Have you ever had a pile of books lying on your shelf thinking someone could use them? If yes, you’re not the only one. As a part of the Book In Hand Campaign (BHC India), a bunch on youngsters are on a mission to put books in the hands of thousands across the city for free.
Started in August 2023, BHC India is run by CELL Foundation. The youth led initiative has set up six free one book libraries across Delhi-NCR in areas like parks, slums and campuses where anyone can get books for free.
You don’t need an ID card, deposit or overdue fines. Just name, number, address and the will to read. BHC India, the brain child of Pratik and Anurag was born out of the simple observation of piles of book resting on urban shelves with many students not even being able to afford second hand books.
Regarding this, the team at BHC told a media portal, “When you have books, ones you’ve already read, just sitting on your shelf, a thought naturally arises: What if someone else who truly wants to read, but can’t afford books, could get access to them?”
The first location was Gandhi Vihar and now, the BHC has expanded to Vijay Nagar, Delhi, University’s Faculty of Arts, DU Women’s Association and even children’s libraries in Patrachar Basti and Sanjay Basti making reading possible across ages and income groups.
The Book In Hand campaign is so high on trust, it might just restore your faith in community driven actions. Have you ever bought a book from a BHC stall?
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