LAHORE: A two-day event to launch Kitab Gari – a mobile rickshaw library by Children’s Literature Festival (CLF) was held here in Lahore.
Founded by a private non-governmental organization Idara-e-Taleem-o-Aagahi (ITA), CLF has launched a mobile library ‘Kitab Gari’ set up in a rickshaw.
The Kitab Gari launch event was held at Sabeel Wali Gali, Walled City Lahore on Tuesday and at Children’s Library Complex (CLC) on Wednesday.
Children from slum communities, government schools and student members of the Child Protection and Welfare Bureau participated in the two-day event and had an absolute blast.
Actor and children’s activist Nadia Jamil participated in the first day of the event and conducted a story-telling session where she shared the inspirational life story of UN Ambassador of Pakistan and human rights activist, Muniba Mazari.
“Amai and Sadako’s Prayer’ – a short film by artist and author Fauzia Minallah was also screened for children and an open discussion over lessons learnt was held.
Theatre artist and Storyteller Zain Qazi held a story telling session with the children on Wednesday. CLC Chairperson, Marriam Khokhar unveiled the Kitab Gari and shared her thoughts on the venture.
The mobile library shelves around 600 books including fiction, non-fiction and reference books and magazines, in English and Urdu, for ages 3 to 18.
The Kitab Gari, launched with the support of CLF friends in San Diego, aims to promote reading books as an essential daily habit in children in Pakistan, and focuses on low-resource areas of Lahore. The mobile library will be valuable to children in such communities as they have little access to books and limited means of entertainment.
To promote the reading culture, the Kitab Gari will go to the doorsteps of children across the city, and hold sessions, activities, workshops and film screenings to promote the prolific pleasures of reading and learning.
This Kitab Gari will be convertible to a tech-enabled digital stories lab and Cinema Ghar where tech based learning, films and visuals will be used as a medium for learning with tablets, an in-built LED screen and sound system.
Like CLFs, ITA attempts to build and strengthen reading, imagination and thinking capabilities among children through its latest initiative of Kitab Gari. Children who have never visited a library or have never attended storytelling sessions will get a chance to explore the pleasure of reading books and learning through a range of activities, competitions and learning material.
The participants of the event welcomed the initiative of this mobile rickshaw library.