Small library, big dreams: Hardoi village forges path to progress | Lucknow News

Lucknow: Once shrouded in poverty, Mansa, a quiet village in Hardoi, has seen a significant shift in its educational landscape. Today, young minds are breaking free from the constraints of their circumstances, stepping into the world of education and opportunity. This haven of knowledge has become a beacon of hope, illuminating the path to universities, schools, and govt offices, and empowering these children to forge a brighter future.The single-room library was founded in 2020 when Jatin Lalit, a young lawyer, returned home during the Covid pandemic. With just 50 books, he planted a seed of hope. The library now boasts an impressive collection of over 5,000 books in Hindi, English, and Urdu, and remains open 24/7 to cater to students preparing for competitive exams. The impact is evident in the remarkable results, as students from the village have begun to secure spots in prestigious institutions and govt offices.The village’s transformation is evident in its success stories: Rahul Pal, who once helped his father with the vegetable cart, aced the Common University Entrance Test (CUET) and is now at the Delhi University. Shanu Kumar has joined the Delhi Police as a constable, while Amit proudly serves in the Indian Army. Shivangi has cleared the Central Teacher Eligibility Test (CTET), and Akash Kumar has landed a job as an Income Tax assistant in Bengaluru, showcasing the diverse paths to success paved by the library’s resources and support.“In 2020, the govt announced a lockdown. We were not allowed to move except in emergency cases, and then this free library came up, which not only led to a reading and learning culture in the village but also provided a platform to aspirants like us,” said Shanu. “With the help of the library, I was able to continue my studies and crack the exam for Delhi Police in 2024,” he said. Akash Kumar, who started visiting the library in 2022, echoed similar sentiments, highlighting the impact of the library’s resources on his journey.Lalit is quick to add that they have now started the ‘Pop-Up Library Project’. It aims to increase female readership engagement with the library by bringing resources directly to their spaces, identifying barriers to library use, and developing targeted solutions.“While the pop-up library is open to all, our primary focus is on engaging women who our current model has underserved. Many women are not allowed to venture out to come to our library. Hence, we thought of making a pop-up library,” he said. By exposing adult women members of the community to the concept of reading for personal enjoyment through these accessible pop-up libraries, he said they aim to increase awareness of the benefits of library use. Their long-term goal is to encourage regular library visits and lifelong learning habits.“We have carefully mapped clusters of areas (mohallas) within villages where women’s groups frequently gather. These locations serve as sites for our pop-up libraries, which operate twice a week,” he said. The project especially targets women in villages who, despite living in the same homes for 20 to 30 years, rarely step outside except for family emergencies or essential work such as visiting a bank. For them, the library has become a new kind of community space—safe, inclusive, and enriching. Women are now being mobilised and motivated to come regularly to the library.Crucially, most of the participants belong to marginalised and backward castes — women who were told for generations that education was “not for them”. The project is now planning to expand further by establishing a women’s leadership team comprising married women who will take ownership and drive the initiative forward.From a single room, the library has transformed Mansa’s destiny — proving on World Literacy Day that books can turn barren fields into fertile futures.