library every time.”

Another loyal member, Jyothi said, “Although the service provided by the mobile library is good, still there is a necessity for a permanent library. My mother is 80 years old and still loves her reading sessions. It would be more convenient for us, if the visiting hours are not restricted to just an hour.”

The bus visits 26 different places in Bangalore city for the library members to get access to the library, on a weekly basis.

John Celestine, in-charge of City Central Mobile Library said, “Most of the members in the library are either elderly people or housewives. We have a large collection of Kannada books compared to books of the other languages and have a lot of demand everywhere. But, since we have to visit so many places, we cannot help but keep fixed one hour timing. If the residents manage to get permission for setting up a permanent library, we will be providing  books and shelves for it.”

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