This is a personal appeal.
We (meaning some friends and me) want to start free library for children here at Ooty, mainly for children from poorer sections who don't have access to books and are too intimidated to enter any library.
We've finally found one room in the middle of the town which serves the immediate purpose at a fairly reasonable rent. Next step is to get it off the ground.
So, a pledge has been created on a site to spread the word. Anyone who finds this idea interesting and worthwhile and wishes to help and can help in any way, please do sign up.
This pledge needs a lot of helping hands and hearts and they have to be found fast.
So have a look please:
http://www.pledgebank.com/getachild2read
Showing posts with label Nilgiri Library. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Nilgiri Library. Show all posts
Saturday, October 11, 2008
Monday, September 29, 2008
Food for Thought
There are somethings we do that we take for granted without really thinking is this truly necessary?
One being - the printing a souvenir to mark an occasion.
The latest one I'm involved with is a souvenir to mark the 150th year of our Nilgiri Library. I'm suitably low down on a sub sub committee with some tasks strictly outlined for me. Though my personal view is that the whole running of the Library is far too snooty (not for nothing do we have the epithet snooty Ooty) and it should be open to more people; still I have been doing what is asked of me in return for the strong base the Library has been in my life at Ooty.
This morning as I was interviewing the staff for an article for the souvenir, an elderly gentleman started asking me the point of the whole thing. (He did remind me of my Father with his pertinent, uncomfortable-making, difficult to answer questions).
He said all souvenirs end up in the basket. They only go to people who already know about the institution. Souvenirs are created to put in the photos of the existing committee and to blow up a few egos. Why don't we use the money to prop up the building which is disintegrating and to increase the salaries of the staff who are of course paid a non-living wage?
All very valid. Now, do i have the courage to put this across to the haloed committee?
One being - the printing a souvenir to mark an occasion.
The latest one I'm involved with is a souvenir to mark the 150th year of our Nilgiri Library. I'm suitably low down on a sub sub committee with some tasks strictly outlined for me. Though my personal view is that the whole running of the Library is far too snooty (not for nothing do we have the epithet snooty Ooty) and it should be open to more people; still I have been doing what is asked of me in return for the strong base the Library has been in my life at Ooty.
This morning as I was interviewing the staff for an article for the souvenir, an elderly gentleman started asking me the point of the whole thing. (He did remind me of my Father with his pertinent, uncomfortable-making, difficult to answer questions).
He said all souvenirs end up in the basket. They only go to people who already know about the institution. Souvenirs are created to put in the photos of the existing committee and to blow up a few egos. Why don't we use the money to prop up the building which is disintegrating and to increase the salaries of the staff who are of course paid a non-living wage?
All very valid. Now, do i have the courage to put this across to the haloed committee?
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