In a small village called Kripalpur in Satna district, a library has been offering free access to books and study space to thousands of children for the past 27-28 years. At a time when the cost of schooling and competitive exam coaching keeps climbing everywhere, this space has turned into a genuine lifeline for students from economically weaker and rural backgrounds. There is no lengthy form to fill or paperwork to navigate to become a member, a student only has to show an identity card to sit and study here in a quiet environment, and even the books needed for competitive exam preparation are available completely free of cost.
Founded in 1998, and it has kept growing ever since
The library in Kripalpur is called the Amar Shaheed Lal Padmadhar Singh Library, and it was founded on 12 August 1998. Back then, the sole aim was to bring proper study resources to poor and needy children in the village, so that a shortage of money would never come in the way of anyone's ambitions. Over nearly three decades since, this small initiative has steadily grown into a major centre of learning for the entire area. Its shelves now hold everything from children's literature to books for competitive exams, general knowledge titles, literature, and modern e-books, keeping pace with changing exam patterns. That range is exactly why students of every age, from schoolchildren to those preparing for competitive exams, keep showing up here to study.
400 to 500 students every month, over 150,000 in total
Sanjay Dahiya, an employee with the municipal corporation, explains that the library runs in two shifts so that as many students as possible can benefit, the first from 7 am to 12 noon and the second from 4 pm to either 6 or 7 pm in the evening. At any given time, 20 to 25 children can sit and study together here. Roughly 400 to 500 students visit the library every month, and over the past 27-28 years, more than 150,000 students have studied here and gone on to complete their education, itself a striking measure of how successful the initiative has been. With support from social workers and the municipal corporation, the library has built up a collection of more than 500 essential books and other study material, which means students do not need to spend extra money buying expensive books of their own, easing the financial burden on their families as well.
A big relief for students from surrounding villages
The biggest beneficiaries of this library are students from the villages around Kripalpur. Students from Marauha, Madhavgarh, Kripalpur, Matehna and Sajjanpur travel here regularly to study. Arpita Kushwaha, who lives in Marauha and has completed her BA from a degree college, is currently preparing for competitive exams such as the Madhya Pradesh Police exam while studying at this very library. She says that earlier, students had to travel to the city for good quality preparation, but now all the necessary books and a peaceful atmosphere are available close to their own village. That saves both time and money, and lets students prepare far more effectively, since the hours once lost commuting to and from the city can now go straight into studying.
Building more than exam prep, it is building a reading habit
The library is not limited to helping students prepare for competitive exams, it is also nurturing a reading habit among children more broadly. Children's literature is kept aside for younger readers, competitive exam books and e-books are available for young adults, and newspapers and magazines are provided for older readers as well. In other words, there is something here for every age group under one roof. That is precisely why this library has proven useful to people of every age, and why it continues to build a strong, lasting foundation for education in the village.
