“Sir, Tumhi bachat gatasathi khup sundar kam karta, setkaryansathi kam karta, janvarasathi kam karit ahat, pan mulanchya shikshana sathi kahi karu shakata kay? Amhala shikshan pahije, baki amhee paryayee upajivikaa nakkeech baghu!” exclaimed Sejal Prakash Kapgate, a young girl of 21 after I had finished my lecture during an awareness program in a  village along the buffer area of Nawegaon Nagzira Tiger Reserve (NNTR). It had me thinking.

Education is certainly the greatest gift you can give to any child and education alone is the solution to most world problems. This includes the awareness we have been trying to bring around wildlife conservation. Sejal had got it right when she asked that if there was a way that our efforts can also support the education of local kids, who are the future of the nation.

Immediately, she had everyone’s attention. This certainly is not the usual question you would expect during an awareness event. When I inquired further, Sejal explained that the local kids don’t have access to good books. Being unable to pay higher tuition fees or schooling in larger cities, the likes of Sejal, who hope for a brighter future, are forced to give up on their dreams.

Many students in the adjoining villages have left school because they have been unable to pay for books. Most of them, support their families, by sharing work in farmland. Some are even forced to work as labourers in illegal activities like sand mining. I promised Sejal that we would definitely try to come up with a solution.

The first public library of Malijunga, NNTR, Maharashtra | Photograph by Mahendra Bhojram Raut/WTI

The first public library of Malijunga

The idea of a setting up a local library seemed like the right step forward if we really believed that lives can be changed. As someone who has known the challenges first-hand, it certainly would be an immense contribution towards the future of the generation ahead. After all, one of the objectives of the Wildlife Trust of India’s (WTI) Central India Tiger Corridor Securement Project is to wean out the locals from excessive dependence on forest resources through alternative livelihoods and skill development trainings. There could be no better way towards this end than opening up the world of opportunities through books. Over the next week, I had gone through all government regulations pertaining to establishing a village library.

What did strike me though, is that there is roughly one rural library in the country for every 11,500 people, and one urban library for over 80,000 people.

After discussing with my team, I approached Shri Manikanandan Ramanujan (Conservator of Forest, NNTR) with the idea. He immediately agreed to provide books, a computer, and a printer from the village’s EDC (Eco Development Committee) fund. We held another meeting with the villagers and requested that EDC members take charge of the construction work. The construction of the library was soon completed with financial contribution by farmers, WTI, EDC, and the Forest Department. The EDC members and local school teachers took responsibility of its management. The library currently has a collection of more than 100 titles, ranging from SSC Recruitment series and question banks of competitive exams to books on history, engineering, law, accounting and more.

Local students, EDC staff, Forest Department and WTI during the inauguration of the Malijunga Public Library | Photograph by WTI

It takes just an idea to change the world

Today, I feel proud when four of these students have now been employed in leading hotels in Pune, Goa and Nagpur after they received hospitality training under village EDC funds. As for Sejal, she had cleared the prelims of the Maharastra Forest Guard examination and has also been preparing for a few other government examinations.

Recently, I was invited to attend one of the community programs where parents acknowledged the work done by WTI. WTI was felicitated by the local Zilha Parisad members and Forest Department staff. The success of our library in Malijunga has since been replicated in other villages. With the help of the Samaj Kalyan Office of Gondia, another public library has been set up in the Pandhari Village, in the same district.

Libraries such as these, ensure that our future generation is thoughtful, aware and takes informed decisions. Communities residing around protected areas have always been the primary stakeholders of any conservation efforts and also the stewards of local biodiversity. If we have made them the champions of conservation, our goal is achieved. Thanks to support of the Maharashtra Forest Department and the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) for supporting such initiatives under the project.

Mahendra is a Senior Field Officer in the Central India Tiger Corridor Securement Project