For the busy commuters who don’t find time to read, 50-year-old Anoop Khanna from Guwahati, Assam has turned a bus stop into the newest public library to peruse as they wait for a bus. Just imagine a library without librarians, no due dates and no one telling you to be quiet. Well, Assam’s bus stop-turned-library is the one spot where no such rules are followed and commuters, as well as pedestrians of all ages, are welcomed to read as well as exchange their books. You may take any book in exchange for your personal book that you’d like to give to the library.

Khanna started this new public library concept after figuring out that people sometimes have long wait times for buses. So, it’s the best spot for the library as people need something to kill time while waiting for buses. And, what could be better than books to keep them busy until a bus arrives.

He has also put a board in front of the bus stop saying ‘the world belongs to those who read’ on the top-front of the bus stop. To give a real library-like appeal to the bust stop, Khanna has created colourful bookshelves with multi-coloured lights throughout the spot. So far, there are nearly 200-250 books and most of them have been exchanged.

How the “novel” idea came about

According to Khanna, the concept came to his mind in the backdrop of Brahmaputra Literature Festival organised by the National Book Trust (NBT) and the Assam government. Now, this bus stop library has evoked curiosity among old and young, who come here to read as well as exchange their books. Lately, a lady submitted her recipe book to take a book from the library, whereas a child had brought his zodiac sign book to the library.

While most of us are always busy on our smartphones either texting, playing games or reading e-books, there are some bookworms who can’t give up on the smell of real books. Plus, this bus stop-turned-library is bringing people closer to the books rather than sticking to phones all the time. This is a very thoughtful way to encourage people in the digital era to get back in touch with reading books.

Via: ScoopWhoop