The 8^th of March this year was a sunny day with temperatures rising way above comfort zones. Perfect to stay indoors and cozy up with a book and a cold lemonade.

Akshara Foundation swooped in with just the answer. Since it was time for the next edition of Sunday Soul Santhe, we thought, what better than a cozy reading corner for kids to plonk and chill, away from the heat.

The main objective however, was to spread the word about Akshara Foundation in general and our classroom libraries at government schools in particular.

Sunday Soul Santhe is a quarterly flea market that sees throngs of people come together and encourage small business owners with their art, be it crafty creations, good food or great music.

And so, that was how the Reading Corner came to be. We set up a yellow and white-hued cozy little reading space complete with beds and bolsters, where kids could just get lost in our re-creation of the classroom library.

And they did just that. While getting kids to warm up to the corner initially was tough, we soon realized that was because of growling tummies. Post lunch, the corner was pretty much the most sought-after attraction at the Santhe.

While a couple of boys were seen begging their folks to let them just chill in the reading corner, another came back as promised after getting his face painted.

Once they were in, no one wanted to leave! Each one aptly found a reading position befitting a perfectly lazy afternoon. And that was the last their parents heard them grumble at the Santhe.

Irrespective of our age, this is precisely what books do to each and every one of us, right? They take us into a completely different world.  A world no one should be deprived of or kept away from.

And that’s exactly what Akshara aims at doing with the classroom library – giving children their right to imagination and innovation, at every stage of their childhood.