Mangaluru: In a bid to transform Mudipu and surrounding areas into an Apna Desh model village and knowledge city, the Jana Shikshana Trust, with support from Ramesh Shenava and Radhakrishna Rai of Jana Jeevana, Balepuni, is launching the Mane Mane Granthalaya (Library in Every Home) campaign.The model village campaign is being launched with the support of several organisations, including the department of school education and literacy.Founder and managing trustee of Jana Shikshana Trust, social worker N Sheena Shetty said the campaign will be launched on Sept 6, coinciding with International Literacy Day celebrations. “This initiative is one of several events aimed at making Mudipu and nearby areas a model village with an informed and empowered community,” he said.Shetty said that the campaign will primarily target women and children, while also addressing the rising mobile addiction among youth. “We already have a library, but we observed a drop in visitors. Children from families with a reading culture and a good collection of books tend to have better understanding, thoughts, and social awareness compared to those without reading habits,” he said.As part of the initiative, 50 households will be selected for the first phase. Each household will initially be provided with a copy of the Constitution. By the end of the month, books that are unused in other households will be collected by the Jana Jeevana, Balepuni, to build a community book bank, ensuring that each of the 50 homes has at least 50 books, which can also be circulated among participants.Meanwhile, the team also plans to have ‘Odugara Vedike’, a platform for book readers, where reading sessions will be held. “The aim is to create a knowledge society with enlightened members,” said Shetty. Social worker and founder trustee Krishna Moolya said, “We want to cultivate a strong reading habit among people, making them more aware, informed, and enlightened.”
